Knitted Summer Crop Top

 

Before Christmas in 2025, I treated myself to quite a bit of discounted yarn which I found on Temu.  When it arrived, it said that it was 80% wool which is better quality than most of the stuff that I have brought from shops here in the UK.  With the quality of the yarn in mind, I wanted to make something that looked the part.

My daughter is 13 years old and goes through clothes like there is no tomorrow so I decided that to make something for her that was a bit more 'in style' and after scrawling through numerous Google searches and Pinterest, I found a similar style to this. 

*There are no photos of this being worn as it is for my 13 year old but it fits her perfectly*

This crop top is short - more like a bra-let in my opinion.  The pattern below is suitable for a size 8/10 UK size but you can easily adapt this with a bit of math.

If you are wanting to make a bigger size, I used the following formula:

DK yarn

4mm needles

1 inch = approx. 5.25 stitches

As part of this pattern works with 2 x 2 rib stitch, it needs to be a multiple of 4 so I rounded this down given that I knew it would stretch.  The measurements I used are below:

Chest size = 32 inches - 2 inches for stretch so 30 inches

Half of 30 is 15 so the front and back panels measure 15 inches across

15 x 5.25 = 78.75 - I rounded this down to 76, this is my cast on number for each panel

To make this in this size, you will need:

DK yarn (at least 75gs)

4mm needles

Row counter (if you need it)

Scissors

Tapestry needle

The pattern is as follows:

Cast on 76 stitches then do 2 x 2 rib stitch for 1 inch in length (knit 2 purl 2 across the row)

Next swap over to stockinette stitch for 30 rows (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) (or more rows if you want it longer)

Then, swap back to 2 x 2 rib stitch for another 2 inches in length

Cast off  

Make another identical piece

Sew the front and back panels together along the shorter seam to form a tube.

To make the straps - first measure how long they need to be then take away 3 inches as the yarn stretches.

Next, mark out where you need to place the straps on the body.

In the same yarn with the same needles cast on 8 stitches.

2 x 2 rib stitch for 10 inches

Cast off

Make another identical piece

Then sew each strap onto the body where you placed the markers

As I mentioned above, this style can be adapted into any size and length as required.  It doesn't require a great amount of yarn and it looks really good when worn.