Mini Cello Top in Rowan Cotton Cashmere PDF

Mini Cello Top in Rowan Cotton Cashmere by Georgia Farrell – Pattern Summary

The Mini Cello Top is a charming, fitted knitted top designed by Georgia Farrell and worked in Rowan Cotton Cashmere. This is a downloadable PDF pattern aimed at intermediate knitters, offering a beautifully textured garment sized for children aged 3–4 up to 11–12 years. With its classic ribbed stitch pattern, neat neckline shaping, and structured shoulder construction, this top is a versatile wardrobe staple that balances style with wearability.

What Is Being Made

The Mini Cello Top is a children's pullover-style top with a fitted silhouette. It is constructed in two main pieces — a back and a front — each worked flat from the cast-on edge upward. The garment features carefully shaped front and back necklines, with stitches held on holders to be finished as a neckband. Shoulder shaping is worked with staggered cast-offs for a clean, tailored fit. The finished chest measurements range from 64 cm (25¼ in) for the smallest size up to 86.5 cm (34 in) for the largest, giving a comfortable, slightly relaxed actual chest measurement relative to the child's body.

Sizes Available

• 3–4 years: To fit chest 53–56 cm / 21–22 in; actual chest 64 cm / 25¼ in
• 5–6 years: To fit chest 59–61 cm / 23–24 in; actual chest 70 cm / 27½ in
• 7–8 years: To fit chest 63–66 cm / 25–26 in; actual chest 75.5 cm / 29¾ in
• 9–10 years: To fit chest 70–73 cm / 27–29 in; actual chest 81 cm / 32 in
• 11–12 years: To fit chest 76–79 cm / 30–31 in; actual chest 86.5 cm / 34 in

Stitches and Techniques Used

The body of the Mini Cello Top is worked in a repeating rib-based stitch pattern that creates the textured, structured look characteristic of this design. The core stitch repeat is a K3, P3 rib, worked as follows:

• Row 1 (RS): K3, *P3, K3; repeat from * to end
• Row 2 (WS): Corresponding purl and knit stitches to maintain the rib pattern

This knit 3, purl 3 rib runs throughout the fabric, giving the top its distinctive vertical texture and a degree of natural elasticity. The pattern is worked flat on straight needles, making it accessible for knitters comfortable with reading both right-side and wrong-side rows.

Key shaping techniques include:

• Shoulder shaping: Worked by casting off stitches at the beginning of right-side and wrong-side rows in stages, creating a stepped shoulder seam typical of classic knitwear construction
• Back neck shaping: Central back neck stitches are placed on a stitch holder, with each side of the neck worked separately; decreases are worked at the neck edge over several rows before the remaining shoulder stitches are cast off
• Front neck shaping: The front neck is shaped earlier than the back, with stitches divided and worked separately; decreases are made on consecutive rows and then on alternate rows to create a smooth, rounded neckline
• Neckband: Held stitches from both front and back neck holders are picked up and worked using a short 3.25mm circular needle, creating a neat, seamless neckband finish
• Stitch holders: Used throughout to hold live stitches at the neckline, a standard technique in garment knitting that allows stitches to be returned to the needle later for finishing

Materials – Yarn