The Rococo top is knitted seamlessly from the top down with the beautiful lace pattern on the front and back. The back and front are knitted separately down to the armholes. Then the pieces are joined and the body is knitted in the round. The hem is knitted in twisted ribbing. The top of the front and back are finished with an i-cord edging that continues seamlessly into the straps.

The Rococo top is best suited for merino, cotton, viscose or linen blend yarns with good stitch definition. I recommend choosing unicolor or slightly tonal colorways for the lace to show.

My inspiration for this top were the slightly irregular and curvy carvings from the Rococo era, and the wrapped stitches remind me of the seashells typical for Rococo style. The lace pattern is modified from a lace chart found in the Japanese knitting stitch bible by Hitomi Shida. Check out also my matching Rococo pullover pattern.

Sizes
1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9)
Finished bust circumference: 75 (85, 95, 105, 115) (125, 135, 145, 155) cm / 29.5 (33.5, 37.5, 41.25, 45.25) (49.25, 53.25, 57, 61) inches, intended to be worn with zero ease
Body length from hem to underarm: 25 (25, 25, 25, 28) (28, 28, 28, 28) cm / 9.75 (9.75, 9.75, 9.75, 11) (11, 11, 11, 11) inches (adjustable)

Yarn
410 (450, 500, 550, 600) (660, 730, 800, 880) m / 450 (490, 540, 600, 660) (720, 800, 880, 960) yards of fingering weight yarn.

Sample: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 3, 3) skeins of La Bien Aimée Merino Singles (100% SW merino; 366 meters / 400 yards per 100 g) shown in the colorway “As if”.

Needles
For the lace, straps and hem:
3 mm / US 2.5 circular needles with a cable of 40 cm / 16 inches for the lace and the straps
3 mm / US 2.5 circular needles with a cable of 80 cm / 32 inches for sizes 1-5 or 100 cm / 40 inches for sizes 6-9 for the hem

For the main part:
3.5 mm / US 4 circular needles with a cable of 80 cm / 32 inches for sizes 1-5 or 100 cm / 40 inches for sizes 6-9 for the body

Gauge
24 sts and 30 rounds = 10 cm / 4 inches of Stockinette stitch on the larger needles in the round, blocked.
Note: always use the needle size that gets you the right gauge!

Notions
2 stitch markers
8 removable (locking) markers or coilless safety pins (or waste yarn)
sewing needle
waste yarn