The Tether Top Trio is your one-stop shop for comfortable, fitted knit tops. With long sleeved, short sleeved, and sleeveless views, you can make pieces for nearly every season from just one pattern! This top has a cropped fit, with a comfortable amount of negative ease for a sculpted, tailored look. Designed with scrap yarn in mind, the top can be made all in one colour or using a vintage-stripe technique I designed. This means you can use up spare balls or larger yardage scraps of fingering-weight yarn in a way that feels considered and is unique every time! The top also includes two options for eye-catching, 70’s inspired collars, one slightly smaller than the other.

It is important to me that this pattern is financially accessible and so for low-income customers, this pattern can be purchased at 50% off using the code ‘LOW50’. This is an honours system - please respect that I also am trying to make a living from my designs and if you can afford the full price I’d appreciate if you paid it.

Starting in the round and working shaping to the chest, the rest of the torso is then worked flat. Joining at the shoulders with a 3 needle bind-off, the neckband and armholes are then picked up seamlessly to work in the round. This garment is made all in one piece for a satisfyingly smooth knitting experience.

At the chest, the optional bust shaping short rows can be added to
accommodate breasts. This pattern is graded using ‘women’s’ sizing charts but is designed with a wide variety of body shapes in mind. This style is totally unisex and should also fit a lot of cis men and other people who usually use ‘men’s’ sizing charts- please check the final measurements in the schematic. Despite having waist shaping, the pattern fits well on many body shapes, including folks with bigger waists.

CHOOSING A STYLE:
The three styles of sleeve / armhole finishing are shown in the pattern photos: sleeveless, short sleeve, and long sleeve. This pattern is designed with scrap yarns and odd-balls in mind, any of the views can be used to create unique, colour-blocked designs, led by your yarns! (Note, the text in these tops was embroidered on afterwards and is not part of the pattern.) All of these samples were made with colour changes dictated by the ending of a ball of yarn.

When planning your top, I recommend you choose a selection of yarns in colours you enjoy together that add up to slightly more than the total yardage. To keep the colour changes looking slick, I used a technique of knitting a vintage-inspired stripe between each colour change to create a nice transition.

CHOOSING A SIZE:
Choose the size that most closely matches your upper chest/upper bust* measurement: Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4) (5, 6, 7) (8, 9, 10) will fit upper chest measurements of 77.5, (86, 93.75, 102) (110, 118, 126) (134.5, 142.5, 147.5)cm / 31 (34.25, 37.5, 40.75) (44, 47.25, 50.5) (53.75, 57, 59)in.

Because of the negative ease in this garment, the sizing is slightly
different than my standard and we have removed the size 1 as
normally written. Therefore, if you usually knit a specific size in my
patterns, you should knit one size smaller.

This is a negative ease garment. If you choose a size larger than indicated, the garment will be more relaxed.

To measure your upper chest/upper bust measurement, place a tape measure around your body underneath your armpits at an angle and keeping arms relaxed at your sides.

Finished Bust: 73.5 (80, 90, 96.5) (105, 110, 118.5) (128.5, 136.5, 145)cm / 29.25 (32, 36, 38.75) (42, 44, 47.25) (51.25, 54.75, 58)in.

Intended negative ease at bust (the shaping will account for additional bust space requirements): 6.5 (9, 10, 13) (14.5, 19.5, 21) (22.5, 24, 25.5)cm / 2.5 (3.5, 4, 5.25) (5.75, 7.75, 8.5) (9, 9.5, 10.25)in.

Schematic illustration with complete measurements appears in the pattern photos.

CHOOSING SHAPING:
If you have breasts, a rounded chest or belly, or arched back, and often feel the front of your garments are shorter than the back, there is the option to work short row shaping over your chest to add length at the front only. This shaping is available in 5 cup sizes, adding 3 (6.5, 9.5, 12.5) 16cm / 1.25 (2.5, 3.75, 5) 6.5in. The length added will be slightly less when worn due to stretch, so if you are between sizes, I would encourage you to size up.

Note that Cup 4 does not work for sizes 1 and 2, and Cup 5 does not work for sizes 1 - 4 because there are not enough sts to support that number of rows.

Size 6 with Cup 3 is shown in my pattern photos on a model with an upper chest measurement of 123cm / 48in who usually wears a UK 24 / 26.

YARN:
For my plain sample I used Qing Fibre ‘Dashing Fingering’ (100% ultra fine merino, 400m / 437yds per 100g / 3.53oz) in colorway ‘shrimp’.

For scrappy versions, you can use any fingering-weight merino or merino blend, whatever you have in your stash! I made my samples with various different brands of superwash merino and blends. Additionally, if you are working a scrappy version, remember to select a C1 and C2 colour for your stripes.

