355 Manta Top-Down Tee - Top Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Longmeadow

Pattern Summary: Valley Yarns #355 Manta Top-Down Tee by Kirsten Hipsky

The Valley Yarns #355 Manta Top-Down Tee is a women's knitted tee designed by Kirsten Hipsky and published by Valley Yarns. This intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a classic, relaxed-fit pullover tee worked entirely from the top down in a seamless construction, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with short rows and working in the round but are ready to tackle more sophisticated garment shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a women's pullover tee with integrated sleeve caps, designed with a clean, wearable silhouette suitable for a wide range of body sizes. The finished garment is sized to achieve chest measurements of 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48 inches, offering generous size inclusivity. The tee features structured shoulder shaping, a defined bodice, and short sleeves formed by picking up stitches along the side edges during construction rather than seaming separate sleeve pieces.

Construction Method and Techniques

The Manta Top-Down Tee is constructed using a top-down, seamless method, meaning the knitter begins at the shoulders and works downward through the body, eliminating the need for sewing seams at the end. This approach allows for easy fit adjustments as the knitting progresses and gives knitters the satisfaction of trying on the garment as they go.

• Top-down construction: The garment begins at the back shoulder with a provisional or direct cast-on, and the front shoulders are built by picking up stitches along the cast-on edge of the back, establishing the shoulder line before the body is joined.
• Seamless, worked in the round: Once the shoulder sections and sleeve cap stitches are established, the body is joined and worked in the round, avoiding any side or sleeve seams entirely.
• Short rows with Wrap and Turn (W&T): The shoulder shaping relies on wrap and turn short rows, a technique that creates smooth, angled shaping without holes or gaps. Knitters work progressively longer rows, picking up wraps as they go to maintain a tidy fabric surface.
• Sleeve cap integration: Rather than knitting sleeves separately and seaming them in, the sleeve caps are formed by picking up and knitting stitches directly from the side edges of the bodice during the construction of the yoke. This is a hallmark of the seamless top-down approach and results in a smooth, professional finish.
• Stitch marker placement: Markers are placed at the boundaries between the front, sleeve cap, back, and second sleeve cap sections, allowing the knitter to track raglan-style increases or shaping rows with ease.

Stitches Used

The primary fabric of the Manta Top-Down Tee is worked in Stockinette stitch (knit on right side rows, purl on wrong side rows), which produces a smooth, classic knitted fabric ideal for a lightweight tee. The short row shaping sections also involve alternating knit and purl rows in a flat construction before the work is joined in the round. The pattern references picking up and knitting stitches along edges, a foundational technique for seamless garment construction.

• Stockinette stitch (St st) — the primary fabric stitch throughout the body and sleeves
• Wrap and Turn (W&T) short rows — used for shoulder shaping
• Pick up and knit — used to establish front shoulders from the back cast-on edge and to form sleeve caps from side edges
• Slip marker (sm) — used throughout to track section boundaries

Materials: Yarn and Needles

This pattern is designed for Valley Yarns Longmeadow, a DK weight yarn from the Valley Yarns brand. DK weight yarn is a light-to-medium weight that knits up quickly while still producing a fabric with excellent stitch definition — ideal for a tee that needs to be lightweight and comfortable to wear in warmer weather. Knitters will need both a longer circular needle (for working the body in the round) and likely a shorter or double-pointed needle option for the sleeve sections, as indicated by the pattern's reference to longer needles for picking up shoulder stitches.