Intro
The Welt Top is a sleeveless garment worked from the bottom up, in the Round. The Body is knit seamlessly to the armholes, where the work is divided for the sleeves, then rejoined. The shoulders are shaped using decreases. Body shaping is achieved through welting, transitioning from horizontal Ribbing to vertical Ribbing. As these stitch patterns have different gauges, the fabric naturally draws in at the waist and widens at the hips and shoulders.

Sizing
This garment has flexible sizing due to the stretchy rib stitch pattern. To choose your size, take your waist, bust, and hip measurements in centimetres. Compare your waist measurement and the larger of your bust or hip measurements to the size chart. Select a size where your measurements fit within both of the ‘fit range (cm)’ measurements. The size you pick should be informed by your desired fit. If you want a tightly fitting top, pick a size where your measurements are close to the higher bounds of the fit range. For a looser, off the shoulder top, choose a larger size.

Size 1 fits Waist 50 - 65cm and Hip/Bust 70 - 85cm
Size 2 fits Waist 60 - 80cm and Hip/Bust 80 - 95cm
Size 3 fits Waist 70 - 95cm and Hip/Bust 90 - 105cm
Size 4 fits Waist 85 - 105cm and Hip/Bust 105 - 120cm
Size 5 fits Waist 110 - 120cm and Hip/Bust 120 - 135cm
Size 6 fits Waist 115 - 135cm and Hip/Bust 135 - 150cm
Size 7 fits Waist 130 - 150cm and Hip/Bust 145 - 165cm

Gauge:
CO at least 30 sts (multiple of 4+2) using selected yarn and 4mm (US 6) needles. Sl first st of each row, and make 2x2 Ribbing for at least 15cm. Then, work welting st as follows: 3 rows of stockinette, 3 rows of reverse stockinette, repeat for at least 15cm. Block swatch, gently stretching the Ribbing vertically and the welting horizontally. When measuring, allow the fabric swatch to fully dry. Before measuring, fully stretch the welting horizontally and the ribbing vertically. Count sts within a 10cm x 10cm / 4” x 4”square, avoiding edges.
Ribbing: 30 sts and 27 rows per 10cm/4”
Welting: 15 sts and 45 rows per 10cm/4”
Designer Note #1: This stitch pattern is highly textured and elastic, so obtaining the exact gauge can be difficult and hard to measure. It’s ok if your swatch doesn’t match the pattern gauge exactly — the garment’s stretch and flexible sizing mean it will still fit if you follow the sizing guidance in the pattern.

Materials
Approx. 410 520 630 730 840 960 1100m / 448 569 689 798 919 1050 1203 yds of Sport or DK/ 8ply yarn (or fingering weight held with lace)
4mm (US 6) needles and cable length to suit circumference
2 Stitch Markers
Tape Measure (to find your correct size)

Yarn
I love designing patterns that can work with whatever yarn you have in your stash. This pattern is suitable for most yarns in Sport/DK weight, with a few caveats…
Do NOT use superwash yarn. When blocked, the yarn will lose its bounce and you will end up with a much larger and floppier top than expected.
If you use pure plant fibres, consider sizing down your needles to 3.5mm (US 4) to account for stretch over time.