Love Heart Jumper — Top-Down Raglan Pullover for Child

A seamless, top-down raglan pullover finished with a sweet duplicate-stitch heart on the front. Knit in one piece from the neck down with no sewing required — just soft, washable comfort for busy kids (and easy laundry days for parents!).

Difficulty: Advanced (short-row neck shaping, raglan math, charted duplicate-stitch motif)

SIZES

2T (4T, 6, 8, 10) Finished to fit chest: 23 (25, 26, 28, 30)" body / with ease as knit: 24.4 (26.2, 28.9, 30.7, 31.6)"

MATERIALS

• Yarn: Worsted weight (#4), machine-washable (superwash wool, cotton, or acrylic blend recommended for easy care)
  • MC (Main Color): 325 (375, 475, 575, 675) yds
  • CC (Heart Color): small amount, under 10 yds any size — a scrap is plenty
• Needles:
  • US 7 / 4.5 mm circular, 16" and 24" (or size to get gauge)
  • US 7 / 4.5 mm double-pointed needles or 9" circular (for sleeves)
  • US 6 / 4 mm circular/dpns for ribbing (optional, if ribbing tighter)
• Notions: 5 stitch markers (4 unique for raglan lines + 1 for beginning of round), stitch holders or waste yarn, tapestry needle, blocking pins

GAUGE

18 sts and 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette st, in the round, US 7/4.5mm 4.5 sts/inch, 6 rows/inch — swatch and adjust needle size before starting!

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

SPECIAL STITCHES & ABBREVIATIONS

• M1L / M1R: Make 1 left/right leaning increase (lift bar between sts, knit through back/front loop)
• w&t: Wrap and turn (short-row technique)
• k2tog, ssk: standard decreases
• pm/sm: place/slip marker
• st(s): stitch(es)

HEART CHART (11 sts × 9 rows)

Worked in duplicate stitch (Swiss darning) after knitting — the correct technique for placing a small single-color motif cleanly on circular stockinette without carrying floats or color-jogs. Chart is read bottom-to-top; each square = 1 knit stitch on the right side.

Row 9:  . X X . . . . . X X .
Row 8:  X X X X . . . X X X X
Row 7:  X X X X X . X X X X X
Row 6:  X X X X X X X X X X X
Row 5:  X X X X X X X X X X X
Row 4:  . X X X X X X X X X .
Row 3:  . . X X X X X X X . .
Row 2:  . . . X X X X X . . .
Row 1:  . . . . X X X . . . .

Legend: X = duplicate stitch in CC, . = leave as MC (background)

YOKE (worked top-down, in the round)

Cast On (neck edge)

With MC and smaller (US 6/4mm) circular needle, using long-tail cast-on:

CO 58 (62, 66, 66, 66) sts.

Place markers as you cast on to divide panels: CO 21 (23, 25, 25, 25) Back sts, pm A, CO 8 Sleeve sts, pm B, CO 21 (23, 25, 25, 25) Front sts, pm C, CO 8 Sleeve sts, pm D (= beginning of round).

(Check: 21+8+21+8 = 58 ✓ | 23+8+23+8 = 62 ✓ | 25+8+25+8 = 66 ✓ for sizes 6, 8, 10)

Do not join yet — short rows below are worked flat over the back neck.

Short-Row Back Neck Shaping

This raises the back neck ~1" above the front for a comfortable, non-choking fit.

1. (RS) Knit across Back sts to marker D, w&t.
2. (WS) Purl across Back sts to marker A, w&t.
3. (RS) Knit to 4 sts before previous wrap, w&t.
4. (WS) Purl to 4 sts before previous wrap, w&t.

Repeat steps 3–4 once more (4 short rows total). Then knit one full RS row across all sts, working each wrap together with the st it wraps as you reach it, joining to work in the round — pm for new beginning of round at marker D.

Raglan Increases

Increase Round: Sm, M1L, knit to 1 st before next marker, M1R, k1; repeat from * around all 4 markers (8 sts increased per round).

Plain Round: Knit all sts, slipping markers as you go.

Work Increase Round, then Plain Round, repeating every other round a total of: 15 (16, 17, 19, 20) times.

(Check yoke depth: 30/32/34/38/40 rows ÷ 6 rows/in = 5"/5.33"/5.67"/6.33"/6.67" ✓ — all within the appropriate armhole-depth range for size)

Stitch counts after all increases:

(Verify: Back+Front+2×Sleeve = 178/190/202/218/226 = neck CO + 8×R in every size ✓)

SEPARATE SLEEVES FROM BODY

Next round: Knit across Back sts to marker, place next 38 (40, 42, 46, 48) sleeve sts on holder, remove markers, CO 4 (4, 6, 6, 6) underarm sts, knit across Front sts to next marker, place remaining 38 (40, 42, 46, 48) sleeve sts on holder, CO 4 (4, 6, 6, 6) underarm sts, knit to end of round (new BOR).

