Child’s Seamless Raglan Cardigan

Free Child Cardigan Knitting Pattern

This seamless top-down raglan cardigan is the perfect cozy layer for kids of all ages, from toddlers to teens, offering warmth and ease of wear in every size. Worked entirely without seams—the body back and forth from the neckline down, and the sleeves in the round—this design minimizes finishing work while creating a polished, professional look.

The variegated yarn in the sample creates a fun, flowing gradient effect, as shown on the child model. With its classic shape and comfortable fit, this cardigan is wonderfully unisex and endlessly adaptable: choose bright solids for a playful pop, soft pastels for a sweet touch, bold stripes for extra energy, or any favorite color to match your child's unique style.

Ideal for intermediate knitters comfortable with raglan increases and basic shaping, this pattern delivers a timeless wardrobe staple that's as fun to knit as it is to wear.


Skills Required/Techniques Used:
---Knit & purl, cast on & bind off;
-Increasing: make 1 (m1), knit into front and back (kfr&b;
-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog);
-Picking up stitches;
-Working applied I-cord.

Sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14)
Shown in size 6, which is slightly big on a 4.5 years model.

Measurements
For chest: 25 (27, 28.5, 30, 32, 33.5) inches [62.5 (67.5, 71, 75, 80, 84) cm]
Length of cardigan: 12 (14, 16, 17, 18, 20) inches [30 (35, 40, 43, 45, 50) cm]

Materials:
Plymouth (affiliate link) Yarn Mushishi worsted weight yarn (95% Wool, 5% Silk), 491 yards (449 meters)/250 gr, color 06 – 1 (1, 1, 1.5, 1.5, 2, 2) skeins (MC)
Cascade (affiliate link) 220 worsted weight yarn (100% Wool), 220 yards(201 meters)/100 gr, color Black – 1 skein. (CC)

Notions: 5 buttons, stitch markers, tapestry needle, sewing needle and thread of matching color.

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) circular 32” (80 cm) and 16” (40 cm) needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Gauge for stockinette st: 18 sts x 22 rows = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm)

Abbreviations:
st, sts - stitch, stitches
k - knit
p - purl
k2tog - knit 2 together
kfr&b - knit into front and back loops
pu&k- pick up and knit
m1 - make 1 increase - make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit as a regular stitch.
yo – yarn over
pm - place marker
sm - slip marker
rm - remove marker
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
Bb – button band
MC – main color
CC – contrast color

Pattern Notes:

Stockinette Stitch in rows:
Row 1 (RS, and all RS rows): knit
Row 2 (WS and all WS rows): purl
Repeat 2 rows

Stockinette Stitch in rounds:
All rounds - knit

The selvedge/edge stitches here are worked as follows: slip the first st as if to knit/knitwise and purl the last one.

Raglan increases: in every right side (RS) row, work till 1 st remains before the marker, m1, k1, slip marker (sm), k1, m1. There are 4 raglan lines, repeat on each raglan line, thus the number of sts in each RS row will increase by 8 sts.



Short Overview of the Pattern:

The cardigan with V-neck is worked from the top down, back and forth, as one piece in stockinette stitch. The sleeves are worked in-the-round, without seam, on double pointed or circular needles. Button bands and neck band are worked in rib 1x1 continuously from the bottom of the right front, up to neckline, along the neckline and down to left front and end at the bottom of the left front. The body and the sleeves’ rib on hems, as well as the button band worked in CC yarn.


Cardigan

With MC yarn cast on 37 (38, 38, 41, 42, 42, 43) sts and purl one foundation row (wrong side). Check the sts and place markers on raglan lines as follows:

1 st (selvedge) + 1 st (front) + 2 sts (1st raglan line, pm between these 2 stitches) + 5 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6) sts (sleeve) + 2 sts (2nd raglan line, pm between these 2 stitches) + 15 (16, 16, 17, 18, 18, 19) sts (back) + 2 sts (3rd raglan line, pm between these 2 stitches) + 5 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6) sts (sleeve) + 2 sts (4th raglan line, pm between these 2 stitches) + 1 st (front) + 1 st (selvedge).

