I love the cable design on the front and back of the torso near the side seams on this sweater. I have marked a sweater with a similar design feature that I want to make for myself as it is so lovely. The one I have chosen though is not a raglan design, so no diagonal cable across from under arm to neck, and that’s because I do not wear or make raglan sweaters.
I have done. I made a raglan sweater for my son, he never wore it as he said it didn’t fit. I thought it was too big so made the same sweater in a smaller size. He never wore it. He loved how it looked but was uncomfortable with it on. After consideration I realised it’s the raglan that isn’t suitable (and I am gearing up for some knit surgery to try to fix the bigger one so it can be worn, one day, maybe).
And for myself, I just know raglan doesn’t fit me well or look good on me. That was mainly based on looking at the clothes I have bought in the past and learning what fits best and is most comfortable.
And maybe you can do the same. Are the sweaters you are comfortable in raglan, drop sleeve, modified drop sleeve, set in sleeve… it can help to identify what you like.
Maybe you and your wife were attracted to this pattern because of that lovely cable design up the side seams and just went for it without realising perhaps that this style isn’t the best for your personal preference on fit.
If that’s the case then there are other sweater patterns with similar design elements but different shaping, and with a narrow cable like this there is also the option of using a plain pattern which fits well and adding the cables in. A cable generally needs some extra stitches adding to the overall width because it crosses over and pulls the stitches and width in a bit, but a small cable would not need a lot of stitch count modification to include and there are video tutorials on how to do this too.
The problem with the node lift when you raise your arms is shown well in the photo. The raglan continues at an even pace until such point is arrived at which accommodates your chest width… this is low down your body, making the arm pit too low down. When the arm raises the arm pit part if the sweater has no option but to get pulled up. A higher arm pit is needed and in part you suggest this in your post making reference to a sleeve which comes straight out at 90 degrees, a drop sleeve or modified drop sleeve design. A modified drop sleeve can be fitted to a torso which is broader at the chest without lowering the armpit too far. In addition the modified drop sleeve can have less fabric in the sleeve, your raglan has some excess fabric in the upper arm because the raglan just keeps going until the chest width is accomodated for, without taking into account that your upper arm doesn’t need that much fabric, so the fabric folds and gathers in the upper arm when your arms are lowered.
You might also find this particular sweater is trickier to put a jacket or coat over, possibly the coat shaping pulls the sweater arm pit higher, just to get the coat on, and making it uncomfortable to wear with a jacket due to gathering bulk of fabric in the upper arm and arm pit. Or if a coat fits it may raise the hem of the sweater in a similar way to when you lift your arms.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think this sweater looks great, it’s really nicely knit and you should definitely wear it.
There is often some sort of compromise when choosing a design and cut of any item. Many well fitted designs have a set in sleeve or some other modification of design to try to follow the shape of the body (talked about in the video which I found fascinating. I first thought why try to change a raglan when you can just choose a different design such as modified drop sleeve, saddle shoulder, set in sleeve, and then the same thing was said in the video with some excellent visuals and suggestions too) however I do think you also need to first think about what is it you want from your sweater. Most of the closer fitting design aim to fit the body better when the arm is lowered as this is the natural position of arms. With an occassional reaching for the top shelf one wouldn’t necessarily want to wear a sweater designed for that but rather one which looks good most of the time and only felt and looked a bit awkward on those rare occasions. On the flip side, if you very frequently have your arms raised due to your work or hobbies then you might prefer a sweater which looked and felt more comfortable for that purpose. There is a design with an underarm gusset (an extra diamond of fabric) which is often found in traditional fishermen sweaters and the purpose of this is exactly so that the arms can be frequently in the active up position and lots of physical activity whilst ensuring the torso of the sweater does not lift (fishermen don’t want a gap appearing at the waist to bring in a nasty draft or for the arms to feel restricted). If someone had a profession which was frequently involving raised arms this might be a more suitable choice for work wear, blind and curtain fitters, plasterers, painter and decorators, tree surgeons and so on. You might not choose the same design or fit for other aspects of life. Someone who wears a suit for office wear would want a more fitted sweater which could fit under a suit jacket or blazer and would definitely not want an underarm gusset getting in the way.
OK, so maybe it’s an extreme example, but maybe not. I have worn different clothing depending on where I’m going and what I’ll be doing and I am sure most people do this. And then again you’re probably thinking you just want something that you can wear kind of all of the time. True, most of us do.
You’ve already had great suggestions on how to modify the raglan design.
Here is a slightly different approach from me. I would ditch the raglan design. Go for a modified drop sleeve, a saddle shoulder or a set in sleeve. There are benefits to seaming on these sweaters (seams add structure and prevent sag over time for instance) but if your wife hates seaming there are also patterns and methods for seam free ways to knit too. Equally there are top down and bottom up options.
Here are a few examples
With regards to whether or not your wife feels comfortable to join the forum. No problem, we understand. I don’t use any other social media at all, I am very partictular about where I post and this is the only forum I use. It is very well moderated, friendly and helpful, the nonsense posted by spam bots and idiots is removed in a very timely manner keeping the forum clean and welcoming. Your wife may decide to join in, she may not, all fine. She doesn’t have to post photos of herself or of her knits. We do often say “hope you’ll post a pic” because we are generally nosey about knit stuff but it’s also totally fine not to post pics. It’s all good here.
I hope some of my wandering thoughts are useful.
