**Below you will find the story behind and step-by-step instructions for making the New Bloom Crop Top.  The FREE pattern will be available later today, but you can also purchase the colored, Ad-Free PDF from our Ravelry or Etsy shops now.**

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been all about garments lately! There is something so very exciting, and rewarding about designing and then making your own clothing.

Last year, I set out to make my first top-down raglan style tee and I absolutely loved it.  This top is the second rendition of that tee, with all the kinks worked out of it.

This top is made as is implied, from the top collar, down and is made primarily in the suzette stitch.  I love the simplicity of the suzette stitch, but also the immense amount of texture that it offers, which is probably why I also made my first ever raglan (El’s top-down sweater) in this stitch.

The tricky thing about the suzette stitch is that it is designed to be worked flat, but since this is a seamless top, it is worked in the round, so we’ll be working a modified suzette stitch for this pattern, which I will walk you through later.  

To start this tee, we’ll begin with the ribbing around the collar.  This portion will consist of half double crochets worked into the back loop only, back and forth in rows.  Towards the end of your collar piece, you will add the buttonholes that will be on the top of the shoulder once complete.  

These buttonholes are created by chaining 2 and skipping 2 stitches per hole.  Before adding these buttonholes, you will work a row of half double crochets into the “v” (or top) of each stitch (as opposed to in the back loops only).  This will help add stability to the buttonholes and offer a bit more definition to them. 

After completing the collar portion, you will overlap the last 4 rows of the collar so that the buttonholes are overlaying the starting rows of the collar. I found that placing a stitch marker into the rows indicated in the pattern help when joining the collar together.  By placing this stitch marker in place, your collar will now form a circle.  

With the buttonholes on top, you will begin to work the yoke portion of this tee.  The yoke begins by picking up 2 single crochet stitches into the long side of the collar all the way around. You will start by picking up these single crochets into the overlapping rows, working towards the stitch marker, and then all the way around.  Once completed, you should have the amount of stitches needed to begin working the modified suzette stitch. 

Before we begin the suzette stitch, it is important to mark where the corners of our yoke will be.  This will help ensure proper placement of the chain 2 sequence for the remainder of the yoke.  So, by using stitch markers, you will first need to count and mark the stitches indicated in the pattern for the size you are working. Once in place, you will begin to work the suzette stitch. 

For the first round, you will be working this stitch as you typically would, by crocheting a single crochet AND a double crochet into the first stitch, then skip the next.  You will repeat this process until you get to the first stitch marker, where you will work a single crochet, chain 2, and then a double crochet.  You will skip the very next stitch, and then repeat the single crochet, double crochet, skip one process until you reach the next stitch marker; where the whole thing will repeat around.  

By the time you complete this round, you should have 4 chain 2 spaces which indicates the 4 corners of the yoke.  If you so desire, you can now remove the stitch markers since the chain 2 spaces will be quite easy to identify.  However, if you are newer to working raglans, you may find that moving the stitch markers down into the chain 2 spaces for each round to be helpful.  I also recommend that everyone keep a stitch marker in the starting stitch and move that down each round.  This will help to make sure you are working into the correct stitch throughout, as well as help with the visualization of how to split the yoke later on. 

The next round is when we will modify the suzette stitch to accommodate our working in the round.  Rather than working the (single crochet, double crochet) pattern, we will work a (double crochet, single crochet) pattern into each single crochet stitch from the previous round.  For this round, and the remainder of the pattern, we will be working our stitches into the single crochets from the previous round, and skipping the double crochets.

The process of the first round will repeat in this second round, with us working this (double crochet, single crochet) pattern until we reach the first chain 2 space.  Here we will work a double crochet, chain 2, and a single crochet.  It is very important to make sure that you work the (double crochet, single crochet) into the single crochet stitch located right before the chain 2 space of your previous round, and that you skip the double crochet just after it.  By accidentally skipping the single crochet or working into the double crochet, you will alter the final stitch count, which will impact the remainder of the pattern. 

You will complete this round by slip stitching into the very last double crochet. Since we ended the first round and started this round with double crochets, this slip stitch will help us to keep our count correct and the pattern running smoothly.

The third round is similar to the first, with us working the (single crochet, double crochet) pattern, but since we are skipping the double crochets from the previous round, you will need to make sure you skip the first stitch, and the double crochet stitch located right before the chain 2 space.  

