On this page you’ll find tips and tutorials for all the techniques used in The Downbeat pullover pattern! I review the following topics on this page:

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Picking a Size

In The Downbeat, I suggest picking a size whose finished circumference is approx. 3-8” larger than your actual bust measurement, depending on your desired fit. For reference, in the pattern photographs, I am wearing the sweater with approximately 4-5″ of positive ease in the chest and I’ve chosen the A-line instructions.

This range I have provided is what is typically found in knit garments with raglan-construction which can have a wide range depending on the type of fit you’re looking for. Typically for a classic fit in this type of pullover, people choose to wear with 3-6″ of positive ease. But if you prefer a more roomy fit, then 6-8″ can work well. If you are unsure, measure the width of a pullover you love the fit of and compare it to the body width listed in the pattern’s schematic.

Another thing to consider with top-down raglans is that some people find that using their upper torso (or “high bust”) as your starting point instead of their actual full bust provides a better fit. This is often especially true if you have a larger bust but smaller shoulder width.

In The Downbeat, one option related to this to consider is to pick a size based on your upper torso and work the cast-on and raglan sections for that size. But then in the Underarm Divide, you can cast-on more stitches at each underarm so that you wind up with the stitch count of the size larger (the size that perhaps fits your actual bust better). This way you get the right fit in the shoulder area, but still have enough room at your full bust.

Below are just a few of my test/preview knitters and how much ease they are wearing their finished Downbeat’s:

For more general information about sizing, fit and ease in knitting garments, check out my blog post here. And if you need any help with deciding on a size, feel free to reach out to me!

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Deciding on Length

Because The Downbeat has A-line body shaping, I provided 2 different length options to pick-from (so you don’t have to adjust the shaping sequence on your own). Of course, if you omit the A-line shaping and just have it be straight, that is also an option (and you can just knit the length however long you want).

In the photographs, I’m wearing the cropped length which measures 10″ from underarm to hem. I have a short torso, so I tend to prefer sweaters that hit at my natural waist (especially if I’m wearing my typical high-waisted pants). So even though I’m on the tall side (5’7″), the cropped length works well for my style and still covers my stomach. The other size option is the “standard” length and that is 3″ longer (so 13″ from underarm to hem).

Want to choose a different length but still want the A-line shaping? Here are some guidelines:

• If you want it to be more than cropped, but less than standard: Follow the cropped length, but work additional rounds after the last increase round and before the hem ribbing.
• If you want it longer than standard by no more than 2″: Follow the standard length, but work additional rounds after the last increase round and before the hem ribbing.
• If you want it longer than standard, more than 2″: You’ll want to space out the increases more than specified in the pattern – reach out to me for detailed guidance.

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Yarn options and variation ideas

The Downbeat calls for worsted-weight yarn – I used Ultra Alpaca by Berroco. But due to the completely seamless nature of this piece (and the fact that you don’t have to pick-up and knit the neck trim), it’s a great opportunity to experiment with different textured yarn or double-stranding (consider DK + lace mohair, or 2 colors of sport-weight for a marled color effect).

It also makes a great ‘blank canvas’ to play around with stripes or color-blocking (which is great if you are trying to use up stash yarn!). Click here to view my blog post featuring all of my test/preview knitters for this design and the different yarns they used!

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Swatching and Gauge

Because everyone’s tension can be a little bit different, it’s important to swatch before you start so you know what needles you should be using with your chosen yarn and personal tension. There are 2 important points I want to make about swatching and gauge when it comes to this sweater:

1. Swatch in the round

First, you should swatch in the round because the body circumference of this piece is knit in the round and that is what the finished measurements are based upon. So when it comes to matching the pattern gauge of the pattern (17 sts & 26 rnds = 4″), you should aim to match this gauge when working in the round. If you are new to swatching in the round, you can check out my tutorial here.

2. Stitch gauge is more important than round gauge

Stitch gauge is more important than in the round gauge in this case (stitch gauge determines widths in the sweater and round gauge determines lengths). So if you are able to match stitch gauge but your row gauge doesn’t match exactly, that is ok. I provide tips throughout the pattern on how to adjust the lengths in different areas should your round gauge be a little off. And if your stitch gauge is off, read below for tips on knitting a different size to accommodate a slight-off stitch gauge.

Note: When starting the pattern, you’ll be working on 1 needle size smaller than that used to obtain gauge. So if you got gauge on a US 8, you’ll be casting-on with a US 7. And you use this smaller needle for both the ribbing as well as the short row neck shaping section. Then, once your neckline is shaped, you’ll switch to your gauge needle.

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Stitch gauge off? Knit a different size!

One nice thing about top-down raglans is that due to the simple construction, it’s fairly easy to accommodate a slightly-off stitch gauge. For example, if you prefer the fabric of your chosen yarn at 18 stitches = 4″ instead of the pattern gauge of 17 stitches = 4″. In this example, your stitch gauge is tighter and so to accommodate this tighter stitch gauge, you can knit a larger size and end up with finished measurements close to the size you had actually wanted to knit. Below is the number of inches more or less you will get for each size at the slight-off stitch gauges of either 18 sts = 4″ or 16 sts = 4″:

If you’re getting 18 sts = 4″, the approx finished circumference of each of the sizes will be:

• 33 (36.5, 39, 42.75) (45.25, 49, 52.5) (55, 58.75, 62.25)”
• So approx 2.5-4″ smaller than what’s listed in the pattern, depending on the size.

