Else Top Knitting Pattern

Else Top in MODE at Rowan Cotton DK

What is Being Made

The Else Top is a women's knitted garment designed by Quail Studio, available in nine sizes ranging from 71-76 cm to 152-157 cm bust measurements. This top features a contemporary construction method worked seamlessly from the top down, with a fitted yoke that transitions into a relaxed body. The garment is crafted using Cotton DK yarn, making it suitable for warm weather wear with excellent drape and breathability.

Construction and Techniques

This is an advanced-level knitting project that employs top-down raglan construction, a technique where the garment is worked in the round beginning at the neckline and progressing downward. The yoke features strategic raglan increases placed on either side of marked stitch positions, creating the characteristic diagonal shaping lines that define the shoulder and armhole areas.

The pattern uses circular needle knitting throughout, allowing the entire garment to be worked in continuous rounds without seaming. This method eliminates the need for finishing seams and creates a more cohesive fabric. The construction begins with a smaller circumference at the neckline and expands outward through systematic increases, transitioning from smaller to larger circular needles as stitch counts grow.

The garment incorporates stitch markers to denote increase positions, enabling knitters to track the raglan shaping pattern accurately across multiple rounds. The pattern note specifies that the garment is worked in the round from top down with raglan increases on the yoke, with the body following after the yoke shaping is complete.

Stitches Used

The Else Top primarily utilizes stockinette stitch (st st), the foundational stitch for this project, which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a distinctive V-pattern texture on the right side and horizontal bumps on the wrong side. This stitch is measured at a tension of 22 stitches and 28 rows per 10 cm using 4mm needles.

The pattern incorporates two essential increase stitches for the raglan shaping:

• M1L (Make 1 Left-slanting stitch): Created by using the left-hand needle tip to pick up the strand between needles from front to back, then knitting into the back of that strand. This produces a left-leaning increase.
• M1R (Make 1 Right-slanting stitch): Executed by picking up the strand between needles from back to front and knitting into the front of the strand, creating a right-leaning increase.

These paired increases are worked on alternating rounds and every round at different stages of the pattern, creating the distinctive raglan shaping. The pattern also includes basic knit stitches worked in the round and slip stitches for moving markers without disrupting the fabric.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Else Top is designed for Cotton DK yarn, a medium-weight yarn ideal for creating lightweight, breathable garments. The pattern calls for 7 to 11 balls of 50g Cotton DK yarn depending on size, with the sample photographed in Celeste 013, a color option from the Rowan Cotton DK range.

The project requires multiple 4mm (US size 6) circular needles in three different lengths: 40 cm, 60 cm, and 100 cm. These accommodate the changing stitch counts as the garment expands from the neckline downward. Additionally, 3.75mm (US size 5) circular needles in 40 cm and 100 cm lengths are used, likely for ribbed edgings or cuff sections that require a tighter gauge.

A set of 4mm (US size 6) double-pointed needles and a set of 3.75mm (US size 5) double-pointed needles are also required, typically used for working small circumferences such as necklines or armholes where circular needles become impractical. The pattern specifies the use of stitch markers to denote raglan increase positions and stitch holders to temporarily secure stitches during construction.