Knit Top Necklines

You can't have enough knit tops, can you?  And after so many plain vanilla scoop necks and v-necks and the like, it's time to start searching out some interesting neckline variations.  I just finished this lightweight, heathered sweater-knit top, using my TNT (that's tried-and-true for you non-sewers out there) knit top body and the collar/neckline from Vogue 8497, a trio of Marcy Tilton tops.  You can read about my assessment of this particular collar on Pattern Review.

The method for grafting a different collar or neckline onto your basic top is simple:  align the center front and the waistline of the pattern whose neckline you want to use with your TNT pattern, then trace a new pattern using both.  It can get a bit more complicated, as in this top below with the pleated neckline, using a Vogue dress pattern, 8663.  In that case, I made a trial bodice front out of some leftover knit, just to make sure it worked.  A little extra time but worth the extra effort to prevent an unwearable top and  lots of aggravation.
 

One other suggestion I have for knit top construction is to trace a complete pattern, not half a pattern, for the bodice front and back, plus a right and a left sleeve.  It is sooo much easier to get that slippery knit laid out straight, and it's almost imperative when you have a pattern that you need to match or position in a certain way.  In fact, on the top above, had I not used this method, I doubt that I would have gotten the heathered knit so straight across both the front and the back.

Vogue 8663