GAUGE:
24 sts and 38 rows/rounds per 10cm / 4in in stockinette stitch worked both flat and in the round using 3mm / US 2 1/2 needle.

I suggest knitting one flat gauge swatch at least 6in / 15cm square as well as one swatch in the round in your Main Needle before knitting to check gauge. If there are more sts and/or rows than recommended in the gauge, you should size up your needles. If there are fewer sts/rows, you should size down.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Tapestry needle
• 2 distinct stitch markers (can be made from a loop of waste yarn)
• Optional elastic thread for finishing
• Blocking mat and pins if desired
• Waste yarn in a contrast colour

NEEDLES:

• Ribbing Needle - 2.5mm / US 1.5 or size 0.5mm smaller than Main Needle in your preferred lengths for small circumferences worked in the round (I used 30cm / 12in because I prefer to use a smaller needle even for large cast-ons, but you may wish to buy an additional bigger cable.)
• Main Needle - 3mm / US 2 1/2 or size needed to obtain gauge in your preferred lengths for small and large circumferences (I used 24in / 60cm.)

YARDAGE:
Your yardage will differ depending on your shaping decisions. You can use the tables in the pattern photos to help you determine how much overall yardage you require. Add the yardages together for your preferred shaping to get your total yardage requirements. Add Main Body yardage to your chosen sleeve, collar, and cup yardage for your size for total requirement.

Be aware that meters are shown above and yards below.

SCHEMATIC MEASUREMENTS:
If only one number is shown it applies to all sizes.

A - Neck Width:
17.5 (17.5, 18.5, 18.5) (18.5, 19, 19) (19, 19, 20)cm / 7 (7, 7.25, 7.25)
(7.25, 7.75, 7.75) (7.75, 7.75, 8)in

B - Back Neck Depth:
4cm / 1.75in

C - Front Neck Depth:
10cm / 4in

D - Shoulder Drop:
4cm / 1.75in

E - Cross Chest (width):
28.5 (29, 31, 31.5) (33.5, 35, 36) (37.5, 38.5, 40)cm / 11.25 (11.75,
12.25, 12.75) (13.25, 14, 14.25) (15, 15.25, 16)in

F - Bust Circumference:
73.5 (80, 90, 96.5) (105, 110, 118.5) (128.5, 136.5, 145)cm / 29.25 (32, 36, 38.75) (42, 44, 47.25) (51.25, 54.75, 58)in

G - Waist Circumference:
65 (71.5, 80, 86.5) (95, 100, 106.5) (115, 123.5, 131.5)cm / 26 (28.75,
32, 34.75) (38, 40, 42.75) (46, 49.25, 52.75)in

H - Armhole Depth:
20 (20, 20, 21) (21.5, 22.5, 23.5) (24, 25.5, 26.5)cm / 8 (8, 8, 8.5) (8.75, 9, 9.5) (9.75, 10, 10.5)in

I - Upper Arm Circumference:
31.5 (34, 36.5, 39) (42, 46.5, 49) (53.5, 58, 61.5)cm / 12.75 (13.75,
14.75, 15.75) (16.75, 18.5, 19.75) (21.25, 23.25, 24.5)in

J - Sleeve Length (short sleeve, excl. hem length):
9.5cm / 3.75in

K - Sleeve Length (long sleeve, excl. cuff length):
44cm / 17.5in

L - Wrist Circumference (final, after cuff decreases are finished):
19 (19, 19, 19.5) (22, 23, 23) (25, 26.5, 27.5)cm / 7.5 (7.5, 7.5, 7.75)
(8.75, 9.25, 9.25) (10, 10.75, 11)in

M - Cuff Length:
7cm / 2.75in

N - Total Length:
50.5 (51, 52, 52.5) (53.5, 54, 55.5) (56, 57, 57)cm / 20.25 (20.5, 20.75, 21) (21.5, 21.75, 22) (22.25, 22.75, 22.75)in

O - Body - Underarm to Hem:
23 (23.5, 24.5, 24) (24.5, 24, 24) (24, 24, 23)cm / 9.25 (9.5, 10, 9.75) (10, 9.75, 9.75) 9.75, 9.75, 9.25in

P - Length Cups are Adding (in order from 1-5):
3 (6.5, 9.5, 12.5) 16cm / 1.25 (2.5, 3.75, 5) 6.5in

SPECIAL THANKS
I’d like to say a special thanks to the team who helped me put this
pattern together. It was important to me to make the best pattern
possible and it would have never been possible without the help of
these guys:

Maria Suessmilch - Grading, technical consultation and additional support
@wildknitsglasgow on instagram

Rose Dagul - Technical consultation and additional support
@rose_dagul on instagram

Heather Storta - Technical Editor
https://heatherstorta.com

Dave Morrow - Graphic design
@boxdog.inc on instagram

Antonia Verdier - Proofreading
@_neverghost on instagram