From here, the yoke will simply repeat the second and third rounds until the length needed for a proper bust and arm length is achieved.  Since this top is designed with very little ease, meeting gauge is very important.  If your gauge is off in height at all, you may find it necessary to work fewer or more rounds of the yoke.  It is for this reason, that I HIGHLY recommend trying the yoke on as you go and especially before you split it.  The shorter ends of your rectangle will be for the armholes, while the longer sides will be for the bust.  

If at this point the yoke fits well, you will move on to splitting the yoke. The easiest way to visualize how to split the yoke, is to fold your project in half so that the longer sides of your yoke are laying on top of each other and the shorter ends are folded in half on the sides (your starting stitch will be on the top side of your piece).  

If you have worked raglans before, the splitting of the yoke on this pattern may feel a little different to you, as we will be working the left sleeve first (rather than the body portion, as is standard).  I recommend placing a stitch marker between the two bottom corners where the armhole corners meet.  This will again, help with visualization of splitting the yoke, as well as help make sure that you work the correct amount of stitches into each sleeve.

To begin the splitting of the yoke, you will continue the same process you were for creating the yoke (by working a single crochet and double crochet into each single crochet stitch), but when you get to the first stitch maker, you will skip all the stitches around the bust and the other armhole, and join the this armhole at the two chain 2 spaces joined by the stitch marker.  To join the two chain 2 spaces, you will single crochet into the first and double crochet directly into the next. Then you will continue on, working the single crochet and double crochet pattern around.  

This will set the foundation for the left sleeve, and from here you will continue working the modified suzette pattern around this sleeve until you reach the round indicated in the pattern or the length of the sleeve that you desire.  

After the length of the sleeve is obtained, you will add a single crochet ribbing.  This ribbing is worked similarly to that of the collar pattern, but will be worked in single crochet stitches into the back loops only, and you will be adding it as you go, to keep this pattern seamless.  If you have never added ribbing as you go, I will walk you through it below, but also recommend this helpful video tutorial by TL Yarn Crafts.  

To add ribbing as you go, you will simply work ribbing as you typically do, but on every other row, when you reach the sleeve, you will work a slip stitch into 2 stitches of the sleeve, and then turn your work and continue the ribbing.  

After working the ribbing around, you will join the first row and the last row of the ribbing by working a slip stitch into each stitch across, then fasten off and weave in the end.  This completes your first sleeve. 

To begin the right sleeve, you will begin by flipping your work over (while the yoke is still folded), so that the back side of your yoke is facing you.  Pick up your yarn in the single crochet space located directly to the right of the chain 2 space closest to you. Work a single crochet and double crochet into this stitch, and then work a single crochet into the first chain 2 space, and then a double crochet stitch in the chain 2 space opposite it.  Continue the suzette stitch around, and proceed with this sleeve in the same matter as you did the other sleeve. 

Once both sleeves are complete, all that is left is to add length to the body.  You will start the body by picking up your yarn in the single crochet stitch located at the bottom of the first sleeve worked, where the two chain 2 spaces were joined.  

From here, you will work the modified suzette stitch until you reach the bottom of the next sleeve.  Here you will be working into the back side of the chain 2 spaces joined to form this sleeve. 

You will work a single crochet into the first chain 2 space, and a double crochet into the next.  Proceed with the modified suzette stitch until you come back to the first sleeve, where you will be working the single crochet and double crochet into the back end of the chain 2 spaces joined for this sleeve.  This sets the foundation for the body pattern, and from here you will simply continue the modified suzette pattern for several rounds to achieve the desired length.  

You will notice in the pattern that the larger sizes have less rounds worked for the body, this is simply because there were more rounds worked in the yoke on those sizes, but the length on each size does not drastically change.  You should also note that this top was designed to be a crop top in nature (ending directly above the waistline), so if you’re wanting more of a full-length tee, you will need to add more rounds than indicated in the pattern.  

Once you have worked enough rounds to reach your desired length, you will begin the ribbing of the body.  This portion is worked exactly like the ribbing on the sleeves, so it should feel relatively comfortable to you by this point.  

Once you fasten off and weave in the end of the body, all that is left to do is to add the buttons to the collar.  You will need 2 1/2″ buttons, and will add these to the top of where the collar overlapped, directly beneath either buttonhole. 

Now your New Bloom Crop is complete and ready to be worn!  I hope you enjoyed making this top as much as I enjoyed designing it!