Get Your Summer Knitting Started with this Fun Top

I decided last fall that I actually have enough knit sweaters. Maybe even a few too many if we’re being honest with how rarely I wear some of them.

Of course I don’t want to stop knitting garments, so I’ve added more vests and socks to my rotation. I’ve started crocheting more (though only one sweater so far!) and throwing in other crafts instead of being all knitting all the time.

And of course there are summer tops. I don’t wear them as much as I should but they’re a great way to get some knit garments in my life without knitting a whole sweater.

If you’re new to knitting clothes, starting with a summer top is a great entry point, especially if there are no sleeves involved.

Gudrun Johnston’s Simmer Dim Top is definitely going on my list of makes for the warmer weather to come. It’s worked in lace weight yarn, making it super light and comfortable for warm weather. It’s sleeveless and seamless, worked from the bottom up with a-line shaping, in the round to the armholes.

The textured stitch on front and back is worked flat one piece at a time, and finished with an I-cord edging that becomes the straps. The armholes are finished by picking up stitches and then binding them off.

Darts are used to shape the a-line of the body, and faux side seams are used on the body. It’s identical front to back.

The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 31 to 60 inches, or 79 to 152.5 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 0 to 2 inches/5 cm of positive ease. In the photos it looks a little shorter than my preference (since I have a long torso) but working from the bottom up makes it easy to adjust because you can just knit as long as you like to the armholes.

You can find this pattern (and a bunch of pretty versions other people have made) on Ravelry.

[Photo: Gundrun Johnston]

Next Pattern:

It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born.

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]

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