Body sts now on needle: 110 (118, 130, 138, 142) sts. (Check: 51+51+8 = 110 ✓ | 55+55+8 = 118 ✓ | 59+59+12 = 130 ✓ | 63+63+12 = 138 ✓ | 65+65+12 = 142 ✓)

BODY

Work even in stockinette (knit every round) for 8 rounds (~1.3").

Place Heart Motif markers (optional but recommended): On the current round, place a removable marker 20 (22, 24, 26, 27) sts after the center-front underarm CO point and another 20 (22, 24, 26, 27) sts before it — this marks the 11 center front sts where the heart will later be duplicate-stitched. (Border sts each side of heart: 20/22/24/26/27 — confirmed even split since front panel st count is odd in every size ✓)

Continue working even in stockinette until body measures:

• 2T: 6.5" from underarm (39 rounds total)
• 4T: 7.5" (45 rounds)
• 6: 8.75" (52 rounds)
• 8: 9.75" (58 rounds)
• 10: 10.5" (63 rounds)

Hem Ribbing

Switch to smaller needle if desired. Work k1, p1 rib for:

• 2T, 4T: 1" (6 rounds)
• 6, 8: 1.25" (8 rounds)
• 10: 1.5" (9 rounds)

Bind off all sts in pattern, loosely.

SLEEVES

Place 38 (40, 42, 46, 48) held sleeve sts onto dpns/short circular. Pick up and knit 4 (4, 6, 6, 6) sts across the underarm CO gap. Join to work in the round.

Sts on needle: 42 (44, 48, 52, 54) — pm at center of underarm pickup for BOR.

Work even for 4 rounds, then begin decreases:

Decrease Round: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 (2 sts decreased).

Work Decrease Round every 4th round, 9 (10, 11, 12, 13) times.

(Check total sts decreased: 18/20/22/24/26 → remaining sts: 24/24/26/28/28 ✓)

Then work even in stockinette until sleeve measures:

• 2T: 7" from underarm
• 4T: 8"
• 6: 8.75"
• 8: 9.75"
• 10: 10.5"

Cuff Ribbing

Switch to smaller needle. Work k1, p1 rib for:

• 2T, 4T: 1" (6 rounds)
• 6, 8: 1.25" (8 rounds)
• 10: 1.5" (9 rounds)

Bind off loosely in pattern. Repeat for second sleeve.

NECKBAND

With smaller circular needle and MC, pick up and knit sts evenly around neck opening (approximately 1 st per st/row around, adjusting to a multiple of 2). Work k1, p1 rib for 1" (6 rounds). Bind off loosely in rib pattern — a stretchy bind-off (e.g., sewn or Icelandic bind-off) is recommended for easy over-the-head fit for little ones.

FINISHING: THE HEART

1. Weave in all ends and block the sweater to measurements before adding the heart — this makes duplicate stitch placement even and easy to see.
2. Thread a tapestry needle with CC yarn.
3. Locate the center-front panel between your placed markers. Find the horizontal center of the panel — this is where the heart's widest row (Row 6, all-X row) will sit.
4. Following the chart, work duplicate stitch over each "X" stitch: bring the needle up through the base of a knit stitch, over the two "legs" of the V above it, and back down through the base — tracing the path of the knit stitch exactly, in CC.
5. Work Row 1 (bottom point) first, then Rows 2–9 upward, keeping tension matched to the background sts so the fabric doesn't pucker.
6. Weave in CC ends securely on the wrong side (this yarn will see the washing machine — secure, don't just trim!).

Advanced note: If you prefer true colorwork instead of duplicate stitch, the heart can be worked as intarsia — but because this body is knit in the round, true intarsia requires either steeking or working the motif rounds flat (back-and-forth) and rejoining afterward, which adds significant complexity and a seam. Duplicate stitch is the recommended method for this seamless construction and gives an identical visual result.

SCHEMATIC (all measurements as knit)

        ← neck →
      _____________
     /             \
    |   RAGLAN YOKE  |   5.0-6.67" deep (by size)
    |________________|
    |     |    |     |
    |BODY | ♥  |BODY |    6.5-10.5" to hem ribbing
    |     |    |     |
    |_____|____|_____|
       1-1.5" rib hem

  Sleeve: 42-54 sts underarm → 24-28 sts cuff
  Sleeve length: 8-12" underarm to cuff

CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS

This sweater is designed with washable worsted-weight yarn — always check your specific yarn label, but most superwash wool, cotton, and acrylic blends can be machine washed on a gentle/cold cycle and laid flat to dry. Avoid high heat to protect both fiber and the duplicate-stitch heart detail.

Enjoy your Love Heart Jumper!