“Crete’s mystery is extremely deep. Whoever sets foot on this island senses a mysterious force branching warmly and beneficiently through his veins, senses his soul begin to grow”

- Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer.

Crete is… fascinating like you!
I was lucky enough to have a few wonderful weeks there a few years ago, and I can assure you it’s a magical place; Crete is a great deal more than just another greek island.
One of the most famous treasures of the Island is the Samaria Gorge, the longest in Europe. The locals call it the “Farangas” or “Great Gorge”, both in admiration at its beauty and to differentiate it from the many other, smaller gorges of Crete. The unforgettable 16 km journey through the Samaria Gorge is an experience that I wholeheartedly recommend, and its mark has inspired this top.

Samaria is a circular short sleeve yoke that is worked seamlessly from the top down. The neck is worked in plain stockinette, to form a nice rolling out edge, after that, several series of short rows are used for a comfortable and beautifully shaped finish.
The yoke is shaped with increases that are evenly distributed around the entire circumference of the upper body. 5 narrow stripes in contrast color running over the upper yoke match beautifully the stripy lace pattern in the lower body of the top.
Sleeves are then placed on hold and the body is worked toward the hem. The sleeve stitches are then placed on the needles again and worked in the round toward the cuffs.
As the top is knitted top-down lengths are easily adaptable.
The lower edge of the body and the sleeves are finished with i-cord bind-off.

Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Bust circumference of the finished sweater: 82 (87, 98, 108, 118, 129, 139) cm / 32¼ (34¼, 38½, 42½, 46½, 50¾, 54¾ )’’ to fit bust 80 (85, 96, 106, 116, 127, 137) cm / 31½ (33½, 37¾, 41¾, 45¾, 50, 54)’’. The top is designed to be worn with approximately 0-5 cm / 0-2’’ of positive ease.
Model has 85 cm / 33½’’ bust, stands 164 cm / 64½’’ and is wearing size 2.

Yarn
This pattern is a collaboration with a Tejoloquehilo yarn brand, Please, check the website to discover the variety of kits the dyer offers for this pattern:
https://tejoloquehilo.es/es/kits/1245-kit-para-samaria-top.html

Colibri by Tejoloquehilo (56% cotton, 44% linen) 100g/460m
Sample shown in Colibrí 00 - (MC), Colibri hand dyed (CC)
MC: 1 (1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2) 100 g skeins
CC: 30 (30, 30, 40, 40, 50, 50) g

Needles
3 mm / US 2½ circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm and 3,5 mm / US 4 circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm

Notions
1 stitch marker • waste yarn for holding the sleeve stitches • tapestry needle to weave in the yarn ends

Gauge
23 sts and 32 rows - 10x10 cm / 4x4’’ in stockinette stitch in the round with 3,5 mm / US 4 needles, washed and blocked.