Before you start knitting your Tipp Top, make sure you know the following basic knitting techniques:

• Casting on stitches
• Knitting knit and purl stitches
• Decreasing stitches
• Binding off

You only need a few things to get started on your top:

• Yarn: for your top, you will need Line by Sandnes Garn, depending on the size, 4 to 8 skeins (size XS/S: 4 skeins, size M/L: 5 skeins, size XL: 6 skeins, size 2XL: 7 skeins, size 3XL: 8 skeins)
• Needle: a 4 mm circular knitting needle, 60 cm long; I recommend bamboo with a swivel joint
• Stitch holder cord, so you can put stitches on hold
• Tapestry needle 

Here you will find the right knitting kit:

You can easily make stitch markers yourself. All you need is a little leftover yarn and, optionally, small wooden beads. Simply form small loops with your leftover yarn that you can place over your needle at the right spot and carry along as you knit. Wooden beads make your markers easy to see.

Advantage: This is very comfortable to grip and very convenient.

I have a very popular blog post about my handmade stitch markers—feel free to take a look!

Choose the right size for you. To do this, measure your bust circumference with a measuring tape around the fullest part. The top is designed with slight negative ease. This means that for a close-fitting garment, you should choose a size with a slightly smaller circumference than your measurement.

Example:

For example, if you measure a circumference of 95 cm, you can subtract 5 to 15 cm to get 80 to 90 cm, so in this case you would knit size M/L with a stated circumference of 86 cm.

Of course, you can also wear the top looser; in that case, choose a size corresponding to the measurement taken on your body.  

Now cast on the specified number of stitches with the yarn and your circular needle.

For size XS/S, cast on 148 stitches.

For size M/L, cast on 166 stitches.

For size XL, cast on 192 stitches.

For size 2XL, cast on 212 stitches.

For size 3XL, cast on 232 stitches.

I recommend using a loop cast-on; simply make a loop around your needle.

You knit your top from the bottom up. Next, knit one row of knit stitches back and then join in the round. This means that you do not turn your work, but simply continue knitting in the round with your needle.

Attention: place a marker at the beginning of your round. You can simply make a loop with a small piece of scrap yarn and hang it over the needle at the beginning of the round. Move the marker along in each round (= BOR, beginning of round).

Knit the first round with all stitches knit.

Now knit 2 rounds with all stitches purl.

From here, knit all subsequent rounds with all stitches knit until you reach an overall length of:

for sizes XS/S and M/L - 33 cm

for sizes XL, 2XL and 3XL - 36 cm

you have reached.

You will now divide your work into front and back pieces by knitting armholes on each side of your top. To do this, bind off 2 stitches on each side.

Knit from BOR (= center back)

for size XS/S: knit 36 stitches

for size M/L: knit 41 stitches

for size XL: knit 47 stitches

for size 2XL: knit 52 stitches

for size 3XL: knit 57 stitches

this is your half back piece.

Bind off 2 stitches by knitting 2 stitches and pulling the back stitch over the front one, then knitting another stitch and likewise pulling the back stitch over the front one.

You now have one stitch remaining behind the decreased stitches on your right needle. Knit the following for your front piece

for size XS/S: knit 71 stitches = 72 front stitches in total

for size M/L: knit 81 stitches = 82 front stitches in total

for size XL: 93 stitches knit = 94 stitches for the front piece in total

for size 2XL: 103 stitches knit = 104 stitches for the front piece in total

for size 3XL: 113 stitches knit = 114 stitches for the front piece in total

Now bind off 2 stitches for the right armhole by knitting 2 stitches and passing the back stitch over the front stitch, then knit one more stitch and pass the back stitch over the front stitch again.

You now have one stitch remaining behind the decreased stitches on your right needle. Continue knitting until the BOR (= back center). Continue knitting until the left armhole. You now have for your back piece:

for size XS/S: 72 stitches in total 

for size M/L: 82 stitches in total 

for size XL: 94 stitches in total 

for size 2XL: 104 stitches in total 

for size 3XL: 114 stitches in total 

are on your needle as the back piece.

Now place the front-piece stitches on hold by pulling them onto a stitch holder cord and tying the cord so that you don't lose any stitches.

If you don't have a stitch holder cord, you can also place your stitches on a scrap piece of yarn or another circular needle. Always make sure that your stitches are secure and don't get lost.

You are now knitting the upper back. Since you have separated the work into front and back pieces, continue knitting in rows in stockinette stitch. This means that you generally knit on the right-side rows and purl on the wrong-side rows.

