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Baby knitting romper with hood and raglan sleeves (part 2)

The patterns shown below include all measurements in centimeters. To convert to inches, divide the desired value by 2.54

  • Right front piece. The left front will be symmetrical.

  • Left half of the back. The right half will be symmetrical.

  • Left sleeve. The right sleeve will be symmetrical.

  • Hood – left half. The right half will be symmetrical.

The patterns do not show the button bands, hood band, sleeve bands, or leg bands. We will knit all these bands at the end, in white color. All bands will be 5 cm high, including the leg bands. The button band will be knitted together with the hood band. We will place 6 buttons on the button band. You can optionally add a drawstring to the hood to tighten it around the face. All bands will be knitted in a tubular rib stitch.

Why do we need patterns? Of course, to make calculations.
We will knit from the neckline down, so we need to know the number of stitches to cast on. Recall the knitting gauge:

  • Horizontal gauge: 1.14 stitches/cm

  • Vertical gauge: 2.82 rows/cm

Then the number of stitches will be:

  • Back: 4.9 cm * 2 * 1.14 stitches/cm = 11.1 stitches

  • Each front piece: 3.7 cm * 1.14 stitches/cm = 4.2 stitches

  • Each sleeve: 7.8 cm * 1.14 stitches/cm = 8.9 stitches

Here, 4.9 cm, 3.7 cm, and 7.8 cm are the lengths of the neckline line for back, front, and sleeve. We multiply by 2 for the back because it consists of two parts. Since we are knitting the romper in brioche stitch, the number of stitches on each piece and the total number must be odd.

Rounding and recalculating the stitches:
5 stitches (left front) + 9 stitches (left sleeve) + 11 stitches (back) + 9 stitches (right sleeve) + 5 stitches (right front) = 39 stitches.

We cast on using a provisional cast-on and start knitting the yoke (from neckline to underarm). We must make increases.

Let's calculate the number of increases. To do that, we need to know the width of each piece at the underarm line in stitches:

  • Back: 12.3 cm (width calculated on the pattern excluding armhole shaping)
    12.3 cm * 2 * 1.14 stitches/cm = 28 stitches, rounded to odd = 29 stitches

  • Front piece: 10.8 cm * 1.14 stitches/cm = 12.3 stitches, rounded = 13 stitches

  • Sleeve: 21.5 cm * 1.14 = 24.5 stitches, rounded = 25 stitches

Therefore, we need to increase:

  • Back: 29 - 11 = 18 stitches

  • Each front piece: 13 - 5 = 8 stitches

  • Each sleeve: 25 - 9 = 16 stitches

The length of the yoke will be the average of the raglan line length for the front and back:
12.8 cm (front) + 14 cm (back) = 26.8 cm / 2 = 13.4 cm * 2.82 rows/cm = 37.8 rows.
Since the brioche two-color pattern repeat is 4 rows, the number of rows should be a multiple of 4, so we use 40 rows.

For brioche stitch increases, note:

  • On the right side, we knit 2 rows, then 2 rows on the wrong side. So the number of yoke rows must be a multiple of 4.

  • Increases are made only on the right side, when knitting with the main color yarn, i.e., every 4th row. For us, these are rows 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37.

  • Increases are paired, adding 2 stitches at a time. For the back, we add 4 stitches per increase cycle (2 stitches on each side). The total increases on the back must be a multiple of 4. Since 18 is not divisible by 4, we take 20 stitches (10 per side) in 5 cycles.

  • We distribute increases evenly along the back in rows 5, 13, 21, 29, and 37.

Note the raglan line on the sleeve:

The slope is only at the upper part of the sleeve, length 7.7 cm = 7.7 * 2.82 = 21 rows, this is the last row for increases.

The sleeve width at the lower part is 21.5 cm (without shaping) = 21.5 * 1.14 = 25 stitches.

We need to increase by 25 - 9 = 16 stitches, adding 4 stitches per cycle in 4 cycles at rows 9, 13, 17, and 21. No increases after that.

For the front pieces, let’s consider the neckline shaping (back neck drop / neckline depth difference):
Back neck drop = 59.5 - 58.2 = 1.3 cm
We also need to form a neckline curve of 1.2 cm.
Total: 1.3 + 1.2 = 2.5 cm * 2.82 = 7 rows.
Since we knit brioche two-color ribbing and each side is 2 rows, making 3 turns for back neck drop and neckline equals 12 rows.
I suggest these turns as:

  • Knit all back stitches,

  • Knit all sleeve stitches,

  • Knit half of the front stitches.

We start increases on the front pieces from row 9.
Width at underarm on front = 10.8 cm * 1.14 = 13 stitches.
Increases needed: 13 - 5 = 8 stitches, or 4 cycles adding 2 stitches each.
We will increase at rows 13, 21, 29, and 37, matching the back increases.

I will make raglan lines of 3 stitches: knit, purl, knit. Two stitches will come from the sleeve, one from the front/back. Increases will be made on the knit stitches nearest the raglan lines.

All yoke calculations are ready. The knitting instructions for the yoke will be in the next post.

Before starting, please familiarize yourself with brioche knitting techniques:

Stages of the process

This knitting pattern was created using online knitting software. Download here other free knitting patterns.

If the size, style, yarn does not suit you in this project, you can fill out the form at the end of the post and send it to us. We are fast and free to recalculate the project for your parameters and send you a new pattern. You will only have to knit your garment using the pattern.

 

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