Cabled Raglan Sweater - Jumper Knitting Pattern for Women in Debbie Bliss British Wool Aran by Debbie Bliss

Cabled Raglan Sweater Knitting Pattern for Women – Debbie Bliss British Wool Aran

This Cabled Raglan Sweater is a sophisticated women's pullover knitting pattern designed by Debbie Bliss, worked in her exclusive Debbie Bliss British Wool Aran yarn. The design combines a classic raglan silhouette with an elaborate cable panel, making it a rewarding project for confident, advanced knitters who want a timeless, textured garment with real visual impact.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a women's raglan-style sweater (jumper) featuring a wide, decorative cable panel as the centrepiece of the design. The raglan construction means the sleeves and body are shaped together along diagonal decrease lines that run from the underarm to the neckline, creating a smooth, fitted shoulder without traditional set-in sleeve seams. The overall aesthetic is classic and cosy, ideal for everyday wear or as a special handknitted gift.

Construction and Techniques

The sweater is worked flat in separate pieces and then seamed together, following a traditional construction method. Working flat — on straight needles back and forth in rows — allows knitters to manage the cable panel and shaping with ease, and the finished pieces are joined using seaming techniques to create the complete garment. This seamed, worked-flat approach gives the sweater excellent structure and durability.

Cables are the defining technique of this pattern. A 45-stitch cable panel runs as the focal point of the design, measuring 18cm / 7 inches in width. Cables are created by temporarily placing stitches onto a cable needle, working subsequent stitches from the left needle, and then working the held stitches — this crossing action produces the characteristic twisted rope or braid effect that gives the sweater its richly textured appearance.

The pattern uses several specific cable crossings, each carefully defined:

• C6B – Slip 3 stitches to cable needle held at back, knit 3, then knit 3 from cable needle (creates a right-leaning cable cross)
• C6F – Slip 3 stitches to cable needle held at front, knit 3, then knit 3 from cable needle (creates a left-leaning cable cross)
• Cr6B – Slip 3 stitches to cable needle held at back, knit 3, then purl 3 from cable needle (a travelling cable cross moving to the right)
• Cr6F – Slip 3 stitches to cable needle held at front, with the corresponding cross moving to the left (a travelling cable cross)

These four cable variations allow the panel to include both classic rope cables and more fluid, travelling cable motifs that move diagonally across the fabric, adding sophisticated depth and movement to the finished design.

Stitches Used

Beyond the cable panel, the body of the sweater is worked in mistake stitch rib, a subtly textured ribbing pattern that differs from standard 2×2 rib by deliberately offsetting the knit and purl sequence. This creates a fabric with a softer, more relaxed texture than conventional ribbing while still providing the elasticity and visual interest appropriate for a sweater body. The combination of mistake stitch rib and the structured cable panel creates a pleasing contrast of textures across the garment.

Tension and Sizing

The pattern specifies a tension of 22 stitches and 26 rows to 10cm / 4 inches over mistake stitch rib using 5mm (US 8) needles after blocking. Achieving the correct tension is especially important in this design because the cable panel has its own stated measurement — 18cm / 7 inches for the 45-stitch panel — and both must align for the garment to come out to the intended size. The pattern is graded across seven sizes, requiring between 15 and 23 balls of yarn depending on the size chosen.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Debbie Bliss British Wool Aran in Cream 01 — a 50g / 1¾oz ball