#1329 Dogwood - Top Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Westhampton

Pattern Summary: #1329 Dogwood – Sleeveless Lace-Hem Tunic Top for Women

#1329 Dogwood is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Julie Turjoman and published by Valley Yarns. It produces a clean-lined, sleeveless tunic top for women, distinguished by a sweeping deep lace hem that dips longer in the back than the front, creating an elegant high-low silhouette. Equally at home at a summer wedding or a casual outing with friends, this versatile top is designed to be worn with generous positive ease for a relaxed, comfortable fit throughout the warmer months.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a sleeveless tunic top featuring a dramatic lace border at the hem. The front hem is shorter than the back, giving the piece a graceful dipped-back profile. The body above the lace border is clean and streamlined, allowing the intricate hem to serve as the focal design element. The tunic is sized to fit with 2–6 inches of positive ease at the bust and 4–11 inches of positive ease at the hip, making it a relaxed, wearable style suited to a wide range of body types.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

• Sizes available: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL
• Sample shown in: Size S
• Finished bust: 32 (36¾, 41½, 46½, 48) (54½, 57½, 60¾) inches
• Finished hip: 38½ (44¾, 44¾, 51¼, 57½) (57½, 64, 64) inches
• Front length from hem to underarm: 17 (17, 17, 18, 18) (18, 19, 19) inches
• Back length from hem to underarm: 19¼ (19¼, 19¼, 20¼, 20¼) (20¼, 21¼, 21¼) inches

The pattern also notes that the piece can be knitted longer than written, though additional yarn will be required for any length modifications.

Techniques Used

As an intermediate-level pattern, Dogwood calls on a range of knitting techniques that go beyond basic knit-and-purl construction. The most prominent technique is lace knitting, which forms the sweeping border at the hem. Lace knitting typically involves a combination of yarn-over increases paired with corresponding decreases to create decorative openwork motifs. Knitters working this pattern should be comfortable reading a lace chart or written lace instructions and maintaining stitch counts across multiple pattern rows.

Additional techniques likely involved in constructing a sleeveless tunic of this style include:

• Shaping at the armhole and neckline through decreases and bind-offs
• Seaming to join front and back panels
• Picking up and knitting stitches along armhole and neckline edges for finishing
• Managing the high-low hem differential between front and back lengths

Stitches Used

The pattern prominently features lace stitch patterns at the hem border, which provide the garment's signature decorative element. The body of the tunic above the lace section uses clean stitch work that highlights the yarn's natural stitch definition. Stitches typically found in a pattern of this construction include:

• Knit and purl stitches forming the body fabric
• Yarn-overs (YO) creating the openwork eyelets in the lace border
• Decrease stitches such as k2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) used in conjunction with yarn-overs to maintain stitch count within the lace pattern

The crisp stitch definition produced by the chosen yarn ensures that every detail of the lace motif reads clearly in the finished fabric.

Materials: Yarn and Need