Row 1 (RS, 1st increase row; raglan and V-neck increase): sl1, m1, k1, *m1, k1, sm, k1, m1 (raglan line), knit all sts till 1 st remains before the next marker, repeat from * 3 times, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1 (forth raglan line), k1, m1, p1. 47 (48, 48, 51, 52, 52, 53) sts. There are 10 sts increased.

Row 2 (WS) and all WS rows: sl 1, purl all sts.

Row 3 (RS, 2nd increase row; raglan increase): sl1, knit all sts till 1 st remains before the next marker, *m1, k1, sm, k1, m1 (raglan line), knit all sts till 1 st remains before the next marker, repeat from * 3 times, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1 (forth raglan line), knit all sts till last st, p1. 55 (56, 56, 59, 60, 60, 61) sts. There are 8 sts increased. Thus the V-neck increases are worked in every 4th row.

Work 1st and 2nd increase rows, alternatively 6 (6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8) more times. Essentially, work raglan increases in every RS row and work V-neck increases in every other RS row.

Repeat 1st increase row 2 (4, 6, 6, 7, 9, 8) more times. 179 (196, 212, 233, 242, 258, 271) sts.

Total number of raglan increases 16 (18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26).


Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Next Row: sl1, knit till marker, rm, transfer left sleeve sts (all sts till the next marker) to a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 5 sts for underarm, knit till next marker, rm, transfer right sleeve sts (all sts till the next marker) to a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 5 sts for underarm, knit till last st, p1. 97 (106, 114, 125, 130, 138, 147) sts

Continue to work body as established: RS knit, WS purl.

Work 48 (54, 60, 74, 84, 88, 90) rows or to desired length, taking into consideration, that there is a 2” (5 cm) 1x1 rib. .

Next round, worked in CC yarn: *k1, p2tog, repeat across. If the amount of stitches is odd, don’t work the last p2tog.

Next round, *k1, p1, repeat across. Repeat this round ten (10) more time.

Bind off.



Sleeves

Sleeves are worked in rounds on double pointed needles or circular needles 16" long.

Transfer sleeve sts from the waste yarn to the needles and pick up 5 sts over the 5 underarm sts. Place marker after the 3rd underarm st to mark the beginning of the round. 41 (45, 49, 54, 56, 60, 62) sts

Slip the marker while working. Work stockinette stitch for 48 (58, 64, 70, 76, 84, 88) rounds or to desired length, taking into consideration, that there are 10 rounds of 1x1 rib.

To narrow the sleeve, decrease by 2 sts on both sides of the marker in every 12th round as follows:

Decrease round: sm, ssk, knit all sts to the last 2 sts, k2tog.

Next round (worked in CC yarn): *k1, p2tog, repeat across. If the amount of stitches is odd, don’t work the last p2tog.

Next round *k1, p1, repeat across. Repeat this round ten (10) more time.

Bind off.


Button Bands and Neck Band

Button bands and neck band are worked in 1x1 rib continuously from the bottom of the right front, up to the neckline, along the neckline and down to the left front and end at the bottom of the left front.

Mark the button placement on the right front for a girl and on a left front for a boy. With right side facing, pick up sts with circular needle along the right front edge (you are supposed to pick up each chain selvedge loop as you are going to join the button band to the front at every other row). You don't need to pick up all the sts, you can do this in batches.

Cast on 7 sts and work 1x1 rib (k1, p1) to the last st. Work the last st and the first picked up st together as p2tog. Turn, work 1 x1 rib back. Continue to work the button band joining it every odd row to the front of the cardigan.

At each button marker work the button hole as follows: sl, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, p1, p2tog. On the WS knit the yo.

When picking up sts at neckline, pick up every other stitch of the cast-on stitches. Continue to left front.


Finishing

Weave in ends. Block.

Sew on 5 buttons.


Have fun!