This intarsia top is a T-shirt at heart with shaping at the sides and shoulders. The underarm sections allow for some adjustment which, if you are feeling adventurous, could be tailored to your personal preference by short row shaping to give a tighter or looser fit in any particular area such as the sleeve, bust or over the hip for example. Also, if you prefer more room in the waist area, omit the side shaping and redraw the lines for your size on the chart.
Although the top is simple in principle, there are quite a few techniques used here. The Zebra fabric is produced entirely in intarsia, but additionally techniques include temporary cast on at the welt and Three Needle Cast Off at the shoulders. If you prefer, cast on with your preferred method and simply pick up sts for the welt and if you don’t like Three Needle Cast Off, simple cast off as normal and sew the shoulder seam on the RS with a backstitch to maintain the ridges. The shoulders are shaped with short row shaping to give a neater fit at the cuff and the side panels are joined by grafting (Kitchener Stitch) to avoid any uncomfortable ridge against bare skin.
All in all, a fun top to enjoy this summer – hopefully in the sunshine – just look out for those lions!