A step-by-step guide to knitting the Posy One Shoulder Top.
Ever gotten halfway through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?”
We have 🙋♀️
That’s why we’ve created these step-by-step guides to walk you through the knitting process.
THE BASICS
If you're a total knitting newbie - WELCOME! 👋 Learning to knit can feel a bit like learning code. We've stripped away the complicated jargon and tried to keep things really simple so even the newest knitter can master the skill 🧶👩🎓
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your masterpiece (spoiler - there are only five!). You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find this pattern is a cinch!
Click here to learn the basics
⚡️Let's get ready to rumble ⚡️
TEST YOUR TENSION
First thing's first. Before you start your project, make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by knitting a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 11 stitches wide and 16 rows high when knitted in stockinette on 6mm needles.
To test your gauge grab your needles and chunky cotton yarn. Cast on 16-20 stitches, then knit in stockinette stitch (knit first row, purl second repeat) for 18-20 rows. Then measure your 10x10cm swatch and count the stitches and rows within your 10x10 square.
💡 We know knitting a gauge swatch can seem like a bit of a drain, but it's really important because the difference of a few millimetres in a gauge swatch can lead to a finished piece this is quite different in size to what you intended.
Onto the knit
Remember, if you need a refresher on any of the techniques, check out our Learn to Knit page.
SIZING
You can knit your top in size 6-8, 10-12, 14-16, 18-20 or 22-24. Your pattern is read like this: 6-8 (10-12, 14-16, 18-20, 22-24). Make sure you're following the right instructions for your chosen size.
MEASUREMENTS
Laying flat, your finished piece will measure approximately:
- 6-8: 35cm wide x 38cm high
- 10-12: 38cm wide x 42cm high
- 14-16: 41cm wide x 46cm high
- 18-20: 44cm wide x 50cm high
- 22-24: 47cm wide x 50cm high
USING YOUR PATTERN
One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
LET'S KNIT UP A STORM
We knit our masterpiece in the round which means we use our circular needles and knit continuously in loops. When knitting in the round, you’re always knitting on the “front” side of your work so you don’t need to turn the piece to knit on the “back” side. Plus, there’s less sewing together at the end!
BODY
We knit the body from the bottom up.
STEP 1
Cast on your stitches. We recommend using the long-tail cast-on method when using the chunky cotton yarn. It's a lot easier to get the new stitches onto your needle.
JOIN YOUR STITCHES
STEP 2
Complete 6 loops of rib stitch. Remember to move your yarn from the front to the back of your work as you alternate knit and purl stitches.
STEP 3
You'll knit in knit stitch for the number of rows/loops instructed. Remember to use your stitch market to keep track of the number of loops completed.
STEP 4
We're going to cast off some stitches to create the distinction between the front and back of our top.
⚡️ We're going to split our work now and start knitting up the front and back of our top separately. This means we're knitting flat and not in the round so you'll be alternating knit and purl rows.
We're also going to shape the shoulder so you'll be decreasing stitches along your rows.
We start with the stitches for the back part of the top. The stitches for your front will just hang out on your needles and we'll come back to them once the back is done.
STEP 5
📉 You'll purl this row and decrease stitches as instructed. This might be the first time you've come across an instruction to "purl through the back loop". Purling through the back loop is identical to "purl two together' except we go through the back of our stitch. Here is a handy link to take you through the technique.
STEP 6
📉 Knit row with decreases.
STEP 7 - 17
Follow the instructions, completing decreases where instructed.
STEP 18
Cast off all stitches and cut your yarn from the ball. Secure the last stitch by threading the tail through the stitch and pulling it to secure.
Well done 💪 You've finished the back!
FRONT
⚡️ Rejoin your yarn by tying a knot to the base of the stitch closest to the end of your needle. You want to make sure you're starting on a purl row - that means the side with the little bumps will be facing you.
STEP 19 - 32
Follow the instructions, completing decreases where instructed.
The front is F.I.N.I.S.H.E.D! 🥳 Have a stretch and give yourself a pat on the back.
SEWING IT TOGETHER
Now it’s time to get to work with the darning needle to sew your shoulder strap together.
STEP 1
Lay the ends of your front and back strap on a flat surface with the ends butting up against each other and the right sides facing up.
STEP 2
Sew the pieces together using the invisible seam technique.
Weave in your loose ends using your darning needle.
Time to rock your masterpiece 💪🔥🥳
Well done on finishing your knit! Epic job. We know from experience that there's nothing quite like that first time someone asks you where you got your knit from 😎
We'd LOVE to see how you go! Share your masterpiece with us by tagging @cardigang_knits on socials or by sending us an email at hello@cardigang.com.au
Until next time! 😘🧶💕
Morgan & Cat xx