How to calculate stitches for raglan top-down knitting for a dog? - briefly
To calculate stitches for a raglan top-down knitted dog sweater, first measure your dog's chest and neck circumference. Then, using the measurements, cast on enough stitches to fit around the chest, decreasing at the raglan lines to shape the sleeves and create an armhole.
How to calculate stitches for raglan top-down knitting for a dog? - in detail
To calculate the number of stitches needed for a raglan, top-down knitted dog sweater, you'll need to consider several factors: the dog's size, the desired fit, and the yarn weight. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you determine the correct number of stitches:
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Measurements: Start by taking three key measurements of your dog: chest (around the widest part), neck (around the base of the neck), and length (from the base of the neck to the base of the tail). Record these measurements in inches or centimeters.
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Desired fit: Decide on the desired fit of the sweater. A fitted sweater will have a negative ease (the finished measurement is smaller than the dog's measurement), while a loose or oversized sweater will have positive ease. For example, if your dog's chest measures 24 inches and you want a fitted sweater with 1 inch of negative ease, your target chest circumference would be 23 inches.
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Yarn gauge: Determine the gauge (stitches per inch) of your chosen yarn by knitting a swatch. This will help you calculate how many stitches are needed to achieve your desired measurements. For example, if your gauge is 4 stitches per inch and you want a chest circumference of 23 inches, you would need 92 stitches (23 inches * 4 stitches/inch).
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Raglan shaping: Raglan sleeves are created by decreasing stitches at the underarm to shape the sleeve. The number of stitches needed for the raglan will depend on how much you want the sleeve to taper. A common ratio is to decrease 1 stitch every other row, but this can be adjusted based on your preference.
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Stitch calculations: Using the target chest circumference and your gauge, calculate the number of stitches needed for the body. For the raglan, divide the number of body stitches by 4 (since there are 4 sections in a raglan: front, back, and two sleeves). Then, add any additional stitches needed for the neck or length to determine the total number of cast-on stitches.
Here's an example calculation using the measurements and gauge mentioned earlier:
- Target chest circumference: 23 inches
- Gauge: 4 stitches per inch
- Body stitches: 92 (23 inches * 4 stitches/inch)
- Raglan stitches: 92 / 4 = 23 stitches per section
- Assuming a neck circumference of 18 inches and a gauge of 4 stitches per inch, you would need 72 stitches for the neck. Adding this to the body and raglan stitches gives a total of 236 cast-on stitches (92 body + 23 * 4 raglan + 72 neck).
By following these steps and adjusting the calculations based on your specific measurements, desired fit, and yarn gauge, you'll be well on your way to creating a perfectly fitted raglan, top-down knitted dog sweater.