Knitkini Top for Beginners

Ever since I learnt how to knit, I've wanted to make a bikini. Perhaps because instead of lying out in the sun, another disappointing summer has left me yearning to keep my boobs tucked up with a woolly sling, or maybe I just thought having a knitted bikini would be cool. I didn't particularly like the design of the written patterns I came across on Ravelry, so I resorted to Youtube. Lo and behold, I found a pattern for a bikini top that I actually liked the look of! The only thing is, as a relative newcomer to knitting, I found the video lacking in certain information which partly contributed to me making massive mistakes during the knitting process and only completing the final bikini top after five+ attempts! So this entry is an attempt to better explain the pattern shown in the video below, providing detail about how to work out the gauge for your bikini and projects in general.

For this project I used 4mm knitting needles and Sirdar Crofter DK, shade Plumage. The nice thing about this yarn is it has a Fair Isle Effect so you knit as normal but the colours arrange themselves in a way that imitates Fair Isle knitwear and gives your project a nice design at the end!

1. Obtaining the correct gauge & casting on

I rarely make things where obtaining the exact gauge is important, but in the case of a bikini top, taking a minute to work out the correct gauge means the difference between a wearable bikini and something the size of a cheese triangle that barely covers a nipple (please learn from my mistake). 

"Gauge" simply means stitches per inch. In order to work out the gauge for the yarn and needles you want to use for your project, you need to knit a small swatch of knitting and then measure how many stitches make up an inch.

You can see that my gauge here is 5 stitches per inch. 

In order to find out how many stitches to cast on you simply measure the width of your breast (make sure to measure it all the way around from your side up to where it meets the centre of your chest), and then times this by your gauge, rounding to the nearest even number. So my measurements were 9 inches, so 9x5 = 45, rounded up to the nearest even number = cast on 46 stiches.

2. Knitting the base of each cup

The base of each cup is knitted in stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) and to work out how many rows of stockinette stitch to do, you need to get your tape measure out again and measure how many rows of stitches make up an inch.

In this example you can see that 6 rows of stitches make an inch.

You will then measure from the base of your breast to the centre of your nipple, and again times this by your gauge, rounding up to the nearest even number again. My measurements are 3.5 inches, so 3.5 x 7 = 24.5, round to the nearest even number = I will knit 24 rows in stockinette stitch before I move to the next stage of the pattern.

Completing the rows of stockinette stitch.

3. Beginning the decrease rows (shaping the cups)

For the next stage of the pattern, you will decrease twice on each row. This will create a seam down the centre of the cup, giving it shape. Each decrease will occur in the middle of the row over four stitches, but other than these two decrease stitches each row, the stockinette stitch will continue as normal (you will knit one row, purl one row & repeat).

This is where it gets slightly complicated, but don't get put off. The next section is simply to work out how many stitches you need to knit, but in order to avoid getting confused I'd advise watching this alongside the video at the start of this entry.

Now for the maths!

Minus 4 from the number of stitches you cast on, and then divide this number by two.

For my bikini, this is 46 - 4 = 42, divided by 2 = 21

The number you are left with is the number of stitches you will knit. Once you have knitted these stitches, you will carry out the first decrease stitch. I won't explain any more of the pattern as the video does a good job of explaining this part (starting at 2.20) but remember to replace the amount of stitches she knits with the amount you have worked out for your gauge!

Carrying out the decrease rows - note the shape of the cup has changed from rectangular to triangular.

When it came to sewing the two cups together I found the bikini top wasn't tight enough to offer support when they were sewed together at the very edge, so I sewed them with an overlap of about 4 stitches, and then crocheted a flower to cover any ugly joins, and sewed a button on top to finish off.

Ta-daa!

I hope this tutorial has been handy and not too confusing. If there are any parts that don't make sense or are unclear please let me know, as I think everyone should have at least one woolly bikini top in their wardrobe!

Caf

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