The cropped top that’s as fun to knit as it is to wear. Turn your knitting sideways, make it stretchy, add a bunch of satisfying short rows, and you have a cute cropped top. One for both layering and showing off on its own!

YARN
DK weight yarn for main body. Sample shown in Stitch & Story Secret Garden DK, (60% cotton, 40% acrylic), in shade Syringa Lilac. If using this yarn, you will need 2 (2; 2; 2; 2) 3; 3; 3; 3 balls.

Smaller bust version: 249 (279; 313; 354; 384) 422; 464; 498; 529 metres / 271 (304; 341; 386; 419) 460; 506; 543; 576 yards.

Fuller bust version: 253 (283; 317; 359; 393) 426; 469; 505; 536 metres / 276 (309; 346; 391; 429) 465; 511; 550; 584 yards.

You will also need a small amount of fingering / sport weight yarn for edgings.

GAUGE
19 stitches and 40 rows to 4 inches / 10cm in garter stitch, blocked. If your gauge is borderline, I would recommend sizing down a needle size; err on the side of too many stitches / rows rather than too few, as the item will stretch with wear.

NEEDLES & NOTIONS
3.75mm / gauge size needles of any length (straight or circular)
3.5mm crochet hook
6 buttons of approx. 14 mm diameter
Tapestry needle

SIZING
1 (2; 3; 4; 5) (6; 7; 8; 9) detailed below, designed to be worn with 5 - 7 inches / 13 – 18 cm negative ease. Sample shown is a size 2 worn on a 34” bust with around 5 inches / 13 cm negative ease. If you are between sizes SIZE DOWN, as this garment needs to fit snugly and there are opportinities throughout the pattern to add extra room if needed. Smaller and fuller bust versions roughly correspond to an A-C cup and D+ cup respectively.

To fit waist: 24(26.5; 30.5; 34.5; 38.5) (42; 46; 50; 54) inches / 61 (67; 77; 88; 98) (107; 117; 128; 138) cm

To fit bust (smaller): 29 (33; 37; 41; 45) (49; 53; 57; 61) inches / 74 (84; 94; 104; 114) (124; 135; 145; 155) cm

To fit bust (fuller): 31 (35; 39; 43; 47) (51; 55; 59; 63) inches / 79 (89; 99; 109; 119) (130; 140; 150; 160) cm

Construction: the One That I Want crop is worked sideways, beginning at the centre back and working clockwise around the body in one piece.

Yarn choices: I would recommend a plump, bouncy DK for this pattern for a firm fabric without much drape. Since the fit relies on negative ease, a cotton blend, wool, acrylic or other yarn that keeps it shape will work well.

Contrast yarn: the yarn used for the sample edgings (Rico Baby Cotton Soft DK) was also technically a DK, but was definitely finer than the yarn used for the main body. This worked better than using the same yarn in a different colour, which produced edges which flared slightly. I would recommend using a light DK or sport weight yarn for the edgings.

I LOVE seeing people knit my patterns and make them their own - if you could tag @lilykatemakes and #TheOneThatIWantCrop on Instagram that would be great!