The Rigmor’s Summer Blouse I made Maddie is SO cute! I actually had to make the top twice because I noticed a handful of mistakes when I got to the end of the first one, including making the wrong size. I’m so glad it was worth it in the end! It’s feminine and flattering, and is not boxy at all even though I used a cotton/linen blend yarn. I was a little worried she might be too old for such a holey texture, but the loose drape combined with well sized eyelets was fine. It’s not see-through at all!
Maddie wears a size 3T in shirts, so I made the 2-3 years size. I didn’t need to adjust anything, but you can add length to the body if you need to. Just make sure you have enough extra yarn!
If you’ve already made one of these tops, let me know what yarn and color you used! I want to make another one soon.
Yarn
I used Cotlin DK yarn from KnitPicks. It is 70% Tanguis Cotton and 30% Linen. It feels a bit stiff when you get started but after row 2 or 3 you will find it’s actually quite soft and squishy. It also has surprisingly nice stitch definition. I used 3 skeins in the color Mustard Seed.
Additional Materials
You will need a set of stitch markers to knit a sweater, and I also recommend getting some needle stoppers so you can set down your work down or take it on the go. This is a pretty quick knit but you will still need to set it down on occasion and you don’t want to lose any stitches.
I also recommend having a crochet stitch marker (the ones on a clip) or something you can clip to the front of the top. It was really helpful to know which was the front when working the raglan decreases and short rows.
If you plan on blocking your sweater, you’ll need blocking mats, pins, and a soak wash.
Needles
I used my short nickel interchangeable needles from KnitPicks. The metal needles were perfect with the yarn and the stitch definition for the ribbing was amazing. The bottom ribbing is supposed to be knit with 3mm needles but my set only goes down to 3.5, so I knit the whole top with 3.5 and it was perfectly fine.
I knit the sleeves with double pointed needles because they were so short. I used this square set.
Construction
This top is knit in the round from the bottom up. The sleeves are knit separately and then attached as you knit the raglan decreases. It is technically “seamless” but you will need to sew up a few stitches under the arms. Attaching the arms was a bit awkward and you will want to make sure you have an extra long cord for magic loop when you first attach them.
Blocking
The finished top is actually unblocked because I didn’t feel like it needed it. I thought it might be boxy but when I tried it on Maddie it was perfect.
Review
I had a pretty frustrating experience my first time and it was 100% my fault. The second time was fine, but this top is pretty intermediate, and bottom up is not my preferred construction. Make sure you double check the size, and what chart you are following. Pay close attention when knitting the raglan decreases and short rows. The pattern is perfectly well written, however, and I recommend it if you’re looking for a cute baby/toddler top for summer that is modern and classy!
Have a question that I didn’t cover? Leave a comment, and thanks for reading!
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xo, kalley
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