Knit the Ellie Summer Top by Rust Knitwear in our NEW Summer Knitalong.
Knitting needles at the ready, we have a brand new knitalong for you! That’s right, we at No Frills Knitting have teamed up with Simone Ryan, aka Rust Knitwear, to bring you the Ellie Summer Top Knitalong (KAL) and it's all kicking off on 1st June 2023.
What is the Ellie Summer Top?
What an excellent question; I'm so glad you asked. The Ellie Summer Top is a knitting pattern designed by Simone Ryan of Rust Knitwear. It is a close-fitting, classic ribbed tank knitted in the signature Rust Knitwear 2x2 broken rib stitch. It has a decorative travelling rib around the waist and finished with elegant i-cord edges. It’s a truly comfortable and easy-to-wear summer knitting project that will be an absolute staple in your handmade wardrobe.
This pattern is knit in one piece from the top down which means no seaming - something we love for all our knitting projects. You will start by knitting the back section flat before picking up stitches for the shoulders and knitting the two front panels separately. You will then combine all the top pieces and finish the body by knitting in the round.
The Ellie Summer Top has been graded to 13 sizes to fit chest measurements from 73cm to 151cm (29” to 60”). It is knit using a fingering weight yarn at a gauge of 26 stitches and 37 rows over a 10cm square at the suggested needle size of 3mm. The pattern is currently available in both English and German.
Our Meg knit her own Ellie last year in a delightful bright orange Sunday by Sandes Garn which, yes, for anyone wondering, was blocked around a cardboard Meg. It's currently retired from her wardrobe and doing a great job as a sample in the shop which means we can’t wait to cast on new ones along with all of you in our knitalong.
Hang On A Min - What's A Knitalong?
A knitalong, or KAL, is an event where knitters from all over the world can get together in person, or virtually, to knit the same project as each other from start to finish, so it’s a real community event. There are no rules, as such, you just make the commitment to knit alongside your fellow knitters, supporting each other and sharing your progress along the way. Basically, it’s just a really lovely and fun event to take part in, to make new knitter friends and come away with a great summer knitting project at the end of it.
The Ellie Summer Top KAL is a virtual knitalong which will start on 1st June 2023 and run all the way through to the end of July 2023.
Want to join in?
Of course you do! Here’s everything you need to know to get started:
What Yarn Do I Need To Knit The Ellie Summer Top?
To be honest, you can use any yarn you want provided you can meet gauge. The pattern officially calls for any fingering weight yarn with a specific suggestion of Knitting For Olive Pure Silk.
To make things easy for you, No Frills Knitting (UK), Wolle 7 (Switzerland) and Maschenfein (Germany) have collaborated with Rust Knitwear to create some ready kits in two Knitting For Olive yarn options, each in a variety of colours all selected by Simone herself.
That's Fab! But, what’s included in the Ellie Summer Top Ready Kit?
The No Frills Knitting kits are available to all our UK knitters. Our Ready Kits contain all the basic materials you need to take part in the Ellie Summer Top KAL. It’s everything you need in one convenient knitting kit, and at a lovely discounted price, too. This includes:
- Your choice of Knitting For Olive yarn (with enough balls to knit your chosen size).
- A paper copy of the Ellie Summer Top by Rust Knitwear knitting pattern.
- A pack of 14 stitch markers plus two beads to thread onto two of the markers to differentiate beginning and half round.
- A tapestry needle for weaving in your ends.
- A card with a QR code on to join the WhatsApp groups.
Please note: knitting needles are not included in the Ready Kits as you should be swatching and changing needle size if required to meet gauge. Needles are available to buy separately here. The pattern recommends a 3mm 60 or 80 or 100cm circular needle as a starting point, but if you aren't sure which length to start with, we'd recommend starting with an 80cm.
Your yarn choices for your KAL knitting kit are:
Knitting For Olive Cotton Merino
We have 4 exclusive shades of Knitting For Olive Cotton Merino to choose from, selected especially by Simone. The available colours are:
- Mole
- Nut Brown
- Rust
- Dusty Artichoke
Ready Kit prices for this yarn choice are, as follows:
Sizes A and B (2 Skeins): £20
Sizes C, D, E, F and G (3 Skeins): £29
Sizes H, I, J (4 Skeins): £38
Sizes K, L, M (5 Skeins): £47
You can purchase your KFO Cotton Merino Ready Kit here. For full size details, please refer to the pattern's Ravelry listing.
Knitting For Olive Pure Silk
We have 5 exclusive shades of Knitting For Olive Pure Silk for you to choose from, all selected especially by Simone. The available colours are:
- Dark Cognac
- Copper
- Plum Rose
- Olive
- Coal
Ready Kit prices for this yarn choice are, as follows:
Sizes A and B (2 Skeins): £25
Sizes C, D, E, F and G (3 Skeins): £35
Sizes H, I, J (4 Skeins): £45
Sizes K, L, M (5 Skeins): £55
You can purchase your KFO Pure Silk Ready Kit here. For full size details, please refer to the pattern's Ravelry listing.
How Can I Take Part In The Ellie Summer Top KAL?
The Ellie Summer Top KAL is a virtual knitalong which means anyone from anywhere in the world can take part. All you need to do is select your knitting kit, or find some yarn in your stash and purchase a copy of the pattern and you’re good to go.
The Ellie Summer Top KAL is on WhatsApp
Now, we can hardly have a summer knitalong without an Ellie Summer Top KAL WhatsApp group, can we? Actually, we will have 2 group chats in both English and German which will act as a space for you to share your progress photos and ask fellow knitters for help and advice should you need it along the way. If you want to join the WhatsApp Group, get on and follow the links below:
Ellie Summer Top KAL - English
Join in the fun on Instagram
If you’re a keen Instagrammer who likes to post photos and upload stories of your knitting projects as you go, don’t forget to use our hashtag #EllieSummerTopKAL to share your progress and to see how others are getting on too. You can also tag Simone and your relevant yarn shop as we'd all love to see your knits. Why not give everyone a follow over on Instagram:
- Find Rust Knitwear on Instagram
- Find No Frills Knitting on Instagram
- Find Wolle 7 on Instagram
- Find Maschenfein on Instagram
If you’re a Ravelry user, you can also log your journey with a Ravelry project.
It's Time To Get Knitting
The Ellie Summer Top KAL will officially kick off on Thursday 1st June 2023 and will run until 31st July 2023. As we said, there are no rules - anyone from anywhere can join; all you need to do is grab your needles and yarn and cast on your next summer knitting project!
The question is, which yarn will you be knitting with?