purlJam

# Cropped Boxy Tee
### A beginner-friendly drop-shoulder cropped t-shirt in super-chunky cotton

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## Sizes
**S (M, L, XL, 2XL)**
- To fit bust: 88 (96, 108, 116, 128) cm / 34½ (37¾, 42½, 45¾, 50½) in
- Finished bust: 96 (104, 116, 124, 136) cm / 37¾ (41, 45¾, 48¾, 53½) in
- Finished length: 38 (39, 40, 41, 42) cm / 15 (15¼, 15¾, 16¼, 16½) in
- Positive ease: approx. 8 cm (3 in)

Sample shown in size M.

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## Materials

**Yarn:** DMC Natura XL (100% cotton; 75 m / 82 yds per 100 g ball) — super chunky
- Quantities: **4 (5, 5, 6, 7) × 100 g balls**
- Shown in shade 73, or colour of your choice

**Needles:**
- 8 mm (UK 0 / US 11) straight or circular needles — main fabric
- 7 mm (UK 2 / US 10¾) needles — ribbing

**Notions:** tapestry needle, stitch markers, scissors, tape measure.

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## Tension (Gauge)
**10 sts × 14 rows = 10 cm (4 in)** measured over stocking stitch on 8 mm needles, after blocking.

> ⚠️ Tension is essential. With only 10 sts per 10 cm, every stitch is roughly 1 cm of fabric — a small error multiplies quickly.

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## Abbreviations (UK)
- **k** — knit
- **p** — purl
- **st(s)** — stitch(es)
- **st st** — stocking stitch (k on RS, p on WS)
- **rib** — k1, p1 ribbing
- **RS / WS** — right side / wrong side
- **CO / BO** — cast on / bind (cast) off
- **rep** — repeat

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## Construction Notes
This is a **drop-shoulder** pullover knitted flat in four pieces:
1. Back and Front are simple rectangles — no armhole shaping.
2. Shoulders are seamed, leaving a wide centre opening for the boatneck.
3. Short cap sleeves are picked up along the straight armhole edge and worked downward.
4. Side and underarm seams are sewn last.

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## BACK

With **7 mm needles**, CO **48 (52, 58, 62, 68) sts**.

**Ribbing:**
- Row 1 (RS): *k1, p1; rep from * to end.
- Row 2 (WS): *p1, k1; rep from * to end. (Knit the knits, purl the purls.)
- Work in k1, p1 rib for **5 cm (2 in)** — approx. 7 rows, ending with a WS row.

Change to **8 mm needles**.

**Body:**
- Beginning with a knit row, work in st st until piece measures **38 (39, 40, 41, 42) cm** from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.

> ✏️ Math check: 38 cm × 1.4 rows/cm ≈ 53 rows + 7 rib rows. You should have ~53 st-st rows above the rib.

**Cast off** all 48 (52, 58, 62, 68) sts loosely.

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## FRONT

Work exactly as Back until piece measures **38 (39, 40, 41, 42) cm** from cast-on edge.

Cast off all sts loosely. *(No neck shaping — the boatneck is created at seaming.)*

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## SHOULDER JOIN (Boatneck)

Lay Back and Front with right sides together.

- **Shoulder width each side: 14 (15, 17, 18, 20) sts**
- **Centre neck opening: 20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts** — approx. 20–22 cm wide

> ✏️ Math check (size M): 15 + 22 + 15 = 52 sts ✓

Seam the outer 14 (15, 17, 18, 20) sts on each shoulder using mattress stitch or a three-needle bind-off. Leave the centre 20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts open for the neckline.

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## SLEEVES (make 2)

Lay the joined body flat. Mark a point **18 (19, 20, 21, 22) cm** down from the shoulder seam on both Front and Back along the side edge — this is the armhole opening (depth).

**Total armhole edge = 18 (19, 20, 21, 22) cm × 2 sides = 36 (38, 40, 42, 44) cm**

With **8 mm needles** and RS facing, beginning at one marker, pick up and knit **36 (38, 40, 42, 44) sts** evenly along the armhole edge (approx. 1 stitch per row).

> ✏️ Tip: pick up roughly 2 sts for every 3 rows along the side edge.

**Sleeve body:**
- Beginning with a purl row (WS), work in st st for **9 cm (3½ in)**, ending with a WS row. *(approx. 12 rows)*

**Cuff:**
- Change to **7 mm needles**.
- Work k1, p1 rib for **3 cm (1¼ in)** — approx. 4 rows.

Cast off loosely in rib.

Repeat for second sleeve.

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## NECKBAND (optional, recommended)

The boatneck looks clean as-is, but a tidy ribbed band stabilises the cotton.

With **7 mm needles** and RS facing, beginning at one shoulder seam, pick up and knit:
- **20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts** across Front neck edge
- **20 (22, 24, 26, 28) sts** across Back neck edge
- **Total: 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) sts**

Place marker, join to work in the round.
- Work k1, p1 rib for **2 cm (¾ in)**.
- Cast off loosely in rib.

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## FINISHING

1. **Seam sides:** With RS together, sew side seams from cast-on hem to the underarm/sleeve pick-up point using mattress stitch.
2. **Seam underarm/sleeve:** Continue the seam along the underside of the sleeve to the cuff.
3. **Weave in all ends** on the WS using a tapestry needle.
4. **Block gently:** Cotton benefits from a wet block. Soak in lukewarm water with a little wool wash, gently squeeze (do not wring), and lay flat to dry to the finished measurements above.

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## Schematic (approximate, size M)

```
        ┌─────────────────┐
        │     52 cm       │   ← finished bust width (front or back) ×2
        │                 │
        │                 │  39 cm length
        │  ┌──┐  ┌──┐     │
        │  │  │  │  │     │  ← short sleeves (9 cm + 3 cm cuff)
        └──┴──┴──┴──┴─────┘
           19 cm armhole depth each side
```

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## Quick-Reference Stitch Counts

| Size | Bust (cm) | CO sts | Length (cm) | Armhole (cm) | Sleeve sts |
|------|-----------|--------|-------------|---------------|------------|
| S    | 96        | 48     | 38          | 18            | 36         |
| M    | 104       | 52     | 39          | 19            | 38         |
| L    | 116       | 58     | 40          | 20            | 40         |
| XL   | 124       | 62     | 41          | 21            | 42         |
| 2XL  | 136       | 68     | 42          | 22            | 44         |

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**Enjoy your new cropped tee!** Tag finished projects with #CroppedBoxyTee 🧶