Columbia Road Top in Erika Knight Wild Wool - 72001102 - Downloadable PDF

Columbia Road Top in Erika Knight Wild Wool – Pattern Summary

What You Are Making

The Columbia Road Top is a stylish sleeveless knitted top, also described as a slipover, designed by Erika Knight. It features an extended shoulder and a shaped back hem, giving it a contemporary, relaxed silhouette. The garment is worked in two contrast colours, with the back, neck, and hem knitted in a contrast colour to create a subtle but striking two-tone effect. It is available in four sizes — S, M, L, and XL — with finished chest measurements ranging from 106cm / 41¾in up to 124cm / 48¾in, making it a versatile pattern suitable for a range of body types.

The front and back lengths differ slightly to accommodate the shaped hem, with the back measuring longer than the front across all sizes. Sleeve lengths, referring to the extended shoulder section, range from 17cm to 20cm depending on size. This is a beginner-level knitting pattern, making it an excellent project for those who are relatively new to garment knitting but ready to move beyond basic accessories.

Design Details and Construction

The Columbia Road Top is constructed as a straightforward garment knitted in separate front and back pieces that are then seamed together. The use of two colours — Colour A (Traipse) and Colour B (Amble) — adds visual interest without requiring complex colourwork techniques such as stranded knitting or intarsia. Instead, the contrast colour is strategically placed at the back, neck, and hem sections, keeping the construction accessible for beginners while producing a polished, professional finish.

The shaped back hem adds a subtle design element that gives the top a more tailored look, preventing the back from appearing boxy. The extended shoulder detail is a modern touch that adds coverage and structure without the need for a traditional set-in sleeve construction.

Techniques Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch) – the primary stitch pattern used throughout the body of the top, creating a smooth, classic knitted fabric on the right side
• Two-colour working – alternating between Colour A and Colour B at specified sections of the garment
• Shaping – including hem shaping on the back piece to create the longer, shaped back hem
• Make 1 Front (M1F) – a specific increase technique used within the pattern, worked by picking up the strand between stitches and knitting or purling into the front of it
• K2tog (knit two together) – a standard right-leaning decrease used for shaping
• K2tog tbl (knit two together through the back loop) – a left-leaning decrease used for symmetrical shaping
• Seaming – joining the front and back pieces together using a large-eyed blunt-tipped sewing needle
• Working in the round – a circular needle is used for finishing sections such as the neckline

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch / stockinette stitch (St st) – knit on right side rows, purl on wrong side rows; forms the main fabric of the garment
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – the two fundamental stitches that make up the stocking stitch fabric
• K2tog – decrease stitch
• K2tog tbl – mirrored decrease stitch
• M1F (Make 1 Front) – increase stitch

Materials Required

The pattern is written for Erika Knight Wild Wool, a beautifully textured aran weight yarn composed of 85% wool and 15% viscose (nettle), with approximately 170 metres / 186 yards per 100g hank. The natural fibre blend gives the yarn excellent drape and a subtle lustre from the nettle viscose content, making it particularly well suited to a garment intended to be worn close to the body.

• Colour A – Traipse: 2(2:3:4) x