Lustre Top Knitting Pattern

Lustre Top by Quail Studio

What is Being Made

The Lustre Top is a beginner-friendly knitted garment designed to fit chest measurements ranging from 71-76 cm (28-30 inches) up to 152-157 cm (60-62 inches). This versatile piece features sleeve extensions and is available in nine different sizes to accommodate a wide range of body types. The garment photographed in the pattern is shown in the colorway Macaroon 011.

Techniques Used

This knitting pattern employs several fundamental techniques suitable for beginner knitters. The construction includes increases worked at garment edges using specialized make-one methods to shape the piece smoothly. The pattern features sleeve extensions created through strategic increases and cast-on stitches, which are shaped progressively throughout the pattern. Cable cast-on method is used for adding stitches at specific points in the construction. The pattern also incorporates stitch markers and stitch holders to help manage stitches during the knitting process.

Stitches Used

The Lustre Top utilizes several essential knitting stitches and techniques:

• Knit stitch (K) – the fundamental stitch used throughout the garment
• Purl stitch (P) – used for textural variation and pattern work
• M1R (Make 1 Right) – an increase stitch created by inserting the left needle under the strand running from back to front and knitting through the back loop
• M1L (Make 1 Left) – an increase stitch created by inserting the left needle under the strand running from front to back and knitting through the back loop
• M1RP (Make 1 Right Purl) – a purl-based increase made by lifting the bar between stitches from back to front and purling into the back of the loop
• M1LP (Make 1 Left Purl) – a purl-based increase made by lifting the bar between stitches from front to back and purling into the back of the loop

The pattern is worked primarily over a stitch pattern that requires careful attention to maintaining pattern continuity while working increases at the edges.

Materials Required

The Lustre Top is designed to be knitted in Cotton DK weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn that provides excellent drape and breathability. Yarn quantities range from 10 balls (50 grams each) for the smallest size to 18 balls for the largest size, allowing crafters to select the appropriate yardage for their chosen size.

The pattern calls for 4mm (US size 6) needles in two configurations: one pair of straight needles for the main body work, and a 40 cm circular needle for working the neck and cuffs. The use of both needle types accommodates different sections of the garment construction.

Tension is critical for this pattern, with the designer specifying 24 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over the stitch pattern using 4mm needles. Achieving the correct tension ensures the finished garment will fit as intended across all nine size options.

Additional notions required include stitch markers to help track pattern repeats and shaping points, and stitch holders to temporarily secure stitches during construction.