Maccabeau Top Knitting Pattern

Maccabeau Top in Berroco Summer Silk

What Is Being Made

The Maccabeau Top is an intermediate-level knitted garment designed by Amy Christoffers. This is a very oversized pullover featuring a yoke construction with approximately 16–18 inches of ease built into the design. The garment is available in five sizes with finished bust measurements ranging from 40 inches to 72 inches, and lengths from 21½ inches to 24½ inches, making it a relaxed, comfortable fit suitable for layering or wearing as an oversized statement piece.

Techniques Used

The Maccabeau Top employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to its intermediate difficulty level:

• Yoke-down construction: The garment begins with a flat-worked yoke that follows a charted pattern, allowing for shaping at the shoulders and neckline before transitioning to the body.
• Seamless body knitting: After the yoke is completed and ribbing is sewn together, stitches are picked up around the yoke and the body is worked downward in one continuous piece, eliminating the need for side seams.
• Charted colorwork or stitch patterns: The yoke features a charted pattern with an 18-stitch repeat that measures 3 inches across, requiring knitters to follow written instructions and visual charts simultaneously.
• Circular needle knitting: The design uses both 36-inch and 16-inch circular needles to accommodate the different widths of the yoke and body sections.
• Gauge-dependent shaping: Proper gauge is essential, as the pattern relies on precise stitch and row counts to achieve the intended finished measurements.

Stitches Used

The Maccabeau Top incorporates fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary stitch used for the body and much of the garment, creating a smooth, classic fabric.
• Ribbing: Knit-purl ribbing (alternating k1, p1) is used for the set-up rows and creates elasticity at the edges and transitions between sections.
• Charted stitch pattern: The yoke features a specific stitch pattern worked from a chart, which may include cable stitches or textured stitches given the reference to a cable needle in the notions list.
• Make one increase (M1): Used strategically for shaping, such as the increase worked at the transition between the yoke ribbing and the charted pattern section.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

Yarn: The Maccabeau Top is designed specifically for Berroco Summer Silk, a lightweight yarn available in 50-gram balls. The yardage required varies by size: 5 balls for the smallest size (40-inch bust) up to 10 balls for the largest size (72-inch bust). The yarn is shown in colorway #4001 Surf. Berroco Summer Silk is a blend yarn ideal for warm-weather garments, offering a smooth drape and comfortable wear.

Needles: The pattern calls for circular needles in two sizes to accommodate different sections of the garment. A 36-inch circular needle is used in both size 5 (3.75 mm) and size 7 (4.50 mm), with the smaller needles used for ribbing and the larger needles for the main charted pattern and body. A 16-inch circular needle in size 5 (3.75 mm) is also required for working smaller circumferences. A cable needle is included in the notions for cable stitch work within the charted pattern.

Notions and Accessories: Additional supplies include four removable stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points, waste yarn for holding stitches during assembly, and one additional stitch marker. These notions support the yoke-down construction method and help maintain pattern accuracy throughout the knitting process.

Gauge and Sizing

Achieving proper gauge is critical for this pattern. The recommended gauge is 22 stitches and 32 rounds equal 4 inches in stockinette stitch using the larger (size 7) needles. The charted pattern has an 18-stitch repeat that measures 3 inches across. Knitters are strongly advised to knit a gauge swatch before beginning, as variations in gauge will directly affect the finished