Inspired by the women of the musical Rent, this day-to-night top looks like a plain shell under your blazer at the office. Joanne had to dress for the office as a lawyer, but she certainly knew how to have fun with Maureen after work. Come closing time, toss that blazer aside and show your true colors - whatever color that may be is up to you. Rent came out when I was in high school and had a huge affect on young, theater-geek me. My sweet 16 gift was tickets to go see the first US tour in Boston; I’ve seen it at least 10 times since then. The music still provides me with hope and inspiration - including this pattern, the first in a collection.

Fitted across the bust and flowy over the waist and hips, this day-to-night shell is ready to go wherever you are. As Mimi says, “Take me out tonight.”

Bust sizes 34 (37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52) inches 86.5 (94, 101.5, 109, 117, 125, 132) cm
Recommended Ease: 1 to 3 inches 2.5 to 7.5 cm at bust. Model has a 39” bust and is wearing a size 40”.

Materials:
600 (680, 730, 800, 880, 955, 1045) yards 549, 622, 668, 732, 805, 873, 956) meters of Elspeth Lavold Hempathy, 40% Hemp/40% Cotton/20% Modal, DK weight yarn that gets softer the more you wash it – Main Color
35 yards of Birdies Knits sport weight 100% cotton in the Emmelyne colorway – Contrast Color

Pattern Notes:
This pattern is very flexible and can be made in almost any yarn that fits the gauge. The Contrasting Color yarn does not have to be the same yarn or same gauge as the Main Color yarn. It doesn’t even have to be the same fiber! As long as the row gauges are similar and the fibers can be washed in the same manner, you’ll be fine. The samples are knit in two machine washable fibers with very different contents. I knit them separately, machine washed and dried each of them, then seamed them together.

Please wash and block ALL the pieces before you start seaming!

For the shoulder pieces, all increases are worked towards the neck.

A Note On Color:
Enjoy the color. Make it as quiet or as loud as you want. Have fun! Just remember that if you use two very different colors, please wash them separately before you seam them. Reds and blues especially tend to bleed – wash them at least once (I would wash 2 or 3 times) before pairing with a light color like the one pictured in the sample.

This pattern has been tech edited and test knit.