Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Garments 12 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Classic black peplum crochet top pattern
Ribbed peplum top: 40 rows BLO single crochet, mirrored cup shaping, 4.0mm and 4.5mm hooks.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- DK
- Hook
- 4.0 mm
- Rounds
- 12
DK
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
12
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This peplum top begins as a single ribbed rectangle, worked back and forth in single crochet through the back loop only across 72 stitches. After forty rows of ribbing, the piece splits into two mirrored cups, each shaped with sc2tog decreases before narrowing into a shoulder strap, with four center stitches skipped to open the sweetheart gap between them. Work the bodice with a 4.0mm hook for firm stitch definition, and keep a 4.5mm hook ready for the softer-draping peplum below. Have 800 to 1000 yards of DK weight cotton blend on hand, along with stitch markers and a yarn needle for seaming and weaving ends.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Working into both loops instead of BLO
- Check the top of the previous row for the leftover front loop; if it is missing, the row was worked into both loops and the ribbing texture will break.
- Forgetting to skip the 4 center stitches
- Count out and mark the 4 center stitches on Row 40 before joining yarn for the Left Cup, so the gap between cups matches the Right Cup exactly.
- Decreasing at the wrong end of the row
- Right Cup decreases at the start of the row and Left Cup at the end; reread the row before starting each repeat so the shaping stays mirrored.
The materials list
Yarn
- Approximately 800 to 1000 yards of DK weight yarn (light worsted, category 3)
- Color shown: Black
Hook
- 4.0mm (G/6) crochet hook for bodice
- 4.5mm (7) crochet hook for peplum (larger hook creates softer drape)
- Adjust as needed to match gauge
Notions
- Yarn needle for weaving ends and seaming
- Stitch markers
- Measuring tape
- Blocking mats and pins
- Gauge
- With 4.0mm hook in single crochet:
- 18 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches
- Finished Measurements
Bust
- 32 inches
Waist
- 28 inches
- Total length from shoulder to hem: 22 inches
Sleeve length
- 14 inches
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 6 short forms
Foundation
Ch 73.
Round 1
Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (72 sts)Step by step: to 50: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st across. Turn. (72 sts).
Round 2
to 40: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st across. Turn. (72 sts) This creates the ribbed texture. Keep your tension even so the ribbing looks consistent.
Right Cup
Round 41
Ch 1, sc in BLO of first 34 sts. Turn. Leave remaining sts unworked. (34 sts)
Round 42
Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in BLO to end. Turn. (33 sts)Rows 43 to 50: Repeat Row 42. (25 sts after Row 50)
Round 51
Ch 1, sc in BLO of first 20 sts. Turn. (20 sts)
Round 52
to 55: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in BLO to last 2 sts, sc2tog. Turn. After Row 55 you should have 12 sts remaining for the shoulder strap.
Round 56
to 65: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st across. Turn. (12 sts) Fasten off.
Left Cup
Skip 4 center stitches on Row 40. Join yarn to next stitch.
Round 41
Ch 1, sc in BLO across remaining 34 sts. Turn. (34 sts)
Round 42
Ch 1, sc in BLO to last 2 sts, sc2tog. Turn. (33 sts)Rows 43 to 50: Repeat Row 42. (25 sts after Row 50)
Round 51
Ch 1, skip first 5 sts, sc in BLO of remaining 20 sts. Turn. (20 sts)
Round 52
to 55: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in BLO to last 2 sts, sc2tog. Turn. After Row 55 you should have 12 sts remaining.
Round 56
to 65: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st across. Turn. (12 sts) Fasten off.
Hook
Step by step: Ch 1, sc in BLO of first 12 sts. Fasten off. Skip center 48 sts. Join yarn to next st; Ch 1, sc in BLO across remaining 12 sts. (12 sts).
Step by step: Ch 73.
4.0mm (G/6) crochet hook for bodice 4.5mm (7) crochet hook for peplum (larger hook creates softer drape)
Notions
Yarn needle for weaving ends and seaming Stitch markers Measuring tape Blocking mats and pins
Begin Sweetheart Shaping
You will now work each cup separately.
Check these before you start
- Work every ribbing row into the back loop only; catching both loops even once will flatten the ridge and show as a visible break in the texture.
- The right and left cups mirror each other in where the decreases fall, so check which side of the row you are decreasing on before each repeat.
On one line
| Rounds | 12 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 6 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 4.0 mm |
| Yarn | DK |
Set-up
- Confirm you have 800 to 1000 yards of DK weight cotton blend or mercerized cotton before starting the foundation chain of 73.
- Work a swatch with the 4.0mm hook in single crochet and check it against 18 stitches and 20 rows to 4 inches; adjust hook size if it runs short or long.
- Read through Rows 2 to 40 first so the back-loop-only ribbing pattern is clear before you commit to 39 repeated rows.
- Place a stitch marker at the 4 center stitches on Row 40 ahead of time, since these get skipped when starting the left cup.
Finishing
- Weave in the end left at the Row 40 center join before blocking, since this join sits at the most visible point of the sweetheart shaping.
- Block the ribbed body flat to the 32-inch and 28-inch finished measurements using mats and pins, letting the cotton blend relax into its drape.
- Try on each 12-stitch shoulder strap for length and fit before weaving in the final ends, adjusting tension in the last rows if needed rather than after the piece is set.
Construction
Rows 2 through 40 are worked straight across all 72 foundation stitches in back-loop-only single crochet, building a single ribbed rectangle before any shaping begins; the split into two cups only happens at Row 40 to 41.
Right Cup decreases at the start of each row (sc2tog, then sc in BLO to end) while Left Cup decreases at the end of each row (sc in BLO to last 2 sts, sc2tog); this mirrored placement, plus the 4 center stitches skipped between them, keeps the sweetheart shaping symmetric across the piece.
Time per section
| Foundation | about 2 to 3 hours, because it covers 40 rows of BLO ribbing across 72 stitches before any shaping starts |
|---|---|
| Right Cup | about 1 to 1.5 hours, because of two stages of decreasing across 15 rows down to the 12-stitch strap |
| Left Cup | about 1 to 1.5 hours, because the mirrored shaping needs careful stitch counting to match the Right Cup |
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.