About the Melusine Top

The Melusine Top is a fitted and cropped summer tank top with a square neckline and wide straps.
The slightly adapted waffle stitch pattern gives the top an interesting texture, almost looking like a classic, light linen waffle top.
Worn on its own with a high-waisted skirt or shorts, it will be perfect for hot summer days, but it will also work great as a layering piece under a light shirt for an effortless look.

CONSTRUCTION
The Melusine Top is knitted bottom-up, first in the round, then the front and back pieces are separated and worked flat independently. The shoulder straps are finally joined using the grafting technique.

To achieve the best fit, I recommend knitting the straps to the recommended measurements, blocking your garment, and only then checking that the straps are the correct length before joining them. A few rows can be added or removed to achieve your preferred look and best fit.

SIZES:
1 (2, 3, 4) 5, 6, 7 (8, 9, 10) 11, 12, 13
The Melusine Top is designed to be worn with approximately 10-15 cm of negative ease.
The design is intended to have quite a bit of negative ease because waffle/rib stitch fabric is very stretchy and will adapt to fit your body.
Choose a size that is 10-15 cm (4-6 in) smaller than your bust circumference to achieve a fitted look.
Choose a size that is closer to your bust measurement for a more relaxed look.

Finished garment circumference:
68 (74, 80, 86) 92, 99, 105 (111, 117, 123) 129, 135, 141 cm.
26 (29, 31, 33) 36, 38, 41 (43, 46, 48) 50, 53, 55 inches.

To fit a bust size of:
78-83 (84-89, 90-95, 96-101) 102-107, 109-114, 115-120 (121-126, 127-132, 133-138) 139-144, 145-150, 151-156 cm
30-32 (33-35, 35-37, 37-39) 40-42, 42-44, 45-47 (47-49, 50-51, 52-54) 54-56, 57-59, 59-61 inches

Length from underarm to waist:
27 (29, 29, 29) 29, 29, 30 (30, 30, 31) 31, 31, 31 cm
10.6 (11.4, 11.4, 11.4) 11.4, 11.4, 11.8 (11.8, 11.8, 12.2) 12.2, 12.2, 12.2 inches

The design is intended to have a cropped look. If you wish to make your garment longer, knit to the desired length between the underarm and where you want it to sit on your waist/hips. Bear in mind this will have an impact on the yarn requirements detailed in this pattern.

YARN
The Melusine Top is knitted using one strand of fingering weight yarn, preferably in a summer-friendly fibre such as silk, cotton, hemp, linen, etc.

Recommended yarn:
⪼ Knitting for Olive Pure Silk: 50 g = 250 m

Quantity:
You will need approximately 2 (2, 2, 2) 2, 2, 3 (3, 3, 4) 4, 5, 5 skeins of Pure Silk from Knitting For Olive.

NOTIONS
3 mm circular needles (60, 80 or 100 cm)
3 mm straight needles (optional)
Markers
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
For 10 x 10 cm (4x4in): 30 sts x 52 rows in pattern stitch using 3 mm needles, after blocking.
It is important to knit a gauge swatch and block it as some yarns (including the recommended yarn) will grow after it is blocked.
Tip to get the best fit: Make a note of the length and width of your swatch before and after blocking, so you can calculate the ‘growth factor’ if you wish to amend the length of the top.