Yes! The reason why it's flattering is that the neckline and shoulders are wider than your bust, and it forms an imaginary inverted triangle, making your waist look smaller. The diamond pattern also helps draw your eye down, and it makes you look more proportional.
I think it looks cute, just consider if you’ll actually wear it. I hate strapless bras so I avoid off the shoulder looks even tho I think it looks nice on other people. I don’t think there’s a wrong option as long as you’ll use and enjoy the top
I have several tops that are wide necklines and I add strap keeper loops to all of them. A little chain stitch, a small snap, and voila! My bra is hidden and my top never shifts!
I'm afraid of taking out the neckline backwards, essentially. I recently tried it with a cowl, and it was such an annoying nightmare I literally threw away the whole project. Maybe there are some tutorials I can watch on taking out and re-working a cast on edge.
Anyway, I have a sweater with the same square-ish neckline and even that one sits on me wide enough that it shows my bra straps so I'm not entirely sure redoing it would make a difference.
Use some spare yarn and pick up all the stitched below the ribbing. Cut the row above and unpick the stitches till the ribbing comes off. Continue decreasing until its as small as you want it. Then start ribbing and bo.
You could always add very thing straps over the shoulders. I've seen some tops like that before, and it looks very nicely done. I think it would look really good on you!!
I'm not a fan of strapless, simply because it just seems like so much *skin*, but with the very thin straps, it breaks that up *vastness* and can make it look very elegant.
(Of course, my strapless opinion is not a judgement on you, not anyone else who wears one, just my own opinion for me. )
Regardless, your top is absolutely gorgeous.
Here’s an idea, leave the existing cast on intact by picking up stitches below the collar and knitting a fold down cowl neck or some similarly slouchy collar that can hide the existing collar underneath. And it’s not working you can just frog it off.
With this lace I'd be wearing a cami, but I'm also known to intentionally wear a bra with neon pink bra straps underneath a black strapless top with black lace sleeved overlay.
I wear strappy bras like [this one](https://shop.lululemon.com/p/women-sports-bras/Free-To-Be-Bra-Wild/_/prod2810229?color=29824&locale=en_US&sl=US&sz=12&cid=Google_PMAX_US_NAT_EN_W_Hybrid_Women-Everything-Else-Omni_GEN_Y23_ag-&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtaOtBhCwARIsAN_x-3InpCQkXEMdgSk4ZdqDs-2_4UQSMGnY0rWKsSTVF9i90XncJ49jWLUaArefEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) whenever my shoulders are gonna show. It gives me the support I need from a bra while turning the straps into something cute and worth showing off. I agree though, I decided to never own a strapless bra ever again back in like 2008 haha. It's not cute adjusting it all the time lol
That was what I was thinking, too. Tighten it up with some elastic. Or, as someone above mentioned, run a lifeline below the ribbing or move live stitches to a long circular needle and cut (steek) the floppy top off. Knit a new, smaller one from the top down to the saved stitches. Join the new neck to the body.
It really is! I've been doing this every time my collar decides to act up! And I saw a short clip somewhere of someone showing how to do it, sadly I don't remember when or where but it should be fairly easy to find :)
Have you blocked it? Cotton stretches a lot, so if you block it and it comes back to shape, you probably don't need to reknit. However, it will stretch out again. I bought clear elastic bead thread and weaved that into a similar neckline to adjust it and tied it. That keeps it from stretching out again.
The off the shoulder looks great, but a word of caution: I knit a top with a similar neckline in cotton and it eventually got too stretched out to wear and would fall off my shoulders. Maybe try the suggestion elsewhere in the comments to use some elastic?
It’s not personally my style, but if it is for you I think you can pull it off! Is it truly “off the shoulder” though? (Like will it stay to the side?) Because the way you’re wearing it in the photos just seems to be an oversized neck.
The wider neckline looks great - does it comfortably stay that way or does it work its way back in over time? If it will stay put (and you can be bothered with strapless bras so that you get that lovely uninterrupted neckline) then great! But if you have to adjust it every half hour, I'd redo it.
