Ostrich Top Knitting Pattern

Ostrich Top in Rowan Four Seasons

What Is Being Made

The Ostrich Top is a knitted garment designed as a beginner-level project suitable for knitters new to garment construction. This top is available in ten sizes, ranging from 71–76 cm to 152–157 cm chest measurement, making it adaptable for various body sizes. The finished garment features shaped shoulders, armholes, and front neck shaping, creating a fitted silhouette with a classic pullover construction.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for beginners while introducing essential garment-shaping skills. The construction involves casting on to establish the foundation stitches, decreasing stitches at strategic points to shape the armholes, shoulders, and neckline, and casting off to secure finished edges. The pattern requires working in the round and flat, utilizing stitch holders to temporarily secure stitches while shaping different sections of the garment. Shapings are worked symmetrically on both sides of the front to create balanced shoulder and neck decreases.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Ostrich Top is moss stitch, a fundamental textured stitch that creates visual interest while remaining accessible to beginner knitters. Moss stitch is worked by alternating knit and purl stitches in a specific sequence: the pattern reads *P2, K1; rep from * across the row, then reversing on subsequent rows to create the characteristic bumpy texture. This stitch is maintained consistently throughout the garment, including during all shaping decreases, which requires attention to pattern continuity as stitches are reduced.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Ostrich Top is designed to be worked in Rowan Four Seasons yarn, a 50-gram weight yarn available in multiple colorways including Beach 002 (the shade shown in the pattern photographs). The yarn quantity required varies by size, ranging from 7 to 12 balls of Four Seasons depending on the finished chest measurement selected.

Needles required for this project include one pair of 4.5mm (US 7) straight needles for working flat sections and one 4.5mm (US 7) circular needle measuring 60 cm in length for working in the round where applicable. The pattern specifies a tension of 16 stitches and 30 rows to 10 centimeters when measured over moss stitch using the 4.5mm needles, making tension checking essential before beginning the garment to ensure proper fit.

Additional Materials

• Stitch holders are required to temporarily secure stitches during the shaping process, particularly when working the back neck and front neck sections