Pepper Tee and Crop by Jo

Pepper Tee and Crop

by Jo
Knitting
December 2019
Aran (8 wpi) ?
4 stitches and 4.5 rows = 1 inch
in Stockinette
US 10 - 6.0 mm
450 - 1500 yards (411 - 1372 m)
English

MY SHOP IS CLOSING!

All patterns are 50% off until Sunday, January 21 at 23:59/11:59 EST (New York time)

Grab a pattern if you’ve been wanting one. I’ll likely not be offering them again.

No code needed. You’ll see the discount in your cart.

Sizing
A, (B, C, D), E, (F, G, H), I
Finished chest circumference:
33, (37, 41, 45), 48 3/4, (53 1/4, 57, 61), 65 inches
84, (94, 104, 114), 124, (135, 145, 155), 165 cm
More garment measurements available here

Ease
3”

Yarn
Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton Worsted 100 g/150 yds/137 m
Hanks Required for the Pepper Crop: 3, (4, 4, 5), 6, 6, 7, 8, 9
Hanks Required for the Pepper Tee: 4, (5, 5, 6), 7, 7, 8, 9, 10

Needles
US 10 (6 mm) circular needles (24” or longer)* or size needed to achieve gauge
For the sleeves, you can use the same length circular and just employ the Magic Loop method
For the Pepper Tee only: US 9 (5.5 mm) circular needles (24” or longer) or size needed to obtain gauge

Other Tools and Supplies Needed
Scrap yarn
2 stitch markers (2 different colors/types)
Yarn needle

Stitch Pattern
Stockinette stitch (worked flat):
RS: k; WS: p
Stockinette stitch (worked in the round): k every round
For the Pepper Tee only: 1x2 Rib (k1, p2 on the RS)

Design and Construction Notes
The Pepper Crop and Pepper Tee are straight, boxy fit garments with generously dropped shoulders. The pattern was designed for soft, plant fiber yarns like Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton Worsted. There is no shaping after the underarm, so make sure the finished bust measurement above also accommodates your waist measurement. See this link for all relevant garment measurements. The Pepper Tee and the Pepper Crop are knit in the round from the top down in two different methods.


The Pepper Crop begins with a provisional cast-on at the back neck and shoulders of the garment. From there, the back is knit to the underarms and placed on a scrap piece of yarn. Stitches are placed on the needle from the provisional cast-on and worked in short rows to form the front shoulders of the garment. After the two sides are joined at the neckline, the front is worked to the underarms. From there, the front and back of the sweater is joined and knit in the round to the folded hem. The sleeves and collar are picked up and knit in the round.

The Pepper Tee is also a top down seamless knit, but it features stabilizing “seams” at the shoulders and sides of the garment. The back is worked first from a normal cast-on from the back neck and shoulders and worked to the underarms. Then the front shoulders are picked up and worked separately and joined at the neckline, then worked down to the armholes. The front and back are joined at the underarms to knit in the round to the split hem, where the ribbed hems are worked flat. The side seam is formed using a take on the mattress stitch to stabilize the split hem. In order to create this “seam,” I use a technique similar to mattress stitch. This is a technique I worked out and have used on most of my top-down seamless sweaters with split hems. I like this technique because it not only has a stabilizing effect but also eliminates the main problem I’ve had when knitting garments with this type of hem: the stretching out at the bottom where the two hems split. If you’ve ever used mattress stitch to join two separate pieces of knitted fabric, then you’ll find this very easy as it is exactly the same technique as far as how you sew it together. (A visual guide for this technique is included in the PDF with photos.)

2 PDFs are included in the pattern purchase: one is a printer-friendly grayscale version and the other has photo references.