"Hazel Top" - Top Knitting Pattern For Women in Debbie Bliss Iris

Hazel Top Knitting Pattern – Women's Aran Weight Top by Debbie Bliss in Iris Yarn

The Hazel Top is a women's knitting pattern designed by Debbie Bliss, worked in the brand's signature Iris yarn. This is a classic, wearable top that makes an excellent project for knitters who are building their skills, as it is rated beginner difficulty. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for knitters eager to cast on right away.

What Is Being Made

The Hazel Top is a women's pullover-style top constructed in an approachable, straightforward design. It is sized to fit a range of women's measurements, with instructions given for the first size followed by larger sizes in round brackets — a standard multi-size format that allows knitters to follow the version best suited to their measurements. The finished garment is a seamed top, meaning the individual pieces are joined together after knitting, giving the finished fabric a neat, structured finish typical of classic knitwear.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The Hazel Top is knitted from the lower edge upward, which is the most traditional and widely understood method of garment construction. This approach allows knitters to try on the piece as they go and make length adjustments before reaching the armhole shaping.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted flat, back and forth in rows on straight or circular needles, rather than in the round. This is a beginner-friendly method that avoids the need to manage circular knitting techniques and makes it straightforward to follow row-by-row instructions.
• Seamed finishing: Once all flat pieces are complete, they are joined using seaming techniques. Seamed garments often have excellent structure and durability, and the seams themselves can add a subtle reinforcement to areas like the shoulders and sides. Knitters new to finishing will find this a valuable skill-building experience.

Stitches Used

As a beginner-level pattern worked flat, the Hazel Top relies on fundamental knitting stitches and techniques. The pattern makes use of standard knitting abbreviations including:

• psso – pass slipped stitch over, used in decrease shaping
• yon – yarn over needle, a technique used to create eyelets or increases
• yrn – yarn round needle, similarly used for decorative or structural increases
• y2rn – yarn round needle twice, used for specific stitch effects
• rem – remaining stitches, referenced during shaping sections
• alt – alternate rows, relevant to shaping sequences
• rep – repeat, indicating stitch pattern repetitions

These abbreviations point to a pattern that includes some shaping through decreases and yarn-over movements, giving the Hazel Top a polished silhouette while remaining accessible to less experienced knitters. Working directions inside square brackets a stated number of times is also part of the pattern's structure, a standard technique for managing stitch pattern repeats cleanly.

Materials – Yarn and Needles

Yarn

• Yarn: Debbie Bliss Iris
• Weight: Aran weight

Debbie Bliss Iris is the specified yarn for this pattern, and the designer's instructions are written and tensioned specifically for this yarn. As noted in the pattern, quantities of yarn are based on average requirements and are therefore approximate, so it is advisable to purchase a little extra to account for individual tension variations. The pattern also clearly states that Debbie Bliss cannot accept responsibility for the finished product if any yarn other than the one specified is used, underlining how closely the design is matched to the properties of Iris.

Aran weight yarn is a medium-to-heavy weight that knits up relatively quickly compared to lighter weights, making it particularly rewarding for beginner knitters who want to see their project grow at a satisfying pace. It also produces a fabric with good stitch definition, which helps beginners see and count their stitches clearly.

Needles

The pattern requires knitting needles appropriate for