Pampas Top in Rowan Cotton Trio - Downloadable PDF

Pampas Top in Rowan Cotton Trio – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Pampas Top is a knitted women's top designed by Georgia Farrell and published by Rowan. It is worked in Rowan Cotton Trio, a 4-ply weight yarn, and is available as a downloadable PDF. The design features a structured, panelled construction with a button band detail, making it a polished and wearable wardrobe piece suited to the advanced beginner knitter who is ready to explore garment shaping and multi-section construction.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a fitted or semi-fitted women's top with a lower body worked in separate front and back sections before being joined. The garment includes a button band (adding approximately 3 cm to the actual chest measurement) and features distinct lower sections for the right front, left front, and back, each cast on separately and placed on holders before being joined for the upper body. The sample shown in the pattern photography is worked in Deep 120, one of the colourways available in Cotton Trio.

Sizing

The Pampas Top is offered in nine sizes, designed to fit a chest measurement ranging from 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 152–157 cm (60–62 in). The actual chest measurement of the finished garment, including the button band, ranges from 82.5 cm (32½ in) to 162.5 cm (64 in), offering generous size inclusivity across the range.

Construction Technique

The Pampas Top is constructed using a pieced, bottom-up knitting method. The lower sections of the garment — the right front, left front, and back — are each cast on and worked independently, then placed on stitch holders to be joined later. This technique is common in garment knitting and allows the knitter to manage each panel at a manageable scale before combining them into the full body of the top.

• Right front lower section: Cast on 39 [45: 51: 57: 63: 69: 75: 81: 87] sts using 3¼mm (US 3) needles and the cable cast-on method, worked to a set number of stitches before being placed on a holder.
• Left front lower section: Cast on 39 [45: 51: 57: 63: 69: 75: 81: 87] sts and worked following the same instructions as the right front lower section.
• Back lower section: Cast on 85 [97: 109: 121: 133: 145: 157: 169: 181] sts and worked in the same manner, resulting in 101 [113: 125: 137: 149: 161: 173: 185: 197] sts before being placed on a holder.

The use of the cable cast-on method throughout gives a neat, firm edge to each section — a technique where each new stitch is created by inserting the needle between the last two stitches on the left needle, making it ideal for structured garment edges.

Stitches and Techniques Used

While the full stitch detail is contained within the complete PDF, the construction approach and skill level indicate the use of several key knitting techniques appropriate for an advanced beginner:

• Cable cast-on – used consistently across all lower sections for a tidy, structured start
• Stitch holder management – stitches are broken off and left on holders, requiring the knitter to manage multiple live sections
• Garment shaping – the differing stitch counts between sections suggest increases or decreases are worked to shape the body panels
• Button band construction – a separate or integrated button band adds a neat front opening detail

Working with stitch holders and joining separate panels are skills that elevate this pattern beyond a simple beginner project, making it an excellent stepping stone for knitters building confidence with garment construction.

Materials – Yarn and Needles

The pattern calls for