The first (of many) Autumn patterns from me today! Meet the Tidy tee, a lightweight layering piece that knits up in approximately 2 minutes and has plenty nice neat details. I knitted mine whilst in covid isolation and it served as a welcome palate cleanser after many finer knits this summer.
Scroll down for details and to purchase the Tidy Tee knitting pattern
The Tidy Tee is my chunkiest pattern to date by far (hence the speedy knit) but works nicely for this transitional time of year either as a layer or on its own. I managed to confuse myself with exactly how big the needles were, but can confirm it was definitely a 12mm, not a 15mm as I originally thought (and said on Instagram, and on YouTube… 🤦♀️). Yarn-wise, I used Stitch and Story Woolmere Luxe in the shade Thistle, which is possibly the lightest chunky yarn I’ve ever encountered. My top is light as a feather! Such a lightweight yarn worked well when knitted fairly loosely on 12mm needles for the main body, then at a much tighter gauge for the twisted rib edgings. Several testers used the sample yarn in a variety of shades, and others used more standard super chunky for a slightly denser fabric. Another great option was to use 2 or 3 strands of aran or chunky for the main body, then drop a strand for the edgings – lots of creative ways to make it work!
tester roundup
My favourite part of every pattern blog post! I’m absolutely loving not only the different colour and yarn options but the styling too. Thanks so much to my wonderful testers who made the pattern their own!
TIDY TEE KNITTING PATTERN DETAILS
YARN: Super chunky weight yarn, approx 401 (447; 501; 557; 607) [662; 713; 769; 828] metres / 435 (485; 544; 605; 659) [718; 774; 834; 899] yards. See Notes on choosing yarn.
Sample shown in Stitch & Story Woolmere (65% Merino, 30% cashmere, 5% Nylon, 70 meters / 76 yards per 25g ball) in shade Thistle. If using this yarn, you will need 6 (7; 8; 8; 9) [10; 11; 11; 12] balls.
GAUGE: 10.5 sts and 15 rows to 4” / 10cm in stocking stitch on 12mm needles, blocked.
NEEDLES & NOTIONS: 12mm and 6mm circular needles of length 24” / 60cm or 30” / 80cm depending on size.
6mm needles of your preferred length for working small circumferences in the round (ie. magic loop, 2 circulars, DPNs).
Removable stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Waste yarn
NOTES
Construction: the Tidy Tee is worked seamlessly from the top down. Front and back are divided to work the split hem, before changing to smaller needles and picking up around the side splits for the edging. Twisted rib and mitred corners are used for a neat finish. Cap sleeves and a crew neck are picked up and worked in twisted rib.
Choosing yarn: the sample yarn is extremely lightweight and fluffy, and looks far finer than other super bulky yarns that would knit to this gauge. I’d recommend either using this yarn or a similar fluffy yarn that will compress down to work on 6mm for the edgings. I would recommend swatching stocking stitch on 12mm needles, working a increase into every stitch, then working 6 rows of twisted rib to check the edge doesn’t flare out. You may need to drop more needle sizes for the edgings depending on your yarn.
I LOVE seeing people knit my patterns and make them their own – if you could tag @lilykatemakes and #TidyTee on Instagram that would be great!
The Tidy Tee is also available via Ravelry and Etsy.
Lily Kate x
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