This is my 4th test for Heidi Kaiser of Germany. I love her designs and construction methods. This little top will come in very handy for our increasingly hot summer and autumn weather here in Silicon Valley of northern California.

Be sure and keep your edge stitches very loose. I had a hard time keeping mine loose even though I’m not a tight knitter. I did my increase stitches right next to the i-cord edging. If I knit this again, I will try doing lifted increases 1 stitch away from the edging (an option in the pattern). The puckering only occurred where there are increase stitches. The neckline did block out flat with a steam iron. For some reason, the armhole edges tend to roll under even with aggressive blocking (as you can see in the second photo). However, this doesn’t bother me at all. The straps are plenty wide to keep bra straps from showing.

The only change I made was to do regular ribbing at the bottom rather than the twisted rib. I did not do any waist shaping. This top is completely reversible since front and back are identical.

The way I block my cotton knits is to soak them in warm water and then throw them into a warm dryer (with dry, clean towels) until completely dry. Garments laundered in this way usually come out wrinkle-free and looking beautiful. 100% cotton will normally shrink 1.5 - 3 inches in length (depending on the size) and nothing in width. The shrinkage only occurs the first time in the dryer. So I allow for this difference by knitting extra length. Actually, it’s often the only way I can achieve vertical row gauge.

I’ve been using Hobbii cotton yarn for years in every color imaginable. The light colors usually have no color bleeding, but this color had a lot of color bleeding during the first soaking. I added some vinegar to the water bath to set the color. In subsequent washings, I don’t expect too much, if any color bleeding. However, I won’t be washing this top with any of my white garments.

Needles Used:

Size 2 US (Addi) - Body
Size 1 US (Addi) - Ribbing
Size 0 US - Bind off (JSSBO)

Weight of finished sweater: 7.6 oz (215.5 grams)

Finished measurements:

Body - 37.35”

Armhole depth - 8.5” (shrank 1/2”)

V-neck depth - 7” (no shrinkage after steam blocking)

Side length from underarm - 13.5” (shrank 1.5”)