If you’re getting 16 sts = 4″, the approx finished circumference of each of the sizes will be:

• 37 (41, 44, 48) (51, 55, 59) (62, 66, 70)”
• So approx 2.25-4″ larger than what’s listed in the pattern, depending on the size.

Other considerations:

• When length measurements are given in the pattern, make sure to follow the length listed for the size you had wanted to knit. So for example, if your gauge had been 18 sts = 4″, and you had wanted size 3 (41.5″) but are knitting size 4 at your gauge (so you get a 42.75″ circumference), when looking at the armhole depth measurements listed at the bottom of page 4, look at the measurement given for size 3 not size 4. Because size 3 is closest to the size you will end up with at your particular gauge.
• If your row gauge is a lot tighter: In the short row neck shaping, you may want to repeat rows 5 & 6 one additional time just to give you a bit more depth. If you do this, you’ll then just need to omit one of the repeats in “Raglan Section 2”.

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Top-down raglan construction

In this type of sweater construction, you are starting at the neck and working your way down, working increases around markers that are placed at 4 intervals (to mark the fronts, back and sleeves). You place markers right after you cast-on, at the locations of each of these diagonal lines. It typically looks like this:

I have this video lesson that shows how I cast-on and work the raglan set-up row in a different top-down raglan pattern (Audrey’s Cardigan). Although it’s a different pattern the overall techniques I use are the same (just different number of stitches) so if you’re new to this construction it may be helpful to watch.

Keep in mind though that in The Downbeat, after placing the raglan markers you’ll also be working short rows, so make sure to also watch my tutorial below!

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Short row neck shaping

The Downbeat features German short rows to shape the neckline so that the back sits up higher than the front. I have a video lesson that walks you through all of the steps outlined in the pattern so that you can have a clear visual of this process – check it out below! But first, here are a few important considerations regarding the short row shaping:

• Regarding continuing on the smaller needle in this section: The pattern instructs you to continue working on the smaller needle as you work the short rows (you switch to the “body” needle in Raglan Section 2). The reason for this is because while working the short rows, you are working back and forth and not in the round – so this means there will be rows that are purled in this section. And because many people’s purl stitches are looser than their knit stitches, if you were to switch to the main needle in this section, there may be a visual difference in the fabric at this top part of the yoke. So to avoid this, I advise staying on the smaller needle until you’re back to working in the round.
  • With all of this said, if you know that for you personally that your flat gauge is always the same as your in the round gauge, then you can switch needle sizes in this section if you prefer.
• Possible alteration you can make: If you want to lower your front neckline just a little bit more, you can consider repeating rows 5 & 6 in this section 1 additional time before proceeding to the “Finalizing Short Rows” section. If you do this though, just remember to omit 1 set of repeats in “Raglan Section 2”.

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Trying-on as you go

One thing I highly recommend is trying on your sweater after the neck shaping, and after you’ve worked the raglan shaping for a couple of inches. This serves as a great “double-check” to ensure that the neck opening/fit works well for you with your chosen yarn. It’s best to double-check this before proceeding because if you don’t like the fit (i.e, let’s say it feels way too big or way too tight), you can always decide at that point whether you should cast-on for a different size (and you won’t have gotten too too far in the process already).

Check out my tutorial on this topic here!

Note: Just remember that if you try it on at this point, it’s pre-blocked. So if it feels just a little tight/close-fitting, I wouldn’t worry as blocking will relax things up a bit. It’s more if it’s feels overly big/small at this point.

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Measuring armhole depth

A common question I get about raglan sweaters is how to exactly to measure the armhole depth. It’s not measuring the diagonal raglan line – instead, your measuring straight down from the top of the shoulders when your sweater is laid flat. And so technically your raglan depth includes not only all the rows involved in the raglan shaping but a piece of your sleeve cast-on as well. Here’s a visual to show you how to measure your armhole depth with your garment laying flat:

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Underarm Divide

The Underarm Divide section is when the sleeves are separated from the body and underarm stitches are cast-on as well. If you have never worked this technique before, I highly recommend that you check out my Underarm Divide tutorial page here. In it I provide both a video lesson example as well as photo tutorial lesson.

Note: in the tutorials on that page, I use scrap yarn to transfer sleeve stitches onto a holder. However, more recently I have discovered stitch holder cords and they are now my go-to tool instead of scrap yarn. To learn more about them, click here for my blog post.

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Deciding on shaping

I designed this piece to have very subtle A-line shaping – the total difference in circumference between the hem and the bust is approx. 3″ total (so you can imagine that’s .75″ at each side. So it’s not dramatic, but enough to give you just a little extra room. For exact measurements, make sure to check out the schematic page of the pattern.

However, if you don’t want any shaping, that is totally ok! The pattern provides instructions if you want to just knit your body straight.

Make sure to refer to the above section about length if you want to make any length adjustments!

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Working sleeves

In the beginning of the sleeve section, I suggest using DPN’s or that you can use your 32″ circular and work the magic loop method. If you are new to one or both of these options, I have video demonstrations that you may find helpful! It’s for a different pattern (Audrey’s Cardigan) but because it’s also a top-down raglan construction, the techniques I use are the same regardless.

Click here for video demo of working sleeves on DPN’s.

Click here for video demo of working sleeves using the “magic loop method”.

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Techniques

Below are other technique used in this pattern: