Knit Your First Top with Leesi

I love a good skill-building top that is great for people who are new to knitting tops or sweaters but is interesting enough for people with more experience, too.

The Leesi Tee by Lanre Ojikutu is a simple raglan with cap sleeves. The design is straightforward but includes a panel a diamond-shaped lace eyelets running down the center front, which is a great way to learn the basics of lace knitting or just to break up the monotony of a stockinette stitch project. It also adds a bit of air flow if you are knitting and wearing this top in the summer.

The pattern is worked from the top down in worsted weight yarn (she used Lion Brand Pima Cotton but any smooth cotton would do nicely). It is offered in nine sizes, to fit from a 28-30 inch bust to a 60-62 inch bust. Because it is made with cotton, which has a tendency to stretch over time, the pattern is actually intended to be worked with 1-2 inches of negative ease.

I always like to know where the names of projects come from, and Lanre helpfully adds in her pattern notes that lessi is from the word for lace in Nigerian Yoruba. So fun! You can get this pattern on Ravelry.

The addition of lace or eyelets is actually one of my favorite style features for summer garments. If you’re looking for more lacy top knitting patterns, I’ve got a little collection here. (And don’t miss the Maya top, which has some eyelets, too, and is just so pretty!)

If you’re more of a tank top person, I’ve been sharing a lot of individual patterns for tank tops lately such as the Totally Tank Top and the Split Back Tank.

Not summer where you live? I’ve got you covered, too! Check out my recent roundup of hoodie knitting patterns to keep you warm and cozy (and if you’re my teen, you’re still wearing hoodies even if it’s warm outside. No judgement!)

[Photo: Lanre Ojikutu]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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