Tahki Yarns Dallas Top Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Dallas Top

What is Being Made

The Dallas Top is a knitted pullover sweater designed by Teresa Chorzepa. This garment is a classic fitted top available in six sizes ranging from Small to 3X, with finished bust measurements from 35½ inches to 56 inches and length measurements from 23 inches to 25½ inches. The Dallas Top is an ideal project for knitters seeking a refined, wearable garment with elegant construction details.

Techniques Used

The Dallas Top is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create a professional finish:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easy fitting adjustments during the knitting process
• Worked flat: The main body pieces are worked on straight needles in flat rows rather than in the round, making this pattern accessible to knitters of all skill levels
• Seamed construction: Individual pieces including the back, front, and sleeves are sewn together using a yarn needle, creating clean, durable seams
• Picked-up neckband: Stitches are picked up around the neckline opening and worked on a circular needle to create a finished neckband edge
• Yarn over and decrease shaping: The pattern incorporates yarn over (yo) and purl two together (p2tog) decreases to create decorative eyelet details and shaping

Stitches Used

The Dallas Top features the following primary stitches:

• Reverse Stockinette stitch (Rev St st): The main stitch pattern throughout the garment, created by purling on right-side rows and knitting on wrong-side rows. This creates a bumpy, textured surface that is visually distinctive and elegant
• Yarn over (yo): Used in combination with decreases to create decorative eyelet details
• Purl two together (p2tog): A decrease stitch used for shaping and creating the eyelet pattern
• Make 1 (M1): An increase stitch that lifts the strand between needles and works it through the back loop to prevent holes, used for subtle shaping increases
• Stockinette stitch: Referenced in the pattern as a gauge measurement stitch, though the primary fabric is Reverse Stockinette

Materials and Specifications

The Dallas Top is designed to be knitted with specific materials that create an ideal fabric for a lightweight summer or spring garment:

• Yarn: Tahki Yarns ARUBA, a blend of 80% cotton and 20% linen. This fiber content creates a breathable, durable fabric perfect for warm-weather wear. The yarn is provided in 1.75 ounce (50 gram) balls with 98 yards (90 meters) per ball. Yardage requirements range from 6 balls for size Small (588 yards total) to 11 balls for size 3X (1,078 yards total)
• Color: The pattern features color #07 light cactus, a soft neutral shade from the Tahki Yarns palette
• Needles: Size 9 (5.5mm) straight needles for working the flat pieces, plus one size 9 (5.5mm) circular needle measuring 16 inches (40 centimeters) long for the neckband and sleeve edging
• Gauge: 15 stitches and 21 rows equal 4 inches (10 centimeters) in Reverse Stockinette stitch. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished measurements
• Additional supplies: A stitch holder or safety pin for holding stitches, and a yarn needle for seaming the finished pieces together

Construction Details

The Dallas Top follows a structured construction process. The back piece is cast on and worked in Reverse Stockinette stitch with strategic increases and decreases to create shaping at the shoulders. The front piece is constructed similarly with neckline shaping created through decreases. Sleeves are worked separately and then sewn to the body. After blocking all pieces to the specified measurements, the shoulder seams, side seams, and sleeve seams are sewn together. Finally, stitches are picked up around the neckline opening and worked in a decorative eyelet pattern on the circular needle to create a finished neckband edge.