Just in time for your summer knitting in cotton blends or linen.
I've been trying to find a pattern for knitting a sleeveless top, top-down, without raglan sleeves, knitting in the round, so as to use up some leftover cotton yarn. Google search doesn't turn up anything like it, not even on Pinterest or Ravelry; the patterns want you to knit a front, knit a back, and sew them together. Well, part of my mantra is "when you're done knitting, you're done" to the maximum extent possible.
So I finally buckled down and invented it myself.
Sleeveless, boatneck, with selvages at the armholes and optional mid-back elevation.
This top does not have the gap problems at the neck that you get when you knit bottom-up and knit the shoulders together. You don't knit the shoulders together, you make shoulders with stitch increases under the neck rib.
http://freevintageknitting.com/spool194/5201-basque-shirt-and-socks-pattern
http://freevintageknitting.com/childrens-clothes-patterns/spool175/basque-shirt-and-socks-pattern
I like the Joan and Tommy pattern with 8 rows of neutral base color and the light and dark of any colorway -- 4 of light color, 2 of dark, and 4 of light again. You can reverse the light and dark colors if that uses your leftovers up better. The more contrast between those and your base, the more this pattern will pop. Or you can use any two colors that contrast with each other and with the base.
I have calculated (sport/DK) and [fingering] stitch counts below but not tested them.
These materials and stitch counts are for a top that fits a 40-inch chest. Don't change the count for casting-on; you will need that to fit over your head. Don't change the number of rows in the armholes (before you join the round to finish the body). You need them so the top doesn't bind you under the arms.
The target stitch-count at the hem is 200 for worsted, 240 for sport/DK, and 280 for fingering. If you need a smaller size, stop doing increase rounds when you get to the stitch count that is good for you. You may want to do two knit rounds between increase rounds, to get the shoulders broad enough (like for a husky guy).
I think it took me 30 hours to make the first sample after I worked out the stitch counts for the increases.
7 50-gram skeins or balls of yarn. I used Comfy Worsted which has a nice drape and hand.
4 in your
neutral base color, especially important if your selvages will be in base color
2 in the
4-row color
1 in the
2-row color
1 size 5 (4) [3] 24-inch circular needle
1 size 5 (4) [3] 16-inch circular needle
Use long-tail cast-on to a 16 inch needle for 140 (147) [154] stitches. Make sure your stitches are not twisted, then join using a SLST/PSSO and put the slipped stitch back on the left needle for a smooth join.
2. Work K1/P1 rib for 6 (6) [8] rounds, setting a marker at the start and weaving in the loose tail of your cast-on. For more flexibility in the neck, you can use KTBL instead of just a K.
3. Knit one round to stabilize
the neck, setting evenly spaced markers for the side “seam” and middle front. In worsted, these go every 37 stitches; in sport/DK or fingering they will more like 38 stitches apart.
4. Work an optional mid-back
elevation: K14 past midback, wrap, turn; P28, wrap, turn; K47, wrap, turn; P66,
wrap, turn; K85, wrap, turn; P94, wrap, turn, knit to the mid back.
5. Change to a 24 inch
circular needle.
For sport/DK do the following:
For fingering weight:
Knit from the mid-back to the first side marker and cast on 5 stitches. Turn and work P2/K1/P2 into those stitches and purl across to the other side marker. Cast-on again and turn. After this turn is where you will start your Basque stripe if you're using it.
7. Work the rest of the knit
rows as K3/P2, knit across and work the last 5 stitches as P2/K3. Work the rest
of the purl rows as P2/K1/P2 in the first and last five stitches.
8. Working Basque stripe. When
you cast-on for the second selvage, start your Basque stripe; you have already worked
8 rows under the neck rib in your base color so start with 4 rows of your light
shade, 2 of your dark, and another 4 of your light, followed by 8 in your base
color.
You can work the selvages the same color as
the body.
If you are going to work the selvage in
your neutral base color, first, have a separate ball of that color for each
selvage or use up leftovers from the ball you used to make the neck and
shoulders. The alternative is to carry it across the row and that’s a waste of
yarn.
When you go back to your base neutral
color, work a purl and knit row with one of your selvage balls and then use the
other to work the next purl and knit rows (or knit and purl, whichever). This,
too, avoids carrying yarn wastefully across.
Be careful to lock stitches of the base and
other colors at the body side of a selvage that is in your base color. Use your Fair Isle locking techniques. I can't find a good video so if you've never done color work before, put a comment here and I'll help you out.
9. Work 50 (55) [60] rows of the back in
the flat, ending in row 4 of the 8 rows of your base color. Leave a couple inches of tail
and cut the yarn. Weave this in when you start knitting the body.
10. Now make a slip knot in
your yarn and with the right side of the front facing you, put it on the right
tip of the circular needle. Pass the end (knitted) stitch over it. Turn and cast on 5
stitches. Turn back and work K3/P2 to the body and knit across. Now cast on 5
again, turn, and work P2/K1/P2. Here is where you will start the Basque stripe for the front. Purl across and P2/K1/P2 at the other selvage.
Now work 50 (55) [60] rows of the front in your
Basque stripe ending again at row 4 of the 8 rows of the base color.
11. Work Basque stripe in the round for 95 (110) [130] rounds ending in 8 rounds of the base color. If you run out of the contrast colors, use base color to finish so you don't have to buy more yarn and end up with more leftovers. This is what the photo shows. If I hadn't run out, or you buy your yarn fresh, there would be another band of color above the hem.
, and Do K1/P1 rib for 6 (6) [8] rounds. Bind off in rib with one difference. Pick a knit stitch at each of side seam, mid-front and mid-back. K into the front but do not remove; K into the back and pass the front stitch over, then P the next stitch and pass the rest of the knit stitch over. This will make 4 stitches to loosen the hem, otherwise it could be hard to get the top off.
13. Now go back and sew together the selvage at the shoulders.
In the photo you can see the armhole with the selvage on the left.
I often use Lindy Chain for summer tops; it is thinner than Comfy Fingering and linen is perfect for the DMV's hot muggy summers. I have some leftovers to work with and will post again when I have the counts right, but you should probably cast on 220 stitches, work 10 rounds of rib for neck and hem, do increases (start at every 22nd stitch and do two rounds without increasing between every increase round so that the shoulders are wide enough) until you have close to 300 stitches (or your target for the hem), 90 rows above the armpits and 140 below them with 10 rounds of hem rib. (I also have a vee neck tank to work in Comfy Fingering or Lindy Chain.)
You can work a Breton stripe instead of a Basque one, with 4 rows of white and 4 rows of French or cadet blue.
You can use 7 skeins of a single color and work lace in front as I did for a bottom-up top a long time ago, or beads and sequins. You can add university emblems with duplicate stitch.
If you use wool, you can work Fair Isle, houndstooth, cable (including Aran or Celtic Knot), and British (gansey) or Bavarian twisted stitch patterns, making vests to go over button-down shirts. (I also have a vee neck vest pattern.) Make sure to increase the target hem stitch count for Fair Isle and houndstooth; the fabric has less give and you need a wider garment to get it on and off easily.
So now, I hope, I've made you crazy to start knitting for summer and get rid of stuff in your stash or leftovers bin. At 30 hours per top, only your real life stands between you and working one top per week between now and the warm weather.
No comments:
Post a Comment