Empire Waist Top

Summer Empire Waist Top

 

Gauge

Top band, size 5 ndls, 8 st = 1”

Bodice/Sleeves, size 3 ndls 5.5 st and 9 rows = 1”

Body, size 3 ndls 4.25 st and 7 rows=1”

Made in size small, dimensions 22” long, 10.5” bodice from top to contrast band, contrast band 1.5”, body 10” long. Sleeves 7”. Top 17” wide each front and back, 13.5” at waist, 18” at bottom each front & back.

Yarn:

 (A) Valley Yarns Huntington, off white, fingering weight, about 100 yards

(B) Berroco Metallic, dark blue, sport weight, about 100 yards

(C) Valley Yarns Prescott, white, sport weight, about 600 yards

Top band, worked flat:

CO 226 st, work in Salt & Pepper pattern from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury

Row 1 (RS): with (B), *K1, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to end

Row 2 (WS): with (B), *K1, slip 1 wyif, repeat from * to end

Rows 3 & 4: repeat rows 1 & 2 with (A)

Repeat 4 row repeat four times, total of 16 rows.

BO using Two-Row Bind Off from Leslie Ann Bestor’s Cast On Bind Off with (A)

Row 1: *K1, P1, pull K stitch over purl stitch, binding it off, repeat from * to end, leaving all purl stitches on needle, turn work

Row 2: Slip 2 stitches purlwise, pull first st over second, binding it off, *slip next st purlwise, pull first st over second, repeat from * to end, sew final loop down to the knitting.

Sew beginning and end together to make loop, taking care not to twist band.

Bodice and Top of Sleeves, worked in the round:

Slip stitch pattern:

Rows 1- 3: *K3, slip 1 wyib, repeat from *

Row 4: K across row

On cast on end of top band, and using (C) with size 5 ndls, pick up and knit 168 stitches, while placing markers as follows: place distinct marker for beginning of row, work 2 st, pm, work 19 st(sleeve), pm, work 5 (raglan), pm, work 55 st (front), pm, 5 st (raglan), pm, 19 st (sleeve), pm, 5 st (raglan), 55 st (back), pm, 3 st, joining to beginning of row to work in the round. Change to size 3 ndls.

Increase round: K2, sm, m1, K to marker, m1, sm, K5, sm, m1, work to next marker in slip stitch pattern,  m1, sm, K5, sm, m1, K to next marker, m1, sm, K5, sm, m1, work to next marker in slip stitch pattern, m1, sm, K3

Plain round: K all raglan and sleeve stitches, slipping markers as you come to them, working front & back in slip stitch pattern

Repeat increase round followed by plain round 12 times, 24 rows total. Work even (plain rounds) to 6”, then divide for body and sleeves as follows: slip beginning of row marker, K2, sm, K to marker, place sleeve stitches just worked onto waste yarn and remove marker at  beginning of sleeve, work front in slip stitch pattern, remove marker and incorporate the following 5 raglan st into the slip stitch pattern, pm for side, place next sleeve stitches onto waste yarn, remove marker, incorporate following 5 raglan st into slip stitch pattern and continue slip stitch pattern on back, incorporating final 3 st into slip stitch, removing remaining markers, and rejoin for working in the round for the bodice.

For remaining bodice, work 1 stitch KTBL after both start of row and alternate side marker, and the remaining stitches all in slip stitch pattern, work even for 40 rows.

Empire waist:

Change to (B) and knit 2 rows, decreasing 30 st evenly across first row (138 st). Knit 4 rows in (A), then 2 rows in (B). Knit 1 row in (C) then change to body stitch pattern.

Body:

[KTBL, *P1, K2, repeat from * to 1 stitch before side marker, P1, sm] for both front and back. Increase 1 stitch purlwise on each side of the twisted stitch on both front and back (4 stitches increased every increase row) every 8 rows a total of 6 times, 24 stitches increased, 162 stitches total. Then work even to a total of 9” from the bottom of the contrast band, about 57 rows total in body pattern. BO in two-row bind off pattern.

Sleeves:

Place held stitches onto size 3 ndl, with right side facing. With (C) work 4 rows of K1, P1 ribbing, leaving the underarm from the body unworked, just working the held stitches back and forth, then BO in ribbing loosely.

Weave in all loose ends, taking care to hide the dark blue yarn away from the white or cream to prevent “bleed through” to the front.

Abbreviations:

BO = bind off

KTBL = knit through the back loop (twisting the stitch)

m1 = make 1

ndls = needles

pm = place marker

RS = right side

sm = slip marker

st = stitch(es)

WS = wrong side

wyib = with yarn in back

wyif = with yarn in front