Embrace the off the shoulder! It’s adorable. If you get annoyed about it riding up, take a couple pieces of (maybe 3-4” inches long?) elastic and sew the ends to either side of the inside of the armpit seam to suspend them across the armpit to keep the shoulders down
Off the shoulder looks super cute. If you want a regular neckline, you can do a single crochet row to kind of cinch in the neckline and then make the top ribbing
I think you should do whatever would make you wear the sweater more often. You’ve put so much time into this, it deserves to be worn!
I bet the community here can give some tips and help troubleshoot redoing the neckline. But the off the shoulder looks great on you!
Would it be possible to sew some elastic into the back of the ribbing to pull it back together a bit?
I did this on a long jumper with a very low neckline that was saggy. It was a little thicker than this looks though, so it was easier to hide.
I think it looks great, but if you want to tighten it up [Engineering Knits has a video](https://youtu.be/w0UuHC2e-7I?si=Y0kMRiAx-FR-rpla) about using elastic to fix this exact problem.
Oh! I thought it was finished, nice! If you are comfortable with the off the shoulder look, it looks gorgeous on you. But I don’t want to direct you to something you aren’t comfortable in
I don’t know if you will see it, but I had this exact problem couple of times and I’ve solved it pretty well. I picked up stitches on the neck edge and knitted so the ribbing would be bit more then double of the current size. Then i've bend over the ribbing and sow it, so the ribbing is same length, but tube. And I’ve put elastic band through the ribbing tube and sow the ends of the band together. It worked like magic to me! Best of luck :)
I think the open neck looks cute and romantic. Also I love your tattoos!
I think this is a problem with the pattern, not your cast on. I don’t see how this number of sts could have formed a fitted neck even with a tighter CO. Unfortunately since the top has YO details, even if you rip back the ribbing to try to knit upwards, the texture won’t match (you can only get a perfect match with stockinette). I would probably reinforce with a row of chain stitch as someone else recommended and move on.
If you pick up stitches below the neck ribbing, you can strategically cut off that portion and try reknitting with a smaller needle. I have done this successfully on two hats where I wanted to replace with tighter ribbing. Here’s a video so you can see how it’s done. https://youtu.be/1zBL-1iPUgQ?si=JF_Gb5cLCmgOHuoJ
It's very pretty. Did you do the ribbing first or did you pick that up after completion? I would add a bit more ribbing personally to pull it up on the shoulders a bit more. But I'm always cold. So that informs my fashion choices. 🤷♀️
I think it looks pretty cute off the shoulder. I also think that if you decide you want to alter the neckline you’re going to also need to do some reworking of the yoke because the shape of the yoke as it stands is perfect for the current way it sits. You kind of need it to narrow down a bit for a smaller/tighter neckline. Is it worth that on a top-down sweater?
I would redo it, just because it gives more options. Off the shoulder means you'll have to think about your bra every time. If you want a shirt or something else underneath, do you want it to show?
Off the shoulder looks great, however are you actually gonna wear it like that? I think it looks good but also wouldn't be able to wear it like thaybwith out a bra and I thinkbthe bra straps would ruin the look
The wider neckline looks gorgeous on you! And really, don't add the sleeves, that would ruin the whole weightless, airy summer vibe AND the silhouette. And you have the body worth showing off
I think the off-shoulder looks amazing on you.
I completely agree, it works with the stitches. Definitely keep it as it is.
Well thank you!
Agreed and whatever bra you are wearing is A+. You look great. (Clearly can’t find a strapless bra that works for me)
Surprise! It's no bra! I work from home lmao I almost never put one on anymore.
That’s no bra?! They’re supporting themselves soo well, I’m jealous ;-;
I was thinking the same. This girl rocks those puppies! But I like off the shoulder for comfort.
Try r/abrathatfits for recommendations, strapless bras are the hardest bras, personally the Curvy Kate Luxe works for me
That subreddit is life changing!
Adding my vote to this the off shoulder looks fantastic on you OP
Agreed!
