Kousa is that summer top that you go to again and again. By itself, it's ready for the beach, but layer it over a blouse or under a jacket and you can take it to the office. It is knit primarily in stockinette stitch, which shows off the fun texture of the yarn. The front and back split hems are worked separately and then joined to work the body in the round. Stitches are divided at the armholes to knit the upper front and back separately. Stitches are picked up and worked in rib at the neck and armholes. The finished chest measurements are (36, 40.25, 44) [48.25, 52, 56.25, 60] {64.25, 68, 72.25}" with finished lengths of (19, 19.5, 19.75) [20, 20.25, 50.5, 50.75] {21, 21.25, 21.5}". The designer recommends positive ease of 2-4 inches. This sweater can be machine washed on delicate in cold water and dried flat. Berroco has rated this Åsa Buchta design as requiring intermediate skill level.

Kousa is knit using Meraki, one of Berroco's summer yarns. It is a blend of 71% cotton, 24% hemp, and 5% polyester, which makes it comfortable for even the hottest days. The cotton and hemp take the dye slightly differently, plus the yarn is thick and thin, so the finished fabric has a wonderful texture with subtle color variations. It knits at a DK weight and is knit at 5.5 stitches per inch in stockinette in this project.

The kit includes the pattern and yarn. You will also need:

• 32" circular needle in US size 5 (OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE)
If you changed needle size above to get gauge, adjust needle size below
• 32" circular needle in US size 3
• 16" circular needle in US size 3
• 1 stitch marker
• waste yarn to hold stitches
• tapestry needle

Kousa is shown in Meraki color 6041 Delight. If you would like your kit to be in this color, simply order it above using the pull-down menu to select the size. If you would like a different color, please see our Meraki page for the options. Then return to this page, order the kit, and tell us in the box above which color you would like.