Making a handknit t-shirt hasn’t been on my radar. I mean, I rarely even sew t-shirts so why would I go through the trouble of knitting one?
Well, I’ve been convinced and am now a fan thanks to Woolfolk Yarn, who hosted a knit-along (KAL) for the Super Basic Tee by Ohwhata Knit!
A Handknit T-Shirt that is Oversized yet Tailored
The Super Basic Tee is an oversized t-shirt with a loose and comfy vibe. The pattern describes it as slightly cropped but it is full length on my petite frame. The neckline is slightly wide and features a cool detail — the neckline band is folded and stitched to the outside to create a decorative sewn edge. The sleeve and body hems are also neatly finished. These touches serve to create a clean and tailored look, which I absolutely adore.
Neckband pinned to the outside and ready for sewing.
Neckband sewn in place. Such a clean and neat finish!
Hem folded to the inside and pinned in place. I found it really helpful to pin in place and work on a flat surface.
Hem sewn in place by stitching the hem band to the inside of the sweater. The most difficult part of sewing the hem was making sure to pick up the sweater-side stitches evenly (the stitches in the same row all the way around). If the stitches are not picked up in the same row, the hem will look uneven.
Patience is Key
For this version, I used Woolfolk’s Tynd yarn in color 49 (Aegean) — a beautiful blue/green color. It is a fingering weight yarn made of 100% merino wool and knits up into a soft and drapey fabric (especially after a wet block).
Swatching is very important for this project. I made my first swatch using the recommended needle size (3.0 mm) in the pattern and it ended up being too large so I went with a smaller size (2.75 mm). In hindsight, I should have made a second swatch, as I think an even smaller size (2.5 mm) may have worked best given my loose knitting style.
The entire t-shirt is knit in stockinette stitch in the round (from top to bottom), so with a fingering-weight yarn and small needles, patience is a necessity!
The pattern is very well presented and includes helpful video links for the hems and neckline detail.
I’ve used Woolfolk Tynd for the Pringle Twinset. Read about it out here!
Overall Thoughts on this Handknit T-Shirt
The Super Basic Tee is a great pattern for an elevated handknit t-shirt — it has the easy vibe of a well-worn tee but with details that give it a more tailored look. The pattern is easy to follow and well presented. Woolfolk Tynd is a good yarn choice, as it yields an elegantly drapey fabric.
Here’s what I would do differently for the next version:
- Swatch, swatch, swatch until I get the correct gauge!
- Pay attention to the neckline width. If it looks too wide, play with the number of stitches in the pick-up round to create the most flattering neckline.
- Complete the neckline and sleeves before finishing the body length. This will make it easy to try on as you go along to make sure you get the finished look you want.
- Some KAL participants made versions in stripes — both narrow and wide. So cool! This pattern is great for customizing.
Resources
Pattern: Super Basic Tee
Yarn: Woolfolk Tynd
Note that for my version, because my gauge was off, I ended up shortening the sleeves and working narrower hems than what was specified in the pattern.
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