Mahla top

Mahla is the Finnish word for birch sap.

The Mahla top is knitted seamlessly top down. The piece is started at the back neck and then increased to the full width of the back. After that stitches are picked up along the sloped shoulders for the fronts. The pieces are joined at the underarm and the body is then knitted in the round. A beautiful cable and bobble pattern is worked on the front and the back. Lastly, stitches for the sleeve edgings and the neckband are then picked up from the body and worked in the round.

The length of the body is easily modified to suit your own body measurements. I recommend trying the top on every now and then while working on it to make sure you get the perfect length for your style. Note: You can easily modify the body shorter for a cropped look. For a cropped top I would only work 15-20 cm / 6-8 inches for the body.  

For a summer version I would recommend linen, cotton, silk or viscose blend yarns. If you wish to make a warmer wintery version that can be used as a vest, choose yarn with high wool content.

Sizes

1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9)

Finished bust circumference: 88 (94, 104, 114, 124) (134, 144, 154, 164) cm / 34.75 (37, 41, 45, 48.75) (52.75, 56.75, 60.75, 64.5) inches, including the intended ease of 5-15 cm / 2-6 inches

Length from hem to underarm (adjustable): 33 (33, 35, 35, 35) (37, 37, 37, 37) cm / 13 (13, 13.75, 13.75, 13.75) (14.5, 14.5, 14.5, 14.5) inches

Armhole depth: 19 (20, 24, 25, 26) (27, 28, 29.5, 31) cm / 7.5 (7.75, 9.5, 9.75, 10.25) (10.75, 11, 11.5, 12.25) inches

Upper arm circumference: 38 (40, 48, 50, 52) (54, 56, 59, 62) cm / 15 (15.75, 19, 19.75, 20.5) (21.25, 22, 23.25, 24.5) inches

Yarn

540 (590, 650, 720, 790) (870, 950, 1050, 1150) m / 590 (650, 710, 780, 860) (950, 1040, 1150, 1260) yards of sport weight yarn.

Sample: 4 (5, 5, 6, 6) (7, 7, 8, 9) balls of Pascuali Sole (90% pima cotton, 10% cashmere wool; 140 m / 153 yards per 50 g), shown in colorway 89. 

Needles

For the ribbing:

• 3 mm / US2.5 DPNs or a circular needle with a cable suitable for small circumference knitting for cuffs
• 3 mm / U2.5 circular needle with a cable length of 40 cm / 16 inches for the neckline
• 3 mm / US2.5 circular needle with a cable length of 80 cm / 32 inches for smaller sizes and 100 cm / 40 inches for larger sizes for the hem

For the main part:

• 3.5 mm / US4 circular needle with a cable length of 80 cm / 32 inches for smaller sizes and 100 cm / 40 inches for larger sizes for the body

Note: Always use the needle size that gives you the right gauge!

Gauge

20 sts and 28 rounds = 10 cm / 4 inches of moss stitch in the round on larger needles, after blocking

22 sts and 28 rounds = 10 cm / 4 inches of cable pattern in the round on larger needles, after blocking

Sizes 1-4: Cable pattern width (85 sts) = 38 cm / 15 inches

Sizes 5-9: Cable pattern width (95 sts) = 42.5 cm / 16.75 inches

Note: If you can’t get the gauge for both the moss stitch and the cable pattern, use the needle size that gets you closer to the gauge for the cable pattern.

Notions

4 stitch markers

cable needle (if using)

waste yarn

tapestry needle

blocking tools