Dione Top Knitting Pattern

Dione Top in Juniper Moon Moonshine

What Is Being Made

The Dione Top is a classic women's knitted garment designed by Ruth Garcia-Alcantud for Juniper Moon Farm. This top features elegant hourglass shaping that flatters the figure while remaining straightforward to construct. The garment is available in seven sizes ranging from XS to 3X, with finished bust measurements from 30 inches (76 cm) to 54 inches (137 cm). The design is worked from the top down, allowing knitters to try on the garment during construction and adjust the fit as needed before completing the piece.

Techniques Used

This knitting pattern employs several key construction techniques that make it accessible to intermediate knitters. The top-down construction method begins at the neckline and progresses downward, which is particularly useful for fitting adjustments. The garment is worked in the round using circular needles, creating seamless fabric that requires minimal finishing work. Strategic shaping is achieved through paired increases and decreases positioned at regular intervals to create the signature hourglass silhouette. The pattern uses garter-stitch framing as a design element, providing a textured border that frames the main body of the top. The yoke section features structured shaping with increases worked at specific intervals, transitioning from every 7th round (or 6th or 4th round depending on size) to every 5th round to gradually expand the piece. Decreases are similarly spaced to refine the waist area, creating the distinctive hourglass proportions.

Stitches Used

The Dione Top utilizes fundamental knitting stitches that form the foundation of the design:

• Knit (k) – the primary stitch creating smooth stockinette fabric in most areas
• Purl (p) – used in the garter ridge pattern and decorative framing sections
• Garter Ridge Pattern – a textured stitch pattern worked in the round consisting of three rounds of knit stitches followed by one round of purl stitches, creating horizontal ridges
• Make One (M1) – an invisible increase worked by inserting the left needle from front to back into the horizontal strand between two stitches and knitting through the back loop, used for shaping increases
• Slip, Slip, Knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease created by slipping two stitches as if to knit, returning them to the left needle, then knitting them together
• Knit Two Together (k2tog) – a right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count while shaping
• Stockinette Stitch (St st) – smooth fabric created by alternating knit and purl rows, maintained on specific stitches throughout the yoke

Materials

The Dione Top is knitted using Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine yarn in color #05 Sand Dune. The yardage requirement varies by size, requiring between 5 hanks (for size XS) and 11 hanks (for size 3X) of yarn. Knitters will need US 7 (4.5 mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 cm) for working the main body in the round, along with US 7 (4.5 mm) double-point needles for working smaller circumferences at the neckline. The pattern specifies obtaining proper gauge before beginning construction to ensure accurate finished measurements.