Like a ceramicist who contemplates a fresh lump of clay and envisions the bowl or cup or plate that will emerge from it, when I first held our gorgeous new Spun Silk yarn, I clearly saw what it would become. I imagined a design that would give full expression to this yarn’s natural elegance and beauty. In fact, I imagined this Drawstring Camisole!

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

I knit it in effortless stockinette stitch and included neat hems and a no-fuss tie to secure the top. With its beautiful drape and soft, luminous silk, our Drawstring Camisole is a stunningly simple design and a very special knit!

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

In the often unexpected, wonderful world of knitting, we let our Drawstring Camisole be just what it wanted to be… Beautiful! -Kristy

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

UPDATE: NOW IN PICNIC COTTON + NEW SIZES

JUNE 2022

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

The Drawstring Camisole is simply stunning in our beautiful Picnic Cotton, a 100% organically grown Pima cotton from Peru. This fingering-weight yarn knits into a lovely speckly fabric with a lovely drape. Duck under the shade of your beach umbrella and cast on for this light and airy top in Picnic Cotton!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Kristina McGowan. Click here to see even more of Kristina’s designs!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoDrawstringCamisole. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho
  • 4 (4, 5, 6, 6) skeins of Purl Soho’s Spun Silk, 100% silk. We used the color Silver Bark. (Update: We no longer carry Spun Silk but would recommend trying Burnish, our bamboo yarn made from rayon, or another fingering weight yarn. Similar in drape, Burnish makes an excellent substitution for Spun Silk but please be sure to check your gauge. You will need 3 (3, 4, 4, 4) skeins of Burnish, or approximately 715 (805, 920, 1045, 1170) yards.)
  • US 4 (3.5 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles, depending on size you are making
  • Spare US 4 or smaller, 24- or 32-inch circular needles, for hems
  • Size E crochet hook and fingering weight scrap yarn (for provisional cast on)
  • Stitch holders or scrap yarn
  • stitch marker

Gauge

28 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Sizes

NOTE For help picking a size, please check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!

33¼ (37¼, 41¼, 45¼, 49¼)

To fit actual chest circumference of 29¼-32¼ (33¼-36¼, 37¼-40¼, 41¼-44¼, 45¼-48¼) inches, with 1-4 inches of positive ease.

  • Finished Chest Circumference: 33¼ (37¼, 41¼, 45¼, 49¼) inches
  • Finished Length from Top to Bottom Edge: 25 (25 ¾, 26 ½, 27½, 28½) inches
  • Finished Length from Underarm to Bottom Edge: 15¼ (15¾, 16¼, 16¾, 17¼) inches

SAMPLE: The sample pictured here is size 33¼ inches, shown with ¾ inch of ease.Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Note

You will work the front and back yoke sections separately from the top down, then join them to work the body in the round down to the bottom hem.

Pattern

Front

Create Front Tie Casing

With crochet hook and scrap yarn, use a provisional cast on to cast 50 (52, 54, 58, 60) stitches onto the main circular needles. Do not join to work in the round. (For some extra tips, visit our Provisional Cast On: a One-Step Method Tutorial.)

** Joining working yarn…

Row 1 (right side): Knit.

Row 2 (wrong side): Purl.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 four more times. Piece measures about 1¼ inches.

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

With the right side facing you, carefully undo scrap yarn from the provisional cast on while slipping the resulting 50 (52, 54, 58, 60) stitches onto the spare needles.

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Fold the piece, wrong sides together and needles parallel. Slide the piece to the right-hand end of the needles and use the left-hand tip of the main needles to work the stitches on both needles together as follows:

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Next Row (right side): * K2tog (one stitch from each needle), repeat from * to end. ***

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Shape Front Yoke

Row 1 (wrong side): Purl.

