Valley Yarns Vervain Topper Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Vervain Topper

What Is Being Made

The Vervain Topper is a warm-weather knit garment designed by Julie Turjoman for Valley Yarns. This versatile layering piece features a V-neck construction and is intended to be worn over a tank or camisole. The garment showcases a sophisticated blend of textures, combining flirty lace stripes with smooth Stockinette stitch sections. Kimono sleeves and generous positive ease (1–3 inches) provide a flattering, comfortable fit across multiple size ranges from XS through 4XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 33¼ inches to 61¼ inches.

Construction Technique and Approach

The Vervain Topper is worked in the round from the bottom up, allowing for seamless construction through the body. The garment begins with a cast-on at the hem and is knit circularly until the armholes are reached. Strategic decrease shaping is incorporated at the hip's Stockinette stitch section to add definition while preserving the garment's essential ease and drape. Once the armholes are established, the piece is split at the underarms, and new stitches are cast on at each end to create the loose, flowing kimono sleeves. From this point forward, the garment is worked back and forth in flat rows through the V-neck shaping and shoulder construction. The design minimizes seaming, with seams only at the shoulders and top of sleeves, as well as along the undersides of the sleeves, contributing to a refined, polished finish.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Vervain Topper employs several fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches and techniques:

• Stockinette Stitch: Forms the primary fabric base and provides a smooth, classic canvas for the design
• Mesh Lace Stitch: Creates the flirty lace stripe sections that contrast with Stockinette, adding visual interest and texture variation
• Garter Stitch: Used to edge the kimono sleeves, providing a decorative and structurally stable finish
• Decreases: K2tog (knit 2 together) and SSK (slip, slip, knit) are used for shaping, particularly at the hips and through the V-neck
• Yarnovers (Yo): Essential to lace stitch construction, creating the openwork pattern
• Wrap and Turn (W&T): A short-row shaping technique employed for refined shoulder and neckline shaping
• Stitch Markers and Slip Markers: Used to denote pattern repeats and construction landmarks throughout the circular and flat sections

Materials and Gauge

The Vervain Topper is designed to be knit with Valley Yarns Southwick, a premium blend of 52% Pima Cotton and 48% Bamboo. This fiber combination offers exceptional durability, beautiful drape, and luxurious softness—qualities that make it particularly well-suited for warm-weather garments. The yarn is available in 50-gram skeins with 105 yards per skein. The pattern calls for 11 to 20 skeins depending on size, with the sample shown in Size S (37¼" bust) requiring 12 skeins in the Purple colorway.

Knitting needles required are US size 7 (4.50 mm) circular needles in two lengths: 32–40 inches for working the body in the round, and 16–24 inches for the smaller circumference sections. The specified gauge is 20 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch, which should be verified before beginning to ensure proper fit and drape. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty. While the foundational stitches—Stockinette, Garter, and basic decreases—are accessible to knitters with fundamental skills, the combination of working in the round, managing lace stitch repeats, executing V-neck shaping, and employing short-row techniques requires intermediate experience and comfort with pattern reading and construction transitions.