About a month ago I saw Rihanna perform on NBC’s Today Show. She was wearing a cute little, nautical cropped top. I loved the contrast of the bold primary blue with the deep, rich black.

About a month ago I saw Rihanna perform on NBC’s Today Show. She was wearing a cute little, nautical cropped top. I loved the contrast of the bold primary blue with the deep, rich black.

I thought it would be fun to re-create the cute pullover using chunky yarn. I can see that Rihanna’s is some type of knit fabric, and is also cropped very close to the bust. For this version, it is still quite cropped, but a little more modestly. I used a plump weight yarn that is machine washable, Berroco Comofort, which makes this sweater a little more bulky than the original. The pattern is written so that it is very fitted, and it is intended to be worn in this fashion.

The bodice (front and back) parts of this pattern are written from the bottom up. The sleeves, however, are written from the top down. This isn’t intended to cause confusion, but rather to make things easier. As I feel there are a lot of options for lengths, and a lot of different types of people out there, by writing the sleeves from the top down it will be easier to alter, extend, shorten, or whatever you would like to the length of the sleeve. When you start from the bottom and work your way up, you can run into some fitting issues. I have also included FOUR versions of the sleeves: Regular and Petite sizing, as well as Regular and Petite sizing including the “Hand Mit.” The hand mit closely resembles Rihanna’s top, where the sleeve comes all of the way over the hand, and includes a thumb-hole. As I prefer the sweater to end at the wrist, I have completed my sample without the hand-mit.

This sweater is very quick and easy to knit. As Berroco Comfort comes in so many amazing colors, the color combinations possible are limitless. One could add length, or make it even more cropped, like her version. Short or 3-quarter length sleeves could be adapted from this pattern by the user. I had a lot of fun making—and now wearing—this sweater, and I hope that you do, too.