Increase Row (right side): K2, make 1 left (m1L), knit to last 2 stitches, make 1 right (m1R), k2. [2 stitches increased]

Continuing in stockinette stitch, repeat the Increase Row every 4th row 3 (0, 0, 0, 0) more times, then every right-side row 29 (34, 30, 29, 27) times. [116 (122, 116, 118, 116) stitches]

FOR SIZES 37¼, 41¼, 45¼, AND 49¼ INCHES ONLY:
Next Row (wrong side): Purl.

Increase Row (right side): K2, [k1, yarn over (yo), k1] into same stitch, knit to last 3 stitches, [k1, yo, k1] into same stitch, k2. [4 stitches increased]

Repeat the last two rows – (1, 6, 9, 13) more time(s). [– (130, 144, 158, 172) stitches]

FOR ALL SIZES:
Cut yarn and place stitches on holder or scrap yarn.

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Back

Create Back Left Tie Casing

With scrap yarn and crochet hook, use a provisional cast on to cast 25 (26, 27, 29, 30) stitches onto the main circular needles. Do not join.

Repeat from ** to *** of the Create Front Tie Casing section, keeping in mind that you’ll put 25 (26, 27, 29, 30) stitches onto the spare needles when you pick up the provisional cast on.

Cut yarn and place stitches on holder or scrap yarn.

Back Right Tie Casing

Work as for Back Left Tie Casing, but leave the stitches on the needles and do not cut yarn.

Join Back Tie Casings

Row 1 (wrong side): Purl across 25 (26, 27, 29, 30) Back Right Tie Casing stitches, with wrong side facing slip 25 (26, 27, 29, 30) on-hold Back Left Tie Casing stitches to left needle tip and purl across them. [50 (52, 54, 58, 60) stitches]

Increase Row (right side): K2, m1L, knit to last 2 stitches, m1R, k2. [2 stitches increased]

Continuing in stockinette stitch, repeat the Increase Row every 4th row 3 (0, 0, 0, 0) more times, then every right-side row 29 (34, 30, 29, 27) times. [116 (122, 116, 118, 116) stitches]

FOR SIZES 37¼, 41¼, 45¼, AND 49 ¼ INCHES ONLY:
Next Row (wrong side): Purl.

Increase Row (right side): K2, [k1, yo, k1] into same stitch, knit to last 3 stitches, [k1, yo, k1] into same stitch, k2. [4 stitches increased]

Repeat the last two rows – (1, 6, 9, 13) more time(s). [– (130, 144, 158, 172) stitches]

FOR ALL SIZES:
Do not cut yarn and do not turn work after last right-side row.

Join Front and Back

With right side facing, slip 116 (130, 144, 158, 172) on-hold Front stitches to left needle tip of working needle, then continuing with yarn attached to Back, knit across 116 (130, 144, 158, 172) Front stitches. Place marker for end-of-round. [232 (260, 288, 316, 344) stitches]

Working in the round, work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 15¾ (16¼, 16¾, 17¼, 17¾) inches from where you joined Front and Back (or to about ½ inch more than desired length).

Hem Bottom Edge

Working with wrong side facing, count back 10 rows from the row currently on the working needles. Beginning at end-of-round marker, carefully weave the tip of the spare needles into each stitch of that row, making sure that the right leg of each stitch is in front and that you have the same number of stitches on the spare needles as you have on the working needles.

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho

Fold the hem so wrong sides are together and the needles are parallel, the spare needles in back and the working needles in front. Holding the needles parallel in your left hand, thread a tapestry needle and use Kitchener Stitch to graft the stitches together. For additional instructions, please visit our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial.

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Make Drawstring Cord

Cast 280 (284, 288, 294, 298) stitches onto main circular needles using the Long-Tail method (or another non-provisional method). Do not join to work in the round.

Row 1 (right side): *K2tog through the back loops, slip resulting stitch back to left needle tip, repeat from * to end. Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitch.

With a tapestry needle, begin at center of Back and thread Drawstring Cord through one Back Tie Casing, through Front Tie Casing, and then through second Back Tie Casing. Tie ends together at center Back.

Finish

Weave in the ends and block gently.

Drawstring Camisole | Purl Soho