The SABAI top is a light and airy summer top with a boat neckline. It’s super easy to knit, requires only a few techniques and is therefore ideal for beginners. You can make it with the ribbed collar or just stocking stitch for a simpler rolled edge. I recommend using a DK weight cotton blend like Sandnes Garn Line, for a light, cool, easily washable summer knit.
The SABAI top is worked seamlessly top down. First, the neckline border is worked in the round in a 1/1 rib stitch pattern and increases are worked for the slanted shoulders. For the armholes, front and back parts are worked separately back and forth. The stitches of front and back are then joined and worked in the round again. The top ends with a narrow ribbed border with a rolled edge. As the top is knitted from the top down, it is possible (and advisable) to try it on while knitting so that the length can be individually adjusted.
Techniques used: left- and right leaning knitted and purled increases.
Size
XS (S) M (L) XL (XXL)
To fit chest circumference: 74-81 (82-89) 90-97 (98-107) 108-117 (118-127) cm / 30-32 (33-35) 36-38 (38-42) 43-46 (47-50)”
The top can be worn snug with approx. 0 – 2 cm / 0 – 0.8” positive ease, but also works well with a little more room to move (5 – 8 cm / 2 – 3.2” positive ease). For example, if you have a chest circumference of 90 cm / 35.4”, you should choose between size S and M.
Satawal is a cropped tee with a simple lace pattern around a boat neck, which looks a bit like a Macramé texture. You can use various weights of yarn, from fingering weight for airy and transparent texture to worsted weight yarn for mid season garment (we used Berroco Modern Cotton on 6mm/US10 needles).
Our Project
We made the second size (size small) with 2 skeins of Berroco Modern Cotton in colour 1648 Abbot Run). It measures approximately 20″ wide (40″ bust circumference) and 20″ tall from top of shoulder to hem (you can of course make it longer if you want to). If you feel like the neck is too wide you can always seam it and make it a closer neck. The fabric has a lot of stretch, and at this tension you’ll probably want to wear it over a light camisole. It’s meant to be worn loose and oversized, with lots of ease!
Modern Cotton is a soft, easy to knit, and very machine washable blend of cotton and Modal Rayon (which is viscose, a plant based cellulose fibre, much like bamboo). It’s easy to wear in warmer weather, and it’s also great for people with allergies to wool or other animal fibres, or who knit vegan.
Many thanks to Erica for whipping up this beautiful top!!! And many thanks to Gru for sitting for photos without having to be bribed or making a mess.
Construction
The pattern is worked seamlessly from the top down. The lace pattern for the yoke is worked in the round with increases at the both right and left shoulders, then the body is divided into the front and the back and worked flat separately to the underarm, where they are joined again. The lower body is knitted in one piece in the round. Sleeve stitches are picked up along armholes and worked in the round.
We worked up this little top (Ranunculus) as an experiment to see how far we could stretch one skein of Berroco Remix Light – it turns out it can go the distance! Remix Light is a very popular little sprig and summer yarn that ticks a lot of boxes:
It’s very light and has double the yardage of an average cotton summer yarn (100g/400m)
It’s machine washable
It’s soft and comfortable to wear
It’s comfortable and easy to work with
It’s eco-friendly, and made from a blend of recycled fibres: Cotton, Linen, Silk, Acrylic, and Nylon.
It’s made in the first world (France), so no slave labour involved, just unionized, properly paid EU workers
It’s affordable and only costs $16.47/ball
We made the smallest size in the short sleeve and it only took ONE ball. Most of the sizes, long and short-sleeved, use two balls … making it a VERY affordable project. The pattern has instructions for both a short and a long sleeve version, and it is knit from the top-down, so you can make your sleeves any length you want.
Size
We made the short-sleeved version in Size 1 on 5.5mm/US9 & 4.5mm/US7 needles, and the combination of the needle size and the unique qualities of the yarn’s fibres made ours come out smaller than the pattern. Our tension was 18 sts & 26 rows = 4″/10cm (un-stretched) – this is a big difference to the pattern, which is a gauge of 14 sts & 20 rows = 4″/10cm.
Our garment ended up smaller than the pattern specifications: it measures 18″ across the chest (36″ bust) and 16″ high from the back of the neck to the bottom ribbing … a big drop from the pattern’s 46″ bust circumference. That said, I’m extremely happy with the finished project! It’s am amazing little top, and the size is just right for someone who wears a size XS or S. The fit is cropped, and after trying it on I’d say it’s a roomy fitting size small, or oversized XS. The fabric is very stretchy, it has a lot of give and a surprising amount of memory! It is very light and doesn’t have a ton of drape. We used the majority of 1 skein of yarn, and only had about 3g left (we used approx. 375m, or 5m more than the pattern suggested).
