Maxima Top in Adriafil Papua - Downloadable PDF

Maxima Top in Adriafil Papua – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Maxima Top is a classic knitted pullover designed for women, available as a free downloadable PDF from Adriafil. Worked in the brand's own Adriafil Papua yarn, this garment combines elegant waist shaping with a graceful neckline to create a flattering, wearable top suitable for a range of occasions. The pattern is offered in three sizes: 36/38, 40/42, and 44/46, making it accessible to a broad range of knitters.

Materials and Yarn

The pattern calls for Adriafil Papua, a DK weight yarn, in quantities of 6, 7, or 7 balls depending on the chosen size. Adriafil Papua is known for its soft texture and rich colour palette, making it an excellent choice for a fitted top that drapes well against the body. As a DK weight yarn, it strikes a balance between warmth and lightness, ideal for a versatile layering piece or a standalone top in cooler seasons.

Construction Overview

The Maxima Pullover is constructed in two main pieces — a Back and a Front — both worked flat from the bottom upward. The two pieces are then seamed together to complete the garment. This straightforward construction makes the pattern approachable for knitters with some experience in garment shaping.

Back Panel

The back begins with a cast-on of 78, 86, or 94 stitches depending on size, followed by 4 cm of 1x1 Ribbing to create a neat, elastic hem. After the ribbing, the work transitions into the main Pattern stitch.

• Waist shaping (decreases): To define the waistline, 5 decreases of 1 stitch are worked at both edges, every 4 rows, creating a tapered silhouette.
• Hip and bust shaping (increases): From the 18 cm mark onward, 9 increases of 1 stitch are worked at both edges, alternating every 6 and 8 rows, gradually widening the fabric back out.
• Neckline shaping: At 56 cm of total length, the centre 22 stitches are bound off for the back neck. Each shoulder half is then worked separately, with 1 bind-off of 6 stitches at the neck edge every 2 rows.
• Shoulder bind-off: Remaining shoulder stitches are bound off when the work reaches 58 cm.

Front Panel

The front is worked identically to the back up to the point of neckline shaping, which begins earlier and is more gradual, creating a deeper, more decorative front neckline.

• Front neck divide: At 36 cm, the work is divided and each half is finished separately.
• Gradual neck shaping: The neckline is shaped using a combination of 7 decreases of 1 stitch every 2 rows and 3 decreases of 1 stitch every 4 rows. These are worked using classic decrease techniques: K2tog (knit 2 together) on one side and slip 1 knitwise, K1, PSSO (pass slipped stitch over) on the other, ensuring the decreases mirror each other neatly at the neck edge.
• Final neck shaping: At 53 cm, additional bind-offs are worked at the neck edge — 1x3 stitches, 1x2 stitches, and 2x1 stitch, every 2 rows — to complete the curved neckline.
• Shoulder bind-off: Shoulder stitches are bound off to match the back.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• 1x1 Ribbing – alternating knit and purl stitches to create an elastic, structured hem
• Pattern stitch – the main body