Malibu Tee - Top Knitting Pattern for Women in Tahki Yarns Newport

Malibu Tee – Women's Knitting Pattern by Lisa Hoffman in Tahki Yarns Newport

The Malibu Tee is a women's knitted top designed by Lisa Hoffman and published as a downloadable PDF pattern. Rated intermediate in difficulty, this stylish summer-ready tee combines classic construction with elegant lace detailing, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping and simple stitch patterns beyond plain stockinette. The design is worked in Tahki Yarns Newport, a lightweight worsted-weight yarn with a natural fiber blend perfectly suited to warm-weather garments.

What Is Being Made

The Malibu Tee is a fitted women's pullover top with a relaxed, casual silhouette inspired by warm coastal style. It is sized to fit a range of figures, available in Small, Medium, Large, XL, and 2X, with finished bust measurements spanning 33½ to 49½ inches (85–125.5 cm). The pattern is designed with 0–2 inches of positive ease, meaning the finished garment sits close to the body without being restrictive — ideal for a flattering, modern fit. Finished lengths range from 21½ to 23¾ inches (54.5–60.5 cm) depending on the size chosen.

The tee features raglan shaping, a construction method in which the sleeves and body are joined and shaped simultaneously along diagonal decrease lines running from the underarm to the neckline. This creates a smooth, comfortable shoulder fit without the need for traditional set-in sleeve seaming at the shoulder point. The raglan lines on the Malibu Tee are defined by a distinctive decrease sequence using s2kp (slip 2, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over) combined with yarn overs (yo), giving the shaping a decorative, lace-like quality rather than a purely utilitarian appearance.

Construction and Techniques

The Malibu Tee uses a combination of construction approaches that reflect its intermediate difficulty level:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is begun at the lower hem and worked upward toward the neckline, which is the traditional and most intuitive direction for knitting a top-down or bottom-up raglan.
• Worked flat (back and forth in rows): Portions of the pattern are knitted flat on straight or circular needles, producing right-side and wrong-side rows.
• Worked in the round: Circular knitting is also employed during the construction, particularly for finishing elements such as the neckline, where a 16-inch (40 cm) circular needle is specified.
• Seamed construction: The pattern is seamed, meaning separate pieces are joined together after knitting. This gives the finished garment structure and a clean, tailored finish.
• Lace patterning: A lace stitch pattern is incorporated into the design, adding visual texture and an airy, feminine quality appropriate for a warm-weather tee. Lace knitting typically involves a combination of yarn overs (which create deliberate holes) and corresponding decreases that maintain the stitch count, producing an openwork fabric.
• Raglan shaping: As noted, the raglan decreases use a s2kp double decrease paired with yarn overs, integrating the shaping neatly into the lace aesthetic.

Stitches Used

The Malibu Tee calls on a focused set of stitches and techniques that an intermediate knitter will find engaging without being overwhelming:

• Stockinette stitch: The foundational stitch of the garment, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side (when worked flat), or knitting every round (when worked in the round). Gauge for stockinette is 18 stitches and 27 rows to 4 inches (10 cm) using the smaller needle size.
• Lace stitch pattern: A separate lace stitch pattern is used in specific sections of the tee. This stitch has its own gauge — approximately 17½ stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches (10 cm) — and is worked with the larger US size 9 (5.5 mm) needle to achieve the correct drape and openwork effect.
• s2kp (central double decrease)