Free Knitting Pattern for a Drop-Shoulder Blouse with Textured Panels, featuring knit and purl stitch patterns.
This stylish blouse features a relaxed, drop-shoulder design with textured panels created using a combination of knit and purl stitch patterns. The blouse is knit flat in pieces (front and back) and then seamed. The sleeves are created by extending the body panels, and a simple picked-up garter stitch collar finishes the neckline. The pattern uses Aloe Vera yarn in a single color (Petroleum).
Skill Level: This does not specify, but as increases, decreases and stitch patterns from charts are used, it may be best to assume at least intermediatelevel skills.
Size: M
Materials Used:
- Aloe Vera yarn – Color: 5073 (Petroleum) – 10 hanks
- 5.0 mm circular needles with an 80 cm cable
- 5.5 mm circular needles with an 80 cm cable
- Tapestry needle
- Additional materials: Wax paper, pencil, scissors, measuring tape
Abbreviations: The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations (CO, BO, inc., dec., st, sts, in, k, sm, RS, sl1wyif).
Knitting Stitches Used:
- Stitch Pattern A (Chart 1)
- Stitch Pattern B (Chart 2)
- Stitch Pattern C (Chart 3)
- Stitch Pattern D (Chart 4)
- sl1wyif (slip 1 stitch with the yarn in front)
- Garter Stitch (for the collar)
Gauge: 15 sts x 26 rows = 4 x 4 inches in stitch pattern B (Chart 2) using 5.5 mm needles.
Pattern Considerations:
- Flat Construction: The blouse is knit flat in separate front and back pieces, then seamed.
- Direction of Work: The pattern includes arrows in the measurement chart to indicate the direction of knitting.
- Stitch Patterns: The design uses four different stitch patterns, represented by charts. The knitter needs to be comfortable following charts.
- Sleeve Shaping: The sleeves are formed by increasing stitches at the edges of the body panels, creating a drop-shoulder effect.
- Shoulder Shaping: The shoulders are shaped using bind-offs.
- Neckline Shaping: The front neckline is shaped by binding off central stitches and then working each side separately with decreases.
- Seaming: Mattress stitch is used for seaming the shoulders, sides, and sleeves.
- Sleeve Hem: Stitches are picked up around the sleeve opening and worked in Stitch Pattern A, then bound off.
- Collar: Stitches are picked up around the neckline and worked in garter stitch, then bound off.
- Hem Finishing: The body and sleeve hems are folded and seamed to the wrong side of the work.
- Use of Molds: The pattern suggests transferring the pattern pieces to wax paper to use as a guide during construction.
- The pattern notes that measurements will vary due to conversion variations.
