Jena Top in Berroco Tillie - Downloadable PDF

Jena Top in Berroco Tillie — Knitting Pattern Summary

The Jena Top is a knitted pullover top designed by Åsa Buchta and published by Berroco. Worked in the lightweight Berroco Tillie sport-weight yarn, this intermediate-level design offers a refined, wearable silhouette suited to a wide range of body sizes. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with in-the-round construction and are ready to explore more structured yoke shaping.

What Is Being Made

The Jena Top is a seamless pullover top featuring a shaped yoke. It is designed with approximately 2–4 inches of positive ease, giving it a relaxed yet polished fit. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 38" / 96.5 cm bust. Finished bust measurements range from 34" to 70" across nine sizes, making this a genuinely size-inclusive pattern. Center back lengths range from 20" to 23" depending on the size chosen.

Construction and Techniques

The Jena Top is constructed in the round, beginning at the yoke and working downward — a method that minimizes seaming and allows for smooth, continuous shaping. Key construction techniques include:

• Top-down yoke construction, which allows knitters to try on the garment as they work and adjust fit before committing to the body length
• Yoke patterning worked from either a chart or written instructions, giving knitters flexibility based on their preferred method of following patterns
• Increase shaping within the yoke section, which requires the use of a significant number of stitch markers — the pattern helpfully suggests using small loops of waste yarn as an alternative to traditional markers
• Transitioning between needle lengths as stitch counts grow, moving from a 16" / 40 cm circular needle to a 32" / 80 cm circular needle as the yoke expands
• Use of double-pointed needles or preferred small-circumference needles for sections worked over fewer stitches
• Stitch holding with waste yarn, a common seamless garment technique used to separate sleeve stitches from body stitches

Stitches Used

The primary stitch structure of the Jena Top is Stockinette stitch (St st), worked in the round. The yoke incorporates a decorative pattern section that adds visual interest to the upper portion of the garment. Ribbing or edging details are implied by the use of smaller needles alongside the main needle sizes, which is a standard approach for creating neat, non-curling borders at hems, cuffs, and necklines.

Gauge

The pattern calls for a gauge of 24 stitches and 36 rounds over 4" / 10 cm in Stockinette stitch on the larger needles, measured after blocking. Achieving accurate gauge is especially important for a fitted garment like this top, and the pattern strongly encourages knitters to swatch and block before casting on.

Materials — Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The Jena Top is designed specifically for Berroco Tillie, a sport-weight yarn sold in 100-gram hanks. The sample is shown in colorway #10915 Fay. Yardage requirements range from 2 to 4 hanks depending on size, making this a relatively economical project in terms of yarn quantity.

Two needle sizes are used throughout the pattern:

• Size 3 / 3.25 mm needles — in both 16" / 40 cm and 32" / 80 cm circular lengths, as well as double-pointed needles (or preferred small-circumference option)
• Size 5 / 3.75 mm needles — in both 16" / 40 cm and 32" / 80 cm circular lengths

Additional