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Baby Raglan Sweater Question

I am making a raglan cardigan sized 3 months old from a vintage pattern. I translated the pattern from fingering weight yarn to light sportweight yarn to use up some stash, and am using a striped pattern. In order for the stripes on the sleeves to match the stripes on the body, I need to either make the sleeves 1/2 inch shorter or about 1 1/4 inch longer before the raglan shaping than the pattern suggests.

The pattern doesn't have a diagram, and doesn't indicate finished dimensions, but the sleeve before raglan shaping would be either 6 1/2 inches or 8 1/4 inches.

My question is, which would be better, 1/2 inch shorter, or 1 1/4 inch longer. Is there some kind of standard as to how long a sleeve should be for a certain age infant (3 months)? I don't have a baby or a doll to measure, so I'm just trying to figure it out.

TIA

Hesira

Reply to
hesira
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I think I found the answer to my questions. I found the Yarn Council's Standards document. It stated that the average length of a

3 month's arm is 6 inches from armpit to cuff. I'm not very familiar with raglan sweaters, but I guess the armpit is where the raglan shaping begins, so the knitting before that indicates the length of the sweater's sleeve.

If I go with 1/2 inch shorter, the length of the sleeve will be 6 1/2 inches. I don't want to make a sweater to fit an orangutan, so I think I'll go with 1/2 inch shorter.

Hesira

Reply to
hesira

The "good" thing about going longer is that you can turn the cuffs back if necessary, but you're talking quite a lot longer so I suspect you've made the right decision. Yes, the armpit it where the raglan shaping starts.

Sounds like an interesting knit - I'd love to see a picture when you are done!

VP

Reply to
Vintage Purls

Personally, I would suggest going longer, You can always turn the cuffs up. And the baby may have long arms!

Higs, Katherine

Reply to
Katherine

Since you never made a raglan , and i don`t know if you knit seamless [ =in the round] , once you get to the armpit , decrease 2 stich of the sleeve on each side on back and front as well, ans finish the raglan part on one circular needle decreasing each side the 2nd +3rd stich away from the last stich that will make a perfect false seam ,, mirjam

Reply to
Mirjam Bruck-Cohen

The baby won't mind whatever you do :-)

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Normally I would say go longer since you can turn the cuffs but having recently experienced just how tiny a newborn is, I think the 6 1/2 should be fine. I haven't measured my 14-month old's arms in a while but her inseam is still only 9 inches - I can't imagine her arms would be more than the 8

1/4 you are looking at for your other option!

Good luck!

LauraJ

Reply to
Laura J

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