On a top-down raglan sweater beginning at the neck and working down there are seams between the front and back of the body and each sleeve. When you get to the point where you are ready to separate the stitches in the sleeves from the stitches in the body it's very common to end up with a little hole at each underarm. Follow this very clever and very simple solution for eliminating those annoying underarm holes.
Joining the Front and Back
1. When you reach the row for separating the body and sleeves, work to the point where the last stitch of the front is on the right needle, place all left sleeves stitches on a scrap of yarn, now the first stitch of the back is on the left needle.
2. Slip the first stitch on the right needle to the left needle.
3. Insert the tip of your right needle from right to left under the front leg of the second stitch on the left needle and pass that stitch over the first but put it back on the left needle.
4. Work what is now the first stitch on the left needle, then work the second stitch. It's important that what you're doing here is snug because the whole idea is to eliminate a hole.
5. Work across the back side and repeat steps 1 to 4..
Pause and look very closely where the two stitches have crossed joining the front and back at each underarm. There is a little cross stitch – looks like an X. Now following your pattern continue to work the body row-by-row until you have finished the hem.
Joining the Sleeve Stitches
1. The sleeves are joined using the same technique as the body. With the sleeve stitches on a round needle or double points, adjust them so that the first stitch of the row is on the left needle and the last stitch is on the right needle.
2. Take the first stitch on the right needle and slip it to the left needle.
3. Insert the tip of your right needle from right to left under the front leg of the second stitch on the left needle and pass that stitch over the first but put it back on the left needle.
4. Work what is now the first stitch. On the left needle, then work the second stitch. Again, it's important that what you're doing here is snug because the whole idea is to eliminate a hole.
5. Following your pattern continue to work the sleeves row-by-row until you have finished the cuff.
6. Repeat for the second sleeve.
After you have worked a few rows on a sleeve pause and look at the underarm. You will see where the crossed stitches were worked on the body and on the sleeve. They have closed any little opening that could have occurred.
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The No Underarm Hole technique will work nicely for any of the knitting patterns with raglan sleeves.
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