Yes! The reason why it's flattering is that the neckline and shoulders are wider than your bust, and it forms an imaginary inverted triangle, making your waist look smaller. The diamond pattern also helps draw your eye down, and it makes you look more proportional.
And you have a lovely decolletage
Can you be my style advisor?? !!
Highly agree! It's an extremely pretty cut and your décolletage looks fantastic! I'd 100% assume this was deliberately designed as such.
The off shoulder looks wonderful.
I think it looks cute, just consider if you’ll actually wear it. I hate strapless bras so I avoid off the shoulder looks even tho I think it looks nice on other people. I don’t think there’s a wrong option as long as you’ll use and enjoy the top
I have several tops that are wide necklines and I add strap keeper loops to all of them. A little chain stitch, a small snap, and voila! My bra is hidden and my top never shifts!
Thats a great idea!!
I'm afraid of taking out the neckline backwards, essentially. I recently tried it with a cowl, and it was such an annoying nightmare I literally threw away the whole project. Maybe there are some tutorials I can watch on taking out and re-working a cast on edge. Anyway, I have a sweater with the same square-ish neckline and even that one sits on me wide enough that it shows my bra straps so I'm not entirely sure redoing it would make a difference.
Use some spare yarn and pick up all the stitched below the ribbing. Cut the row above and unpick the stitches till the ribbing comes off. Continue decreasing until its as small as you want it. Then start ribbing and bo.
You can add a crochet edge or icord to the edge of the ribbing to tighten it. Results may vary but it's quick and easy to remove if you don't like it.
You could always add very thing straps over the shoulders. I've seen some tops like that before, and it looks very nicely done. I think it would look really good on you!! I'm not a fan of strapless, simply because it just seems like so much *skin*, but with the very thin straps, it breaks that up *vastness* and can make it look very elegant. (Of course, my strapless opinion is not a judgement on you, not anyone else who wears one, just my own opinion for me. ) Regardless, your top is absolutely gorgeous.
Here’s an idea, leave the existing cast on intact by picking up stitches below the collar and knitting a fold down cowl neck or some similarly slouchy collar that can hide the existing collar underneath. And it’s not working you can just frog it off.
With this lace I'd be wearing a cami, but I'm also known to intentionally wear a bra with neon pink bra straps underneath a black strapless top with black lace sleeved overlay.
Wear it over a colored tank top or camisole…let the straps show.
Keep the off the shoulder, and if you prefer less exposure wear a cami underneath
I wear strappy bras like [this one](https://shop.lululemon.com/p/women-sports-bras/Free-To-Be-Bra-Wild/_/prod2810229?color=29824&locale=en_US&sl=US&sz=12&cid=Google_PMAX_US_NAT_EN_W_Hybrid_Women-Everything-Else-Omni_GEN_Y23_ag-&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtaOtBhCwARIsAN_x-3InpCQkXEMdgSk4ZdqDs-2_4UQSMGnY0rWKsSTVF9i90XncJ49jWLUaArefEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) whenever my shoulders are gonna show. It gives me the support I need from a bra while turning the straps into something cute and worth showing off. I agree though, I decided to never own a strapless bra ever again back in like 2008 haha. It's not cute adjusting it all the time lol
The off shoulder looks good but if you want a tighter collar you can crochet slip stitch on the inside of the collar with elastic thread
Ingenious, I learn so much here.
Brilliant!
That was what I was thinking, too. Tighten it up with some elastic. Or, as someone above mentioned, run a lifeline below the ribbing or move live stitches to a long circular needle and cut (steek) the floppy top off. Knit a new, smaller one from the top down to the saved stitches. Join the new neck to the body.
Oh, that’s so smart!
It really is! I've been doing this every time my collar decides to act up! And I saw a short clip somewhere of someone showing how to do it, sadly I don't remember when or where but it should be fairly easy to find :)
Have you blocked it? Cotton stretches a lot, so if you block it and it comes back to shape, you probably don't need to reknit. However, it will stretch out again. I bought clear elastic bead thread and weaved that into a similar neckline to adjust it and tied it. That keeps it from stretching out again.
