I love the look of vintage knits, especially from the 1940’s and 1950’s. However, most of them are worked at an incredibly small gauge and a size “XL”, back then, seems to be equivalent to a size “M” nowadays. I was inspired by a square neck vintage top that I saw and this is what I came up with.

I prefer knitting garments from the top down because they can be tried on during the knitting process and can easily be altered for a perfect fit.

I designed this top for a wide range of sizes. It features short sleeves and flattering waist shaping.

Sleeves are set-in and worked from the top in seamless construction, using short rows, with a photo tutorial. However, instructions are included as to how to work the sleeves from the bottom up that are sewn into the garment.

Sizes:
XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL) - 32 (34, 38, 42, 44, 48, 52) inches chest measurement

Yarn:
Cascade Ultra Pima (100% Cotton) – 5 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7) skeins or 850 (900, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1200, 1300) yards of DK weight yarn.

Notions:
U.S. 4 (3.5 mm) – 32 inch circular needle
U.S. 5 (3.75 mm) – 32 inch circular needle
Every knitter’s gauge is different, use size needle that gets gauge.

If not using Magic Loop:
U.S. 3 (3.25 mm) – DPN (for sleeves)
U.S. 4 (3.5 mm) – 16” circular & DPN (for sleeves)

Optional: 1 set of US 0 (2.5 mm) – circular needle

3 – small vintage style buttons
Tapestry Needle
Scrap Yarn or stitch holder to hold stitches
Stitch markers

Gauge:
22 sts & 30 rows = 4”– in stockinette on larger needles