Bamboo Top

Bamboo Top by RiotousAssembly

What is Being Made

The Bamboo Top is a lightweight, elegant knitted garment designed for intermediate knitters. This pullover-style top is constructed using a stretchy bamboo tape yarn and features delicate lace patterning throughout. Available in three sizes—Small/Medium/Large with finished bust measurements of 36/38/40 inches (92/97/102 centimeters)—this design offers versatility for various body types. The garment is engineered to be worn as a comfortable, breathable layering piece or standalone top.

Techniques Used

The Bamboo Top employs a hybrid knitting construction method that combines circular knitting with flat knitting techniques. The garment begins with knitting in the round from the cast-on through the armholes, which creates a seamless body and ensures consistent stitch definition. After the armholes are established, the knitter transitions to knitting flat, working back and forth in rows to complete the upper portion and neckline shaping.

The design incorporates lace knitting as a central design element, featuring two distinct lace patterns: a Circular Lace Pattern for the body sections worked in the round, and a Flat Lace Pattern for sections completed with flat knitting. Both patterns utilize classic lace-knitting techniques including yarn overs and decreases to create openwork sections that enhance the garment's lightweight, breathable quality.

Gauge management is emphasized as critical to success, with the pattern noting that bamboo tape yarn is particularly stretchy and requires careful attention to achieve proper fit. The pattern provides explicit gauge measurements to guide knitters in selecting appropriate needle sizing.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k): The foundational stitch used throughout the garment for creating stockinette sections and structural elements
• Purl stitch (p): Used for reverse stockinette sections and textural variation, particularly in the initial setup rows
• Yarn over (yo): A fundamental lace-knitting stitch that creates deliberate holes in the fabric, essential to both the Circular and Flat Lace Patterns
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease stitch paired with yarn overs to create balanced lace patterning and control fabric shaping
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in the Flat Lace Pattern to balance decreases with yarn overs
• Purl two together (p2tog): A decrease worked on wrong-side rows within the Circular Lace Pattern

Materials and Tools

The Bamboo Top requires Beautiful Silks 100% Bamboo Tape yarn in a worsted weight, with a total yardage of 3 x 100-gram skeins. Bamboo tape yarn is prized for its fluid drape, natural sheen, and breathability, making it an excellent choice for lightweight garments. However, the pattern specifically notes that bamboo tape possesses significant stretch characteristics, requiring knitters to pay careful attention to gauge to ensure proper fit and prevent unwanted distortion.

Knitters will need 7.00mm circular needles or the size necessary to achieve the specified gauge. The pattern provides flexibility for needle selection based on individual gauge swatching, acknowledging that different knitters may require slightly different needle sizes to reach the target gauge. Additionally, stitch holders are required for managing live stitches during neckline shaping and construction breaks.

Gauge and Sizing Information

Achieving proper gauge is essential for this project. The pattern specifies approximately 13 stitches over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in the horizontal direction and approximately 19 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in the vertical direction. The significant difference between stitch and row gauge reflects the characteristic proportions of lace knitting and the stretchy nature of bamboo tape yarn. Knitters should swatch before beginning to ensure their needle choice produces the correct gauge, as variations will directly impact the finished garment's dimensions and fit.