Pleat Top Knitting Pattern

Pleat Top in Rowan Pure Alpaca

What is Being Made

The Pleat Top is a knitted garment designed by Lisa Richardson, featuring a distinctive structured pleat detail at the lower front. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a fitted top with shaped armholes and a tailored silhouette. The design is available in nine sizes, ranging from chest measurements of 71-76 cm (28-30 inches) through to 152-157 cm (60-62 inches), making it suitable for a wide range of body sizes.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and visual appeal. The most prominent technique is the pleat creation method, which involves a sophisticated cable needle maneuver. The pleat is formed by slipping stitches onto cable needles, folding the work to align right sides together, and then knitting stitches together from three separate needle positions simultaneously. This creates a crisp, three-dimensional pleat that adds structural interest to the garment.

Additional techniques include shaping through decreases at the armholes, executed using slip-stitch decreases (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over) and standard knit two together decreases. The pattern also incorporates purl-side decreases for a neat finished edge. The top features a garter stitch border at the lower edge, which provides a textured frame for the stockinette stitch body and helps prevent curling.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch (g st): Used for the first five rows at the cast-on edge, creating a textured, reversible fabric that frames the lower portion of the garment
• Stockinette stitch (st st): The primary stitch throughout the body of the top, worked in knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, creating a smooth, classic fabric
• Knit two together (K2tog): A right-leaning decrease used for armhole shaping and pleat construction
• Slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso): A left-leaning decrease that balances decreases on either side of the garment for symmetrical shaping
• Purl two together (P2tog) and purl two together through back loop (P2tog tbl): Decreases worked on wrong-side rows to maintain consistent shaping
• Cable needle stitches: Stitches are held on cable needles during the pleat formation to create the layered, folded effect

Materials

The Pleat Top is knitted using Rowan Pure Alpaca, a luxury yarn available in 50-gram balls. The pattern photographed features the colorway Sunset 121. Yarn quantities vary by size, ranging from 9 balls for the smallest size through to 18 balls for the largest size, allowing crafters to select the appropriate amount for their chosen measurements.

The project requires two pairs of needles in different sizes: 3¼mm (US 3) needles for the initial garter stitch border and 3¾mm (US 5) needles for the main stockinette stitch body. A 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle at least 120 cm long is also needed, likely for future finishing or neckline work. Two cable needles are essential for executing the pleat technique. The pattern calls for six brass 12mm buttons (TGB1167 from Textile Garden) for closure details.

Construction Overview

The garment is worked flat from the bottom up. After casting on, the knitter works five rows of garter stitch, then switches to the larger needles and stockinette stitch. The pleat is incorporated early in the construction through the specialized cable needle technique. The back continues straight until it reaches the required length before armhole shaping begins. Decreases are worked symmetrically on both sides of the garment to create fitted armholes, with the pattern specifying precise decrease placement to maintain a balanced, professional appearance.