Tahki Yarns San Francisco Hi-Lo Top Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns San Francisco Hi-Lo Top

What is Being Made

The San Francisco Hi-Lo Top is a women's knitted sweater featuring a distinctive hi-lo silhouette with a shorter front and longer back. Designed by Rosemary Drysdale, this garment is available in six sizes ranging from Small to 3X, with bust measurements from 32½ inches to 52½ inches. The front length measures 22 to 24 inches while the back extends to 26 to 28 inches, creating an elegant asymmetrical hemline.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners. The sweater is worked flat on straight needles, meaning pieces are knitted in flat rows rather than in the round. The construction follows a bottom-up approach, where the garment is built from the hem upward. Seaming is used to join the finished pieces together, requiring a yarn needle for assembly. The pattern incorporates stripe work, alternating between two colors to create visual interest. The shoulders are joined using the Three-Needle Bind-Off technique, which simultaneously seams two pieces together while binding off, creating a neat and durable shoulder seam.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout this pattern is Garter stitch, which is created by knitting every row on straight needles. This fundamental stitch produces a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges and is ideal for beginners due to its simplicity and forgiving nature. The pattern also includes basic shaping techniques such as cast-on increases at the beginning of rows and side increases worked on right-side rows to create the garment's silhouette.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This pattern uses Tahki Yarns COTTON CLASSIC, a 100% mercerized cotton yarn. The yardage per skein is 108 yards from a 50-gram ball. Yarn quantities vary by size: Small and Medium require 3 skeins of color #3002 black (A) and 5 skeins of color #3205 sand (B), while larger sizes require up to 5 skeins of black and 7 skeins of sand. The mercerized cotton construction provides a smooth, lustrous finish ideal for warm-weather wear.

Needles and Notions

• One pair of size 10½ (6.5mm) straight needles for the main garment pieces
• One size 9 (5.5mm) circular needle, 16 inches long, for the neckband
• An extra size 10½ (6.5mm) needle for the Three-Needle Bind-Off
• Stitch holders and markers for tracking pattern sections
• A yarn needle for seaming pieces together
• Optional safety pin for securing stitches

Gauge and Pattern Notes

The pattern specifies a gauge of 16 stitches and 22 rows over 4 inches in Garter stitch. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished garment matches the intended measurements. The pattern includes detailed instructions for the Stripe Pattern, which alternates between the black and sand colors after the initial garter stitch section. The back piece begins with 41 to 81 stitches depending on size, with strategic increases to shape the garment.