Jaime's Recycled Denim Tommy Top

It seems like fall is upon us, but I managed to squeak out one last summer knit and I'm kind of in love with this recycled denim knit tank.

Pattern: Tommy Top by Wool and the Gang
Yarn: Billie Jean upcycled denim yarn by Wool and the Gang
Size Made: one size
Modifications: knit back 4" shorter, knit armholes 2" higher, used a 3-needle bind off for shoulders and seamed sweater before picking up neck and arms

Our obsession with denim creates a lot of waste in the fashion industry. Thankfully there are uses for this and Wool and the Gang's new Billie Jean yarn is one of my favorites. This yarn contains 100% pre-consumer recycled denim and they use no chemicals or dyes in this yarn. The three "colors" of Billie Jean yarn are created with combining different percents of up-cycled raw cotton with the denim. The yarn has a drapey hand and dry-cotton feel. Wool will always be my number one, but if I'm going to use cotton, this is one I can get behind.

Wool and the Gang have designed several fashion-forward patterns specifically for Billie Jean yarn and I fell in love with the casual, oversized Tommy Top. This tank comes in one size. Like most Wool and the Gang patterns, this top is knit flat in pieces. They are so dedicated to knitting flat, even the neck and arm bands are finished flat before seaming. This seemed a little excessive so I altered the pattern a bit. I kept my shoulder stitches live to execute a 3-needle bind off. I then seamed the side seams before picking up and knitting both neck band and arms in the round.

I'm fairly short, so I wasn't confident that the super exaggerated hi-lo hem that was presented on the tall model would look good on me. I went ahead and shortened the back piece by 4", creating a smaller gap between the front and back pieces. I also raised the arm holes by 2". Overall I'm happy with the fit of this "one-size" pattern once I made these adjustments to the hems.

Summer time is almost over, but I've been able to wear this top everyday over the last weekend and I love it. Denim is forever, right?