If you choose to follow our lead and use the yarn & needle combo we did (and your tension is the same) you can probably estimate the size will come out 20% smaller than the pattern recommends (ours was 22% smaller), so multiply the finished size by 0.78 got get a good idea of where yours will end up (see the measurements in bold below, I did the math for you).
We used Berroco Remix Light, a very light and airy bend of recycled plant and synthetic fibres – perfect for warm weather! Because we used up a good amount of our yarn, I have factored that into the yardage suggestions below and leaned on the side of caution so you won’t run out.
The pattern is written to be knit in a variety of yarn weights, from Lace to Worsted. Ideally, you want a solid or semi-solid coloured yarn, or a yarn that knits up in a very long, gradual ombre colourway, so you can see the details in the lace and textured stitches. The thinner the yarn, the lacier the sweater will be (yarn thickness goes from the thinnest at lace weight, then fingering, then DK, then worsted).
The SABAI top is a light and airy summer top with a boat neckline. It’s super easy to knit, requires only a few techniques and is therefore ideal for beginners. You can make it with the ribbed collar or just stocking stitch for a simpler rolled edge. I recommend using a DK weight cotton blend like Berroco Modern Cotton DK, for a light, cool, easily washable summer knit.
The SABAI top is worked seamlessly top down. First, the neckline border is worked in the round in a 1/1 rib stitch pattern and increases are worked for the slanted shoulders. For the armholes, front and back parts are worked separately back and forth. The stitches of front and back are then joined and worked in the round again. The top ends with a narrow ribbed border with a rolled edge. As the top is knitted from the top down, it is possible (and advisable) to try it on while knitting so that the length can be individually adjusted.
Techniques used: left- and right leaning knitted and purled increases.
Size
XS (S) M (L) XL (XXL)
To fit chest circumference: 74-81 (82-89) 90-97 (98-107) 108-117 (118-127) cm / 30-32 (33-35) 36-38 (38-42) 43-46 (47-50)”
The top can be worn snug with approx. 0 – 2 cm / 0 – 0.8” positive ease, but also works well with a little more room to move (5 – 8 cm / 2 – 3.2” positive ease). For example, if you have a chest circumference of 90 cm / 35.4”, you should choose between size S and M.
This is why you knit! Because you can make pretty, unique things, like Adriata, that you’ll never, ever find in a store or online (or if you did it would cost $500 because it was hand-made). This is it, right here! Adriata is It is worked seamlessly, from the top down. I recommend using a simple, DK weight cotton blend like Berroco Modern Cotton DK, so you can see all the definition from the stunning lace worked around the shoulders and down the side seams. One of the best things about making sleeveless summer is they’re quick, portable little projects that don’t take up enormous amounts of time or energy …. and of course the plant based fibres don’t sweat in warm weather.
I kinda love an all-over mesh lace sweater (like Look at My Holes or Menden – it’s pretty but also mod and and very retro, all at the same time. The Corran Cardigan is an all-over lace cardigan, knit seamlessly from the bottom up with drop shoulders (this means you’ll be picking up stitches for the sleeves). There are two neckline options: round and V-neck and two sleeve lengths. This pattern can be knit in a wide variety of fibres making it a perfect transitional piece. To see the Corran knit in a variety of yarns and with various modifications, please see the #CorranCardigan on Instagram.
Corran is knit with worsted weight yarn, giving you lots of options for fibres suitable for cool or warm weather (I HEART pragmatic designers, they really understand knitters).
I love holes, I love mesh, I love me some BIG lace!
#LookAtMyHoles is a top down, seamless raglan crop top with a simple lace repeat creating large holes all around the garment. The combination of large needles and the lace motif make this an incredibly low yardage pattern. Perfect for layering, this top is designed to be worn with coordinating tank top, #AsFriendsTank by Jessie Mae Martinson. Look at My Holes also looks cool on its own, but for the full effect of the#LookAtMyHolesAsFriendsSet you need to make both!
Sophie is a simple shawl that’s knit horizontally, from tip-to-tip. It’s a quick, easy knit thats great for little projects …. perfect for travelling or patio season. It calls for a worsted eight yarn, but we tried it out with Berroco Vivo, a textured, DK weight, 100% cotton, just to play around and see what would happen. What happened was a really pretty, light little spring/summer wrap
Size
We made a size medium and I feel like it turned out as more of a scarf than a wrap (I had an uncertain amount of yarn on hand and I wasn’t sure how far it would go). We only used 1.22 balls (or 330m) of Berroco Vivo, and I feel like it turned out a bit small as far as wraps go, so if I made another I’d go up to the largest size. If you are using Berroco Vivo you will likely not use as much yarn as is recommended in the pattern, it seems to have gone further than expected.
