Pulina Top in Berroco Karma - Downloadable PDF

Pulina Top in Berroco Karma – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Pulina Top is a free, beginner-friendly knitted tank top designed for women, published by Berroco and worked in their chunky-weight yarn Berroco Karma. Clean, relaxed, and effortlessly wearable, this garter stitch tank is a perfect introduction to garment knitting for those new to constructing fitted pieces. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF at no cost, making it an accessible starting point for knitters who want to move beyond scarves and dishcloths into the world of women's clothing.

What Is Being Made

The Pulina is a sleeveless women's top — often called a tank or shell — designed with a relaxed, easy-to-wear silhouette. It is sized to fit a wide range of bodies, with directions written for women's sizes X-Small through 2X. The pattern accommodates bust sizes from 30 to 50 inches, with finished bust measurements ranging from 36 to 56 inches. Notably, the design includes approximately 6 inches of ease, giving the finished garment a comfortable, slightly oversized drape rather than a close-fitted shape.

Finished lengths range from 18½ to 21½ inches depending on size. Knitters should be aware that due to the nature of Berroco Karma, the finished garment will stretch slightly in length during wear, resulting in a piece approximately 1 inch longer than the original knitted measurement. This is an important consideration when selecting a size and planning fit.

Construction and Techniques

The Pulina is worked in flat knitting — knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles — with separate back and front pieces that are seamed together. This traditional construction method is ideal for beginner garment knitters, as it avoids the complexity of working in the round for the main body while still producing a polished, structured result.

Key construction techniques used in this pattern include:

• Casting on and establishing a ribbed hem border
• Transitioning between needle sizes to shift from the ribbing to the main body fabric
• Decreasing evenly across a row when changing from the ribbing section to the garter stitch body
• Armhole shaping using bind-offs and paired decreases on right-side rows
• Seaming the front and back pieces together at the shoulders and sides
• Picking up stitches around the armhole edges using a circular needle to work a neat ribbed edging

The armhole shaping begins after the body reaches a specified length, with stitches bound off at the beginning of rows and then further reduced with single decreases worked every right-side row. This gradual shaping creates a smooth, fitted armhole curve that is straightforward to execute even for knitters with limited garment experience.

Stitches Used

The Pulina relies on just two stitch patterns, both of which are fundamental to knitting and require only knit and purl stitches:

• Seed-style Ribbing (1x1 Rib): Used for the hem and armhole edgings, this stitch alternates knit and purl stitches across the row. On right-side rows, the sequence is k1, p1 repeated across; on wrong-side rows, the sequence reverses to p1, k1. This creates a stretchy, textured border that lies flat and adds a polished finish to the garment edges.
• Garter Stitch: The primary stitch pattern for the main body of the top. Garter stitch is produced by knitting every row when working flat, creating a fabric with horizontal ridges on both sides. It is one of the most beginner-friendly stitch patterns in knitting, produces a fabric with natural elasticity, and lies flat without curling — making it ideal for a relaxed tank silhouette. The gauge for the main body is 11 stitches and 20 rows to 4 inches on the larger needles.

Materials Required

The pattern calls for Berroco Karma, a chunky-weight yarn sold in 50-gram hanks. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in