10 Free Raglan Sweater Knitting Patterns Worth Knitting

A raglan is the closest thing knitting has to a default first sweater. The construction is the easiest of the three major sweater shapes (raglan, set-in sleeve, drop-shoulder), the math is the most forgiving, and the top-down version lets you try it on every few rounds so you catch fit problems before they become rip-back disasters. If you've never knit a sweater, knit a raglan first.

The 10 free raglan sweater patterns below are sorted from foundational to next-level. Pullovers at the top, cardigans in the middle, variations and intermediate pieces at the end. Every pattern here is top-down, which is the only raglan worth knitting as a beginner because you can fix what you can try on. Most are seamless. Two require colorwork or cables and are flagged accordingly.

Foundational Raglan Pullovers

Step by Step Sweater

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Aran weight, top-down, seamless, two neckline options. Florence Miller's pattern is the reference first-sweater pattern, and the name earns itself. The instructions explain every step in plain English instead of standard knitting shorthand. If you've taught yourself to knit from YouTube and want to make a sweater you'll actually wear, this is it. Plan for 30 to 40 hours of knitting plus one weekend of blocking.

Real Easy Raglan

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DK weight, top-down, seamless. Emily Bolduan's pattern produces a lighter fabric than the Step by Step above, with faster knitting than a fingering equivalent. Includes short-row neck shaping, which sits better on the body than a straight cast-on neckline. The August 2025 update fixed the XXL sizing, so trust the pattern as written. Knit one in a neutral the first time and you'll wear it weekly.

Good Old Raglan

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Same construction as the Real Easy above, but the writing is denser and assumes you've finished a sweater before. By Twisted Knitwear, DK weight, one-piece. Good second raglan rather than first. There's a junior version with a button placket if you're making this for a small person.

Roomy Raglan

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Bulky and oversized. The fastest sweater on this list. Jules Efterfield's pattern knits up in around 15 hours of focused work because of the yarn weight and the loose fit. Note: a size-graded, tech-edited version is now available, which fixes earlier stitch-count inconsistencies. Use that one. Skip the older free draft.

Raglan Cardigans

Top-Down Raglan Cardigan

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Laura Chau. Aran weight, top-down, written for any size. The reference open-front raglan. Worked flat from the neck down, with the front edges forming as you go. Add buttons or wear it open. If you've made one pullover raglan and want to know whether a cardigan is harder (it isn't), this is the one to convert on.

Loupy Stripe Cardi

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Stripes are the project here. Loupy Studio's pattern is aran weight, top-down, one-piece, with a built-in button band. Pairs a written pattern with a video tutorial, which is the right combination if you're new to managing color changes mid-row. Pick three colors that share a saturation level (all muted, or all saturated) and the cardigan reads intentional rather than scrappy.

Bly

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Longer and leaner than the cardigans above. Amy Christoffers' design is worsted, top-down, one-piece, finished with a garter-stitch welt and a split hem. Drafted to layer over a base, not over another sweater, so size carefully. Includes a schematic, which is rarer in free patterns than it should be and worth reading even if you've made cardigans before.

Variations and Next-Level Raglans

Simple Summer Tweed Top Down V-Neck

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Aran weight despite the "tweed" name (no actual tweed yarn required). Heidi Kirrmaier's pattern handles V-neck shaping with simple front-decrease rounds, which is the easier of the two ways to knit a V. Drafted for both men's and women's fits. Despite the seasonal name, it's a year-round pattern. Don't let the title throw you off.

Calamondin

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Stranded colorwork in geometric motifs across the yoke. Audrey Borrego's pattern is fingering weight, top-down, intermediate. The colorwork is what separates this from the pullovers above. If you've never done stranded colorwork, knit a stranded hat first. One round of color management is easier to learn than a yoke's worth. Then come back to this. Two-color palette only; resist the urge to do three.

Amused

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Reversible cables, which is the smart move on a raglan. Most cabled top-down raglans look fine from the front and odd from the back when the collar folds over. Jordana Paige's pattern is drafted so the cables read clean from either side. Aran weight, top-down, intermediate because of the cables, not the construction.

A note on yarn

Raglan sweaters are forgiving of yarn substitution because the construction lets you adjust as you go, but a few rules hold. Wool or wool-blend for anything you want to block crisply. Cotton sags and never recovers, so save it for tops you'll wear unblocked. Avoid superwash for the cardigans above, because garter welts and split hems look better in non-superwash wool that holds its bloom. Pick a yarn with at least 10% wool content if you can.

For yarn weight standards and gauge conversions, the Craft Yarn Council's yarn weight system is the universal reference.

A note on fit

Top-down raglan is forgiving but not bulletproof. The mistake everyone makes once is finishing the yoke and not trying the sweater on before separating sleeves from body. Try it on. If the underarm sits more than two inches below your actual underarm, knit two more raglan rounds. If the neckline gaps, you needed short rows that you skipped. Catch both problems at this stage; you can't fix either after the split.

Related guides

• Free Knitting Patterns for Beginners
• Free Knitted Cardigan Patterns
• Free Knitting Patterns for Men
• Free Knitted Shawl Patterns for Beginners

One raglan to start with

If you're picking one and you've never knit a sweater, the Step by Step Sweater. Aran weight, top-down, plain-English instructions, no surprises. It's the pattern most knitters quietly recommend when someone asks for their first sweater, and it earns the reputation.

Browse more knitted sweater patterns on HoneyBee, or filter by beginner or intermediate difficulty.