Our Finished Sample: Size Medium – 13″ (33cm) deep, 101″ (252cm) long
Pattern Size: S (M) L
Pattern Length from tip to tip: approx. 170 (210) 240 cm or 67 (82¾) 94½ inches
Easily Change the Size
Because the pattern is knit from side-to side, its really easy to just knit until you’ve used up half of your yarn, then start the decreases. Just be sure to weigh your yarn before you start, so you know how much is you half-way mark (I use an inexpensive digital kitchen scale from Amazon). If you want you can also make your shawl larger than the largest size, you just need to start your decreases later.
Satawal is a cropped tee with a simple lace pattern around a boat neck, which looks a bit like a Macramé texture. You can use various weights of yarn, from fingering weight for airy and transparent texture to worsted weight yarn for mid season garment (we used Berroco Modern Cotton on 6mm/US10 needles).
Our Project
We made the second size (size small) with 2 skeins of Berroco Modern Cotton in colour 1648 Abbot Run). It measures approximately 20″ wide (40″ bust circumference) and 20″ tall from top of shoulder to hem (you can of course make it longer if you want to). If you feel like the neck is too wide you can always seam it and make it a closer neck. The fabric has a lot of stretch, and at this tension you’ll probably want to wear it over a light camisole. It’s meant to be worn loose and oversized, with lots of ease!
Modern Cotton is a soft, easy to knit, and very machine washable blend of cotton and Modal Rayon (which is viscose, a plant based cellulose fibre, much like bamboo). It’s easy to wear in warmer weather, and it’s also great for people with allergies to wool or other animal fibres, or who knit vegan.
Many thanks to Erica for whipping up this beautiful top!!! And many thanks to Gru for sitting for photos without having to be bribed or making a mess.
Construction
The pattern is worked seamlessly from the top down. The lace pattern for the yoke is worked in the round with increases at the both right and left shoulders, then the body is divided into the front and the back and worked flat separately to the underarm, where they are joined again. The lower body is knitted in one piece in the round. Sleeve stitches are picked up along armholes and worked in the round.
I’ll be honest, I think I fell in love with the Dumpling Bag because of it’s name … I might have been hungry at the time. Still, the FREE pattern is a great little one-skein summer project. It’s portable, perfect for short trips, not a big investment of time or money, and it’s SO CUTE! Plus, it makes a great project bag to take your knitting along (ya know, for those long walks in the park so you can knit on the go). It’s also super giftable, so you can make up a few of them and give them away as the occasion arises.
This FREE tank top is designed to be an easy summer knit, and is the perfect simple project for warmer weather. The deep V neck is flattering to wear without being too revealing, and the straps are wide enough to hide your bra straps (hello practical!). Throw it on with shorts or a breezy skirt on a hot day, pair it with jeans in Autumn, or even make up a woolly version to wear as a vest over shirts in the cooler months.
The pattern includes instructions to knit it flat on straight needles, as well as in the round on circulars (woohoo no seams!). And with clear and simple instructions, both options would be suitable for first-time garment knitters who have tackled the basics of knitting and purling, and are up for learning some fun new techniques! The body is knit from the bottom up, and the length is easily customizable with suggestions for a cute crop as well as a longer version, making it a fantastic wardrobe staple.
Size
XS (S, SM, M, ML, L, XL, XXL)
To Fit Bust: 76 (82, 88, 93, 99, 105, 112, 120) cm / 30 (32, 34.5, 36.5, 39, 41, 44, 47) inches
I figured we can all use something to look forward to, and the seasons’ changing is one of those things you can always bank on (at least in Canada – we have A LOT of weather). Anker’s Summer Shirt is a simple summer top, worked in one piece from the top down. The yoke is worked in sections of rib with increases in the round, followed by classic raglan increases when the stockinette stitch section begins. The sleeves are worked at the end, either on double-pointed needles or on circular needles using the Magic Loop technique. Anker’s Summer Shirt has no finishing other than weaving in ends.
To fit a bust circumference of 80-85 (85-90) 90-95 (95-100) 100-110 (110-120) 120-130 cm [31½-33½ (33½-35½) 35½-37½ (37½-39¼) 39¼-43¼ (43¼-47¼) 47¼-51¼ inches].
Total length: 52 (54) 56 (60) 62 (62) 64 cm [20½ (21¼) 22 (23½) 24½ (24½) 25¼ inches]
Ease: The shirt is designed to have approx. 0-5 cm – [0-2 inches] – of positive ease, meaning it is designed to be 0-5 cm – [0-2 inches] larger in circumference than your widest upper body measurement.
Measurements: The measurements for the finished garment are on the front page of the pattern (note that these measurements are only achieved if the correct gauge is kept). Before beginning your project, measure yourself with a measuring tape around your bust (or your widest upper body part) to determine which size will fit you the best. For example, if you measure 95 cm [37½ inches] you should knit a size M. A size M shirt has a finished circumference of 96 cm [37¾ inches], which in the given example would mean 1 cm [½ inches] of positive ease.