Note: Always knit the first and last stitch of every row (both right-side and wrong-side rows).

Now begin with the first wrong-side row. Turn your needle and knit:

Knit 1 stitch, purl all stitches to 1 stitch before the end of the row, knit 1 stitch

Start the decreases for the armholes on the following right-side row:

Row 1 (right-side row):

knit 3 stitches, work 1 slanting decrease (= slip 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch, then pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch), knit all stitches until 5 stitches remain before the end of the row, knit 2 stitches together, knit 3 stitches (= 2 stitches decreased)

Row 2 (wrong-side row):

knit 1 stitch, purl all stitches until 1 stitch remains before the end of the row, knit 1 stitch

Repeat these two rows 2 more times; you have now knitted them 3 times in total.

The decreases for the armholes are now complete.

Now continue knitting the upper back straight upward in stockinette stitch. Remember to knit the first and last stitch of every row. This gives you a super simple but beautifully firm edge.

Knit to a length measured from the armhole of

in size XS/S: 22 cm

in size M/L: 24 cm

in size XL: 26 cm

in size 2XL: 28 cm

in size 3XL: 30 cm

Now knit the upper edge of your back piece as follows:

Now knit 2 rows in reverse stockinette stitch:

Row 1 (right-side row):

Knit 1 stitch, purl all stitches to 1 stitch before the end of the row, knit 1 stitch

Row 2 (wrong-side row):

Knit all stitches

Then knit 2 more rows in stockinette stitch as follows (as before):

Row 1 (right-side row):

Knit all stitches

Row 2 (wrong-side row):

Knit 1 stitch, purl all stitches to 1 stitch before the end of the row, knit 1 stitch

Now knit the straight neckline and set aside the stitches for the shoulders.

Knit as follows:

in sizes XS/S and M/L: 12 stitches knitwise

in sizes XL, 2XL, and 3XL: 14 stitches knitwise

(= first shoulder)

bind off the following

in size XS/S: 42 stitches

in size M/L: 52 stitches

in size XL: 60 stitches

in size 2XL: 70 stitches

in size 3XL: 80 stitches

off (= neckline). Bind off the stitches by always pulling the back stitch over the front stitch.

At the end, there is still one stitch on your right needle behind the bound-off stitches. Knit the following stitches to the end of the row (= second shoulder).

Transfer these shoulder stitches together onto a stitch holder cord to set them aside. Don't forget to tie a knot in the cord so you don't lose any stitches.

Now knit the upper front piece exactly like the upper back piece. Start again at step 4 and knit everything as for the back piece, but now using the front-piece stitches.

You now have the shoulder stitches on the needle or on the stitch holder cord. So you are almost finished with your top!

Now knit the shoulder finish of your Tip Top with the remaining stitches.

Knit the shoulders separately, starting with one side and then making the second shoulder exactly the same way.

You join the shoulders of the front and back pieces by always knitting 2 stitches together and binding off the resulting stitch immediately. This gives you a neat finish.

Alternatively, you can bind off the shoulder stitches of the front and back pieces separately and join them with a seam.

To join them by binding off, first arrange the stitches correctly on your needle in preparation. You have set aside all the stitches on stitch holders.

You will now combine the stitches of the shoulders on one needle. To do this, always pick up one stitch from the front shoulder and one stitch from the back shoulder alternately onto the needle. 

Now knit two stitches together and bind off the stitches immediately afterward. In other words, start by knitting two stitches together, knit the following two stitches together as well, and pull the back stitch over the front stitch (= bind off). 

Continue by knitting two stitches together and then binding off immediately.

Repeat this until no shoulder stitches remain and only one stitch is left on the needle. 

Now pull the yarn through this stitch and cut it.

Now finish your knitted garment. It's almost done—congratulations!

Now weave in all the ends. To do this, thread the dangling ends onto your tapestry needle and sew them securely into your top from the back.

Try to do this as invisibly from the outside as possible. Insert the needle into your knitted garment from the back, pull the yarn through the resulting loop, and pull it tight. Repeat this several times until the yarn is securely woven in.

Before washing, you should try on your top once to see whether any part should be made wider or narrower.

Carefully hand-wash your top or wash it on your machine's wool cycle at a maximum of 30 degrees. 

Now lay your top flat and you can block it. To do this, pin it to your blocking mat in the desired shape. Alternatively, you can use a flat surface such as a mattress or sofa, ideally protected with a towel.

Once your top is dry, you can pick it up and finally put it on!

Have fun with it!