The invisible raglan increase is perfect for seamless top-down sweaters. The raglan stitch is flanked by mirrored increase stitches and the raglan seam has no holes. Whether the sweater is worked in stockinette or another stitch pattern, the seam will be virtually invisible and the patterns will match perfectly.
Here's how it is done:
1. Work across your row until you come to the first marker that is flanking a raglan seam stitch. Do not move the marker, instead insert your right needle under the right leg of the stitch below, pick it up and place it on the on the left needle then knit that stitch.
2. Slip the marker.
3. Knit into the back of the raglan seam stitch to close the gap between the two increases.
4. Slip the second marker. Find the stitch that is 2 stitches below. The first is the one that wraps the twisted stitch that you've just created and below that is the one that we knit into when we created the first stitch worked in step 1. Insert the tip of the right needle under the left leg and knit one stitch.
Now take a look at what you've created. There are the raglan seam stitches running down the middle and on each side are the mirrored increases. Every stitch has a little V at the bottom with an increase stitch on the right and left. In the middle is a little X that is a twisted raglan stitch, which is what keeps this seam closed and contributes to the fact that it's almost invisible.
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Try the Invisible Raglan Increase for yourself with any of these designer knitting patterns:
Blair Progressive Stripes Sweater
