Oak Hill Top

Oak Hill Top by Irina Anikeeva

What is Being Made

The Oak Hill Top is a women's knitted pullover garment designed to be worn as a fitted yet comfortable everyday top. This pattern is available in eight sizes ranging from XS to 4XL, with finished bust circumferences from 40½ inches (101.5 cm) to 68¼ inches (170.5 cm). The design features an intended ease of +10–12 inches (25–30 cm), making it suitable for layering or a relaxed fit depending on size selection.

Construction Method and Techniques

The Oak Hill Top is worked from the bottom up in the round using circular knitting, which creates a seamless construction from the hem to the underarms. Once the body reaches the underarm depth, the front and back pieces are worked separately to allow for custom shaping. The shoulders are shaped using short-rows, a technique that creates gradual increases in length across specific sections without adding extra stitches, resulting in a smooth, fitted shoulder line. The pattern includes a chart that is worked in rows, with all odd-numbered rows read from right to left and all even-numbered rows read from left to right, following standard charted knitting conventions.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch used in the Oak Hill Top is Stockinette Stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a flat appearance on the right side. This foundational stitch is used to establish the gauge for the pattern. The design also incorporates a Crochet Chain Provisional Cast-On, a technique that allows stitches to be picked up later from the cast-on edge, enabling seamless construction or future modifications to the hem.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The Oak Hill Top is designed for sport weight yarn, a lightweight yarn category that creates a drapey, breathable fabric ideal for warm-weather garments. Approximate yardage requirements begin at 980 yards for the smallest size (XS) and increase to 1060 yards for size S, with larger sizes requiring proportionally more yarn.

Knitting needles required include US 4/3.5 mm circular needles for the main construction, sized to achieve the specified gauge of 23 stitches and 34 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch after blocking. Additional notions include stitch markers to denote pattern repeats and shaping points, waste yarn for holding stitches during construction, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and seaming, and a crochet hook size E/3.5 mm specifically for working the Crochet Chain Provisional Cast-On.

Skill Level

The Oak Hill Top is rated as an intermediate difficulty pattern, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle techniques such as circular knitting, short-row shaping, and charted colorwork or stitch patterns.