Kiribati Top in Berroco Karma - Downloadable PDF

Berroco Kiribati Top – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Berroco Kiribati Top is a free, downloadable PDF knitting pattern published by Berroco. It produces a women's pullover-style top worked in a combination of stockinette stitch and an elegant lace-influenced pattern stitch, making it an approachable project for knitters at the Easy skill level. The design is sized to fit a wide range of bodies, with finished bust measurements ranging from 32 to 52 inches, covering women's sizes X-Small through 2X.

What Is Being Made

The Kiribati Top is a women's knitted sweater or jumper designed with a relaxed, comfortable silhouette. The pattern is written with approximately 2 inches of ease, meaning the finished garment is intentionally slightly larger than the wearer's actual bust measurement. This ease gives the top a casual, easy-wearing drape that suits the chunky, flowing nature of the yarn. Finished lengths range from 21½ inches to 25 inches depending on the size selected. The garment is constructed with a back and, by implication, a front, worked flat on straight needles.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting on straight needles, working back and forth in rows
• Gauge swatching, which is strongly recommended before beginning, as the pattern uses two different stitch gauges
• Shaping through standard knitting increases and decreases to achieve the fitted silhouette across multiple sizes
• Stitch marker placement to track pattern repeats and shaping points
• Reading and working from a multi-size pattern, with changes for six sizes given in parentheses throughout

Stitches Used

The Kiribati Top features two primary stitch types worked together to create its distinctive textured surface:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st) – The classic knit-on-right-side, purl-on-wrong-side foundation stitch used throughout much of the garment. Gauge in stockinette is 12 stitches and 18 rows to 4 inches.
• Pattern Stitch (Pat St) – A decorative 6-stitch, 2-row repeat that creates an open, lace-like column of texture. It is worked as follows:
  • Row 1 (RS): K1, k2tog, (yo) twice, SSK, k1
  • Row 2 (WS): P2, p first yo, k second yo, p2
  This stitch incorporates k2tog (knit two together, a right-leaning decrease), SSK (slip, slip, knit, a left-leaning decrease), and double yarn overs to create an eyelet or lace effect. The double yarn over is resolved on the wrong side by purling the first loop and knitting the second, adding a subtle bobble-like detail within the column. Gauge in Pattern Stitch is 6 stitches to 1¼ inches and 18 rows to 4 inches.

Materials

The pattern calls for Berroco Karma, a chunky weight yarn sold in 50-gram hanks. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in colorway #3488 Hibiscus. Depending on the size being made, the pattern requires 5 to 8 hanks of Berroco Karma. Knitters will need straight knitting needles in size 11 (8.00 mm), or whatever needle size is necessary to achieve the stated gauge, as well as 1 stitch marker.

About Berroco Karma Yarn

Berroco Karma is described by Berroco as a supercharged yarn choice for this design. As a chunky weight yarn, it knits up quickly, which is particularly well-suited to a beginner-friendly pattern like the Kiribati Top. The weight and drape of the yarn complement both the open lace columns of the Pattern Stitch and the smooth stretches of stockinette, allowing the textural contrast between the