Farrah Top Knit Along (KAL): Week 1

Head over here to be taken to all the posts in the Farrah Top KAL

Hopefully by now will will have purchased all the supplies you need to take take part, however, fear not if you haven’t, there is still time for you to get involved! You can get your hands on everything you need to complete your top here.

This week we will be casting on and knitting the front of your Farrah Top up until the armholes.

Ready to go? Then let’s get knitting!

1. Casting on

As with the majority of knitting projects, you will begin by casting on. For the Farrah Top, we use a technique called the long-tail cast on. This is a really easy and quick technique which we like using because it creates a neat and stretchy edge.

First, you will need to make a slip knot. Never made one before? No fear, here’s a little video to help you out:

Now, you’re all ready to start your long tail casting on:

Remember to keep counting how many stitches you’ve cast on to make sure it matches up to what’s in your instruction booklet!

2. 1×1 rib stitch

Once you have cast on your stitches, it is time to work the rib section at the bottom of your top:

Ribbing is formed by a alternating between knit and purl stitches to create a stretchy, ridged fabric which will stop the bottom of your top from curling. This particular ribbing pattern that we’re using on our Farrah Top is called 1 x 1. Aaaaaand, here’s a video showing you how it’s done:

3. Stocking stitch

Now that you have worked the 1×1 rib section of your Farrah Top, it is time to try out another technique for the body of your top: stocking stitch. This technique creates a flat, flexible fabric which a easy to knit and grows pretty quickly too!

Stocking stitch is made up of 2 rows which are alternated. For row 1, you will knit all of your stitches. For row 2, you will purl all of your stitches. It couldn’t be simpler! You already used both of these core stitches for the 1×1 rib section but, if you need a little refresher, here is how to work a knit stitch:

and the purl stitch:

After you’ve done a around 3-4 rows of stocking stitch you should be able to start identifying a pattern in your knitted fabric. Hopefully, it should look something like this:

That’s it for this week, see you next week to complete our armholes and neckline!

And remember, we’ve got prizes! £100 / $145 / €130 to spend at woolandthegang.com to be precise

We’ll be keeping a beady eye out for your finished makes as well as WIPs on social media – be sure tag us so we can find ya and pick a winner! #woolandthegang on instagram and tag us on ravelry.