Berroco Comillas Top Knitting Pattern

Berroco Comillas Knit Top

What Is Being Made

The Berroco Comillas is an intermediate-level knit top designed by Margaux Hufnagel. This garment is a versatile pullover available in ten sizes, ranging from 36 inches to 72 inches in bust measurement, with finished lengths between 20½ and 24 inches (not including the cowl). The design features a distinctive cowl neckline and is worked primarily in the round, making it an excellent project for knitters looking to develop their circular knitting skills.

Construction Technique

The Comillas is constructed using a practical bottom-up approach. The body is worked in the round from the cast-on edge up to the underarms using circular needles. At the underarm point, the piece is divided, and the back and front sections are then worked back and forth in rows using traditional flat knitting. This hybrid construction method combines the efficiency of circular knitting with the shaping control of flat knitting. The cowl is picked up from the finished neckline and knitted in the round as a separate component, allowing for a comfortable and stylish collar finish.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch used throughout the Comillas is Garter Stitch, which creates a textured, reversible fabric with excellent drape and visual interest. Garter stitch is formed by knitting every row when working flat, or alternating knit and purl rounds when working in the round. The pattern incorporates strategic shaping through SSK (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog (knit two together) decreases, which are worked symmetrically on either side of stitch markers to create balanced, tapered shaping at the underarms and throughout the garment. Stitch markers play an important role in maintaining pattern accuracy and tracking decreases.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Comillas calls for Berroco Splash yarn in the colorway #2415 Maui. Berroco Splash is a 50-gram hank yarn, and the pattern requires between 8 and 18 hanks depending on the finished size selected. The yarn weight and fiber content of Berroco Splash make it suitable for creating garments with excellent stitch definition and drape.

Knitters will need US size 6 (4 mm) circular needles in two lengths: a 16-inch needle for working the cowl and smaller circumferences, and a 32-inch needle for the body. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 21 stitches and 38 rounds/rows over 4 inches in Garter Stitch, measured after blocking. Achieving accurate gauge is essential for proper fit, and the pattern recommends taking time to knit and block a gauge swatch before beginning. Additional notions include two stitch markers (with one in a contrasting color to mark the beginning of round) and waste yarn for holding stitches during the transition from circular to flat knitting.

Sizing and Fit

The pattern provides generous sizing options with finished bust measurements of 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68, and 72 inches. The recommended ease is 2 to 4 inches of positive ease, meaning the finished garment should measure 2 to 4 inches larger than the wearer's actual bust measurement for comfortable wear. The sample shown in the pattern is the 40-inch size.