Finally spring is here and I managed to take modelled pictures in the sun, without freezing too much! And I have a lovely BLUE top to use for many months ahead. I look especially much forward to using it with a skirt or a pair of baggy linen trousers in white.
And I will be coming up with lots of combinations as my top is perfect for dressing up or down and even wear underneath a jacket, when needed.

This pattern is a tested pattern
My talented testers worked beautiful tops!
List of testers is found at the bottom of these notes.

Design and construction
The top features a straight neckline, with a slightly rolled edge.
The slooping shoulder-line is created by short-rows.
The lower body is worked in stockinette sts with a broad section of lace at the bottom.
The sleeve-caps are worked either in rib-pattern, or in lace.
(Both options are instructed).

The top is worked top-down and seamlessly.
The upper back and front are worked flat.
At underarms, front and back are joined and the lower body is worked in the round.

Sizes
There are 13 sizes to choose from.
Finished chest measurement, at widest point and after blocking/washing and worked at gauge:
77/83/89/95/102/108/114/120/126/132/138/145/151 cm = 30.25/32.75/35/37.5/40/42.5/45/47.25/49.5/52/54.5/57/59.5”

Materials
Yarn: I recommend that you use a fingering weight yarn, that knits up to gauge, to work the top. I used “Tosh Merino Light”, in the colourway “Favorite Pair”, from Madeline Tosh, to work my top. This fingering weight, merino yarn, comes in skeins of 384 m/420 yards. You will need approximately 650/700/750/800/870/940/1010/1080/1150/1220/1310/1400/ 1500 m = 710/770/820/875/950/1025/1100/1180/1255/1330/1430/1530/
1635 yards of this specific yarn to work the top. Needles: Size 3 mm/US2.5 (or size to obtain gauge).
Notions 2 removable stitch-markers, waste yarn, tapestry needle, blocking tools.

Gauge
26 sts and 38 - 40 rounds in stockinette sts in-the-round, after blocking/washing = 10 x 10 cm/4 x 4”.

The pattern
The pattern is tested.
All measurements are imperial as well as metric.
There is a schematic.
The lace-section is written out, round-by-round.
Short-rows are explained.
The 2 options for the sleeves are explained.

Knitting skills and techniques
Knitting level: intermediate.

• long-tail cast-on
• short-rows
• working flat
• working in the round
• easy lace-work, following written instructions
• bind-off
• picking up sts (around the armhole openings)

A huge thank you to my talented testers:

Beetheknitter / connief / frkstrik / fuzzywuzzypanda / gemzones / gophersfan / hmbill / knitwitch47 / mizvalski / nwoodkfh / paulab4me / Silversigner / SKYSNOTHELIMIT / Sylvia1002 / Wally4