Fatima in Berroco - Downloadable PDF

Fatima Knitting Pattern by Amy Christoffers – A Detailed Summary

Fatima is a knitted top designed by Amy Christoffers and published by Berroco as a downloadable PDF pattern. Rated at an intermediate skill level, this design offers a beautifully wearable pullover top worked in a lightweight DK weight yarn, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with foundational techniques and ready to explore more refined shaping and construction methods.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted top — a garment designed to be worn with approximately 2–4 inches (5–10 cm) of positive ease, giving it a relaxed, comfortable fit. The pattern is available in a wide range of sizes, with a finished bust measurement spanning from 34¾ inches (88.5 cm) all the way up to 71 inches (180.5 cm), covering ten sizes in total. This impressive size range makes Fatima an inclusive pattern suitable for a broad spectrum of body types. The finished length ranges from approximately 24 to 26¾ inches (61–68 cm) depending on the size chosen. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in the smallest size, 34¾ inches / 88.5 cm.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The recommended yarn is Berroco Gaia, a DK weight yarn sold in 50-gram balls. The pattern calls for between 6 and 12 balls depending on the size being knitted, with the sample shown worked in colorway #3026 Dawn. Berroco Gaia is a thoughtfully crafted yarn, and its DK weight provides a lovely drape and stitch definition well-suited to a fitted or semi-fitted top silhouette.

• Needles: A 32-inch (80 cm) circular needle in size US 6 / 4 mm is required, or the size needed to achieve the correct gauge. The use of a long circular needle suggests the garment is worked in the round, at least in part.
• Notions: Stitch markers are needed, including one marker in a contrasting color to mark the beginning of the round (BOR). Waste yarn is also required to hold stitches at various points during construction.

Gauge

Achieving accurate gauge is emphasized strongly in this pattern. The target gauge is 23 stitches and 34 rows/rounds per 4 inches (10 cm) worked in Stockinette stitch, measured after blocking. Blocking is a finishing process in which the knitted fabric is wet or steam-set to its final dimensions, and it is particularly important for DK weight garments where stitch and row counts directly affect the fit of the finished top.

Techniques and Construction

The use of a circular needle and a beginning-of-round marker strongly indicates that Fatima is worked in the round, a construction method that eliminates the need for seaming and creates a smooth, continuous fabric. The inclusion of waste yarn to hold stitches suggests the use of live stitch holds, a technique commonly used when joining body and sleeve stitches or when setting aside sections of a garment to be worked later — such as underarm stitches in a seamless top-down or bottom-up construction.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary stitch used throughout the body of the garment, creating a smooth knit fabric on the right side. When worked in the round, this is achieved by knitting every round.
• Additional stitch patterns or textural details may be present in the full pattern, consistent with Amy Christoffers' design aesthetic, though the gauge and primary fabric are based in Stockinette.

Skill Level and Designer

As an intermediate pattern, Fatima is best suited to knitters who are already comfortable with knitting in the round, reading stitch markers, working increases and decreases for shaping, and managing live stitches on waste yarn. Amy Christoffers is a well-regarded knitwear designer known for elegant, wearable garments, and