Bottom-Up Set-In Sleeve Sweater
The traditional construction for tailored sweaters: knit the body and sleeves separately as flat pieces, then sew them together with set-in sleeves at the shoulder. Slower than top-down construction but produces the cleanest, most tailored fit.
Recommended A printable technique cheat-sheet for your knitting bag.
Body construction
Knit the front and back as separate flat pieces (or as a single tube to the underarm). Shape the armholes by binding off and decreasing at the underarm. Continue to the shoulder, shaping the shoulders with bind offs.
Sleeve construction
Knit each sleeve flat from cuff to underarm. Shape the sleeve cap with paired decreases that produce a domed cap. The cap shape must match the armhole shape for a clean set-in.
In partnership Tools and supplies that make this technique easier.
Seaming
Sew the shoulders (mattress stitch or three-needle bind off). Sew the side seams. Sew the sleeve seams. Set in the sleeves: sew the cap into the armhole, easing the cap into the slightly larger armhole opening.
Why it produces a tailored fit
The set-in sleeve pivots at the natural shoulder seam, allowing the arm to move independently of the body. This is the construction used in tailored shirts and jackets — and the reason set-in sweaters look more "dressed" than raglans or yokes.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BO | bind off |
| M1L | make 1 left |
| M1R | make 1 right |
Tips
- Use mattress stitch for invisible side and sleeve seams.
- Ease the sleeve cap carefully into the armhole — too much ease puckers the cap.
- Block all pieces flat before seaming.
In depth
Bottom-up set-in sleeve construction is the most tailored sweater construction in hand-knitting. The trade-off is significant assembly time at the end of the project, but the result is a sweater that fits more cleanly than any seamless construction.