Raglan Sweater in Bergere de France Pur Coton - M1344 - Downloadable PDF

Raglan Sweater in Bergère de France Pur Coton – Pattern M1344

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Bergère de France guides knitters through the construction of a classic raglan sweater worked in the brand's own Pur Coton yarn. Bergère de France is a French yarn manufacturer with roots stretching back to 1946, producing their fibres at the heart of the Lorraine region of France. Each year, the filature produces more than 8 million balls of yarn across more than 50 qualities and hundreds of shades, making Pur Coton a carefully crafted, authentically French material. This pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent next step for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore more structured garment shaping.

About the Garment

The design is a pull raglan — a French term for a raglan-style pullover sweater. The raglan construction is one of the most elegant and practical approaches to sweater making. Rather than featuring a traditional set-in sleeve with a distinct armhole seam at the shoulder, a raglan sweater uses diagonal decrease lines that run from the underarm all the way up to the neckline, creating a smooth, continuous line across the chest and back. This construction distributes fabric evenly across the shoulder and upper arm, resulting in a comfortable, flexible fit that suits a wide range of body shapes.

The use of Pur Coton yarn — an aran weight cotton yarn — gives this sweater a relaxed, breathable quality ideal for warmer seasons or transitional weather. Cotton knits have a natural drape and a crisp stitch definition that shows off texture and structure beautifully, making it a popular choice for spring and summer knitwear.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: Bergère de France Pur Coton — an aran weight, 100% cotton yarn produced in France
• Weight: Aran — a medium-to-heavy weight that knits up relatively quickly and produces a substantial, structured fabric
• Needles: Knitting needles appropriate for aran weight yarn (specific size detailed within the PDF pattern)

Techniques Used

As an intermediate-level knitting pattern, this raglan sweater introduces and reinforces a number of important garment-construction techniques that go beyond basic flat knitting:

• Raglan shaping: The defining technique of this pattern, raglan shaping involves working paired decreases at regular intervals along four diagonal seam lines — one at each side of the front and back panels where the sleeves meet the body. This creates the characteristic slanted lines that travel from underarm to collar.
• Decreasing: Paired decreases (typically worked as k2tog and ssk or their French equivalents) are used to shape the raglan lines symmetrically, ensuring a neat, mirrored appearance on both sides of the garment.
• Seaming and finishing: Once individual pieces are knitted, they are joined using appropriate seaming methods. Neat finishing is especially important with cotton yarns, as the fabric has less elasticity than wool and seams are more visible.
• Neckline construction: Picking up and working stitches around the neckline is a standard finishing step for raglan pullovers, creating a tidy collar edge.
• Tension and gauge: Working to the correct gauge is particularly important with cotton yarn, which does not have the same natural stretch as wool. Knitters are advised to work a tension swatch before beginning.

Stitches Used

• Knit and purl stitches: The fundamental building blocks of the fabric, used to create the main body of the sweater
• Ribbing: Typically used at the cuffs, hem, and neckband of a raglan sweater to create a neat, elasticated edge — commonly worked as 1x1 rib (knit 1, purl 1) or 2x2 rib (knit 2, purl 2)
• Decrease stitches: Used along the raglan lines to shape the garment as described above

Pattern Format and Availability

Pattern M1344