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Floatside is for the knitter who has always thought the wrong side of colorwork is just as beautiful as the right so we designed a top that puts the floats front and center.

The colorwork panel is worked so the floats sit on the outside of the garment, turned outward for the world to see. It’s a little unexpected, a little show-offy, and completely intentional.

Floatside is a fingering-weight short-sleeved top with a clever construction for a virtually seamless garment, requiring just a touch of mattress stitch at the shoulder.

Design Details

The Latvian Braid frames the colorwork panel and gives the design a polished, crafted feel that lets your technique shine. The i-cord hem and neckline finish everything cleanly so the whole garment feels considered from top to bottom.

This is a top designed to start conversations at knit nite.

Pattern Highlights

• Side-to-side sleeve to sleeve construction
• Scoop neck collar
• Latvian Braid detail
• I-cord hem and neckline finishing
• Minimal yardage required for contrast colors
• Virtually seamless garment

Construction Overview

Floatside features a side to side construction.

We begin with the right sleeve worked in the round, switch to working flat by casting on extra stitches for the back (knitting from right to left), then continue onto the front. The front and back are then joined using the 3 needle bind off and the left sleeve is completed in the round.

The floats are worked with the “Floatside” facing outward. Stitches are slid back to the start of the row so you never have to purl your colorwork.

After blocking you tie off your colorwork ends and an icord is knit along the hem and neckline.

Yarn Notes

Floatside highlights Silk Road fingering weight yarn by Skein Yarn in the Saffron shade. Any fingering weight yarn containing some wool is suitable.

The silk, yak, and merino blend offers drape and stitch definition. A 100% merino, linen/wool blend, or other blended wool fingering weight sock yarn or single ply may also be used.

For the contrast colors, we used scrap yarns by Hue Loco & Dragon Hoard Yarn. Any fingering weight scrap yarns will work for the colorwork motif.

Yarn

Ontheround Plush Singles in Hemlock (blue sample)

Skein Yarn Silk Road Fingering — 60% Superwash Merino, 20% silk, 20% yak
400 yards / 365 m per 100 g

You will need 5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8) contrast colors. One of these will be used for the Latvian braid, the rest for the Floatside motif.

Needles & Gauge

US 5 (3.75 mm) 16–40” circular and double pointed needles
US 4 (3.50 mm) 16–40” circular needles

Measure your gauge swatch after it has been wet blocked and pinned and fully dry.

Due to the side to side construction, row gauge is very important for proper width.

24 sts x 28 rows in US 5 stockinette knit flat and in the round = 4” x 4”
28 sts x 30 rows in US 4 stranded colorwork stockinette knit in the round = 4” x 4”

Yardage

MC
540 (620, 740, 800, 880, 980, 1100, 1200, 1280, 1400) yards
495 (567, 678, 732, 805, 896, 1006, 1097, 1170, 1280) meters

CC
15 (15, 15, 15, 20, 20, 20, 20, 24, 24) yards each
14 (14, 14, 14, 18, 18, 18, 18, 22, 22) meters each

You will also need a bottle of Fray Check.

Finished Measurements

Floatside is designed for 5–10” of positive ease at the bust.

To choose your size:

1. Measure your full bust.
2. Add 5–10” depending on your preferred ease.
3. Choose the finished bust measurement below that matches.

Example: if your bust is 40”, knit the 48” size for 8” of positive ease.

Orange sample is shown with 8” ease on a 32” bust.
Blue sample is shown with 6” ease on a 47” bust.

Bust
32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68)“
81 (91, 102, 112, 122, 132, 142, 152, 162, 173) cm

Bicep
11 (12.5, 13.5, 15, 17, 18.5, 21, 22, 23, 24.5)“
28 (32, 34, 38, 43, 47, 53, 56, 58, 62) cm

Body Length
13” / 33 cm

Sleeve Length
4.25 (4.25, 4.25, 4.25, 4.25, 4.5, 4.5, 4.75, 4.75, 5)“
11 (11, 11, 11, 11, 11.5, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 12.5, 13) cm

Let’s Knit Together

This pattern includes video tutorials, and we’d love to have you in our community. Join the Wool & Pine Cottage on Discord for pattern support, progress shares, and a friendly place to knit alongside others. Join us here: https://discord.com/invite/M64Ec9yeng

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