Simple Tee
An easy-to-knit cotton and linen tee soft enough for a hammock nap… Our Simple Tee knitting pattern is brimming with laid-back fun! Cast on with our new June Worsted yarn, a summer-ready, plant-based yarn that somehow looks and knits like wool but feels breezy, cool, and light.
A top-down raglan sweater with just a bit of short-row shaping at the back neck, the Simple Tee is a cinch to knit, all in stockinette stitch and nothing to slow you down. The effortless rolled edges are neat yet unfussy, as if you cut the sleeves, collar, and hem off your favorite oversized sweatshirt and you love it even more than before!
Joyful to knit and a delight to wear, June Worsted is a plush worsted-weight yarn that’s cool enough to keep wearing as the days lengthen. Made with 70% organically grown cotton and 30% Belgian linen, this super endearing yarn has a slightly earthy character, and after a machine wash and dry, the already soft fabric gets even softer, taking on a gently brushed, lived-in look that will get better and better every summer!
June Worsted comes in generous 100-gram “peanut” balls and a palette inspired by the very best of early summer. Greenfinch Yellow glows like fireflies rising at dusk, while Heirloom White is as fresh as linens drying on the line… And there are 15 more colors to choose from, including rich jewel tones and warm, sun-kissed shades.
The Simple Tee is that rare kind of knit: easy, satisfying, and so cute you’ll wear it straight off the needles and all summer long. With colors this beautiful and a yarn that gets better with every wear, one tee may not be enough… You might find yourself casting on another the moment you bind off!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 5 (6, 7, 7, 8) (9, 9, 10, 11) balls of Purl Soho’s June Worsted, 70% organically grown cotton and 30% linen. Each ball of this worsted/aran-weight yarn is 164 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 820 (930, 1010, 1140, 1250) (1360, 1475, 1610, 1705) yards required. We used the colors Greenfinch Yellow and Heirloom White.
- US 6 (4 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
- US 6, 32- or 40-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
- A set of US 6 double pointed needles
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
- US 7, 32- or 40-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
- A set of US 7 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- A Simple Tee Pattern PDF
NOTE If you want to use Magic Loop, you won’t need the 16-inch circular or double pointed needles listed above… Just stick with the 32- or 40-inch ones!
GAUGE
19 stitches and 27 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, on larger needles
SIZES
NOTE: For help picking a size, please check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!
38¾ (43, 47¼, 51¼, 55½) (59¾, 64, 68¼, 72½)
To fit actual chest circumference of 30-34 (34-38, 38-42, 42-46, 46-50) (50-54, 54-58, 58-62, 62-66) inches, with 5–9 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 38¾ (43, 47¼, 51¼, 55½) (59¾, 64, 68¼, 72½) inches
- Finished Length from Shoulder to Bottom Edge: 20 (20½, 20¾, 21, 21¼) (21½, 22, 22½, 23) inches
- Finished Length from Underarm to Bottom Edge: 12½ (12, 12, 11½, 11) (10¾, 10½, 10¼, 10¼) inches, unrolled
- Finished Sleeve Length from Underarm to Cuff: 7 (7, 7, 7¾, 8) (8½, 8½, 9, 9) inches
Samples: The Greenfinch Yellow sweater shown here is size 38¾, worn with 5¾ inches of ease, and the Heirloom White sweater is size 43.
PATTERN
The Simple Tee Pattern is available as a PDF.
Learn About June Worsted + All Our Beautiful Yarns
This project is the perfect mix of cool, cozy, and soft, thanks to our June Worsted yarn! Made with a mix of organically-grown cotton and Belgian linen, this worsted-weight yarn has the wonderfully soft and knit-able feeling of an animal-fiber yarn, but rest assured, it also has the cooling, vegan, and anti-allergen properties of a plant-based yarn. It’s also super beautiful, incredibly endearing, and machine washable, too… You will love it for everything from towels to garments to blankets!
More Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our June Worsted knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cotton yarn (What helps cotton keep its cool? Learn all about this soft, natural fiber in our guide to cotton yarn!)
- Shop linen yarn
- Shop plant-based yarn
- Shop machine washable yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Can I make this a long sleeve sweater?
Hi Jane,
Absolutely, that’s a great idea! All you need to do is keep knitting the sleeves until they’re as long as you want. You may also want to add some decrease rows along the way so that the sleeves taper towards the wrists. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Please send me the download for the simple tee pattern
Thx
Hi Carole-Beth,
We’re glad you’re interested in this pattern! Just follow this link to purchase the Simple Tee pattern!
All the best,
Lili
Can you estimate how much more yarn would be needed for a long sleeved version?
Hi Marjorie,
Thanks for writing in! You’ll likely only need 1 more skein of June Worsted to make longer sleeves, but you may need 2 for the larger sizes!
All the best,
Lili
Can you please confirm that the off white sample shown in the pattern pdf is “Heirloom white” June Worsted? Many thanks
Hi Lisa,
Yes! We used the colors Greenfinch Yellow and Heirloom White for our samples of this pattern!
All the best,
Lili
hi – could you please provide some guidance on making this with the sleeves a bit shorter? is it as simple as just ending the sleeves sooner or are there implications for shaping? thanks!
Hi B,
Thanks for writing in! You already have the right idea–all you need to do is bind off the sleeve earlier. Depending on how short/long you want them to be, that may mean working any shaping that’s already written in the pattern, but just up until you bind off.
All the best,
Lili
I have a question about getting started. Directions indicate one should use 32- or 40-inch circulars “depending on size you are making.” I am making a size 43; which length circular should I use?
Thanks.
Anne
Hi Anne,
Thanks for writing in! Since you’re making size 43, you can use either 32- or 40-inch needles. The finished circumference of your project will be 43 inches, so that’s enough to fit around either needle length, and the stitches won’t be all that cramped on 32-inch needles. The choice is really up to you for that size in particular!
All the best,
Lili