Willow Top in Berroco Gaia - Downloadable PDF

Willow Top in Berroco Gaia — Pattern Summary

The Willow Top is a beautifully crafted knitted pullover top designed by Alison Green and published by Berroco. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated Intermediate in skill level, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with circular knitting, short rows, and lace-style stitch patterns. The Willow Top is worked seamlessly from the top down in one piece, resulting in a polished, elegant garment with minimal finishing required.

What Is Being Made

The Willow Top is a pullover-style knitted top designed for a range of body sizes. It is offered in ten sizes, with finished bust measurements spanning from 32¾" / 83 cm up to 69" / 175.5 cm, making it a wonderfully inclusive pattern. The recommended ease is 2–4" / 5–10 cm of positive ease, giving the finished garment a relaxed, comfortable fit. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 45" / 114.5 cm. Finished lengths range from approximately 19½" to 23" / 49.5 to 58.5 cm, depending on the size chosen.

Construction Method

One of the most appealing aspects of the Willow Top is its seamless, top-down construction. The entire garment is worked in one piece from the top down in the round, which eliminates the need for seaming and allows knitters to try on the piece as they go. The yoke is a key structural and decorative feature, shaped using short rows to create a smooth, well-fitting neckline and shoulder area. Short rows are a technique used to add or remove rows in specific sections of a knitted piece without working across the full round, allowing for precise shaping — particularly useful at the back neck and shoulders of a top-down garment.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Willow Top incorporates a combination of classic and decorative knitting stitches and techniques:

• Stockinette stitch (St st) — the primary stitch used throughout the body of the garment, worked in the round as all knit stitches, creating a smooth, flat fabric.
• Lace-style yoke chart pattern — the yoke features a repeating stitch pattern worked over a multiple of 14 stitches. This pattern incorporates yarn overs (yo) and knit-two-together decreases (k2tog) to create decorative eyelets, giving the yoke a delicate, open texture that distinguishes the Willow Top from a plain pullover.
• Short rows — used to shape the yoke for a better fit across the back neck and shoulders.
• Working in the round — the entire garment is knitted circularly using circular needles and, where needed for smaller circumferences, double-pointed needles or an equivalent method.
• Stitch markers — five stitch markers are used throughout construction, including one in a contrasting color to mark the beginning of the round (BOR), helping knitters track their place in the pattern.
• Waste yarn holds — stitches are placed on waste yarn at certain points during construction, a common technique in seamless top-down garments to separate sleeve stitches from the body.

Yarn: Berroco Gaia

The pattern calls for Berroco Gaia, a DK weight yarn sold in 50-gram balls. The sample is knitted in colorway #3024 Clear Sky, a fresh, airy shade that complements the delicate lace detailing of the yoke beautifully. Depending on the size being made, the pattern requires between 5 and 11 balls of Berroco Gaia. Berroco Gaia is a yarn known for its smooth, consistent texture, which is ideal for showcasing both the clean lines of stockinette and the intricate details of lace-style patterns.

Needles and Notions

Because this garment is worked entirely in the round, a variety of circular needle lengths are required:

• 16" / 40 cm circular needles in sizes