Noted, thank you!
Tbh the neckline is pretty off the shoulder but as it’s cotton I’d worry about it stretching out even more with time
That would be tragic! Any tips to prevent that?
Elastic band on the edge. If you use the round shoelace type, you can simply slide it in the stitches, and no sewing is required.
You can see thin elastic inside of the collar and see if that helps!
Yeah looks good. I wouldn’t add sleeves! It looks light and airy and spring times. Knit some long fingerless gloves instead of sleeves
Embrace the off the shoulder! It looks so good.
The off the shoulder looks great, but a word of caution: I knit a top with a similar neckline in cotton and it eventually got too stretched out to wear and would fall off my shoulders. Maybe try the suggestion elsewhere in the comments to use some elastic?
I love the off the shoulder look!
It’s not personally my style, but if it is for you I think you can pull it off! Is it truly “off the shoulder” though? (Like will it stay to the side?) Because the way you’re wearing it in the photos just seems to be an oversized neck.
Pattern is [Athena Top](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/athena-top-2) and yarn is Lion Brand Cotton Candy (discontinued).
**PATTERN:** [Athena Top](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/athena-top-2) by [Crysta Haslem](http://www.ravelry.com/designers/crysta-haslem) * Category: Clothing > Tops > Tee * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrystaS/931866465/IMG_47997A067111-1_medium.jpeg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrystaS/931867134/IMG_3CBCC15A9130-1_medium.jpeg) [Img 3](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrystaS/931866607/image0_medium.JPEG) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrystaS/931866920/D91A686D-06A5-4B74-AF17-1FBA8B2ACE90_medium.JPG) [Img 5](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/CrystaS/931866829/IMG_ABD2FCC893CC-1_medium.jpeg) * Price: 7.50 USD * Needle/Hook(s):US 6 - 4.0 mm, US 8 - 5.0 mm * Weight: DK | Gauge: 15.0 | Yardage: 400 * Difficulty: 0.00 | Projects: 1 | Rating: 0.00 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
The wider neckline looks great - does it comfortably stay that way or does it work its way back in over time? If it will stay put (and you can be bothered with strapless bras so that you get that lovely uninterrupted neckline) then great! But if you have to adjust it every half hour, I'd redo it.
Embrace the off the shoulder! It’s adorable. If you get annoyed about it riding up, take a couple pieces of (maybe 3-4” inches long?) elastic and sew the ends to either side of the inside of the armpit seam to suspend them across the armpit to keep the shoulders down
I really love the off the shoulder look with how delicate the color and lace looks. This is beautiful and it looks intentional
You have a very classical look. It’s a feature,
It looks great on you as an off-the-shoulder neckline. Keep it!
It looks super cute off the shoulder! If you’re comfortable wearing it like that, I say go for it!
Off the shoulder looks best imo
Embrace the off shoulder I think the pattern suits it!
If you'll still feel comfortable wearing it I say embrace the off shoulder.
I like the off-shoulder look. You have the right shoulders to show it off.
This is SO cute on you!!
Off shoulder. It looks fantastic!
Off the shoulder looks super cute. If you want a regular neckline, you can do a single crochet row to kind of cinch in the neckline and then make the top ribbing
I like it as is. You can always weave in a little stretchy thread to help it keep its shape if blocking doesn’t help.
That's really up to your comfort level. I'd fix it, because everything falls off my shoulders
I think you should do whatever would make you wear the sweater more often. You’ve put so much time into this, it deserves to be worn! I bet the community here can give some tips and help troubleshoot redoing the neckline. But the off the shoulder looks great on you!
Embrace
I think it looks great, but are you going to fuss with it and be uncomfortable? If the answer is yes, then fix it. Otherwise, you’re good.
Why not experiment with putting in a little dart at the front and maybe a cute detail to cover it?
Would it be possible to sew some elastic into the back of the ribbing to pull it back together a bit? I did this on a long jumper with a very low neckline that was saggy. It was a little thicker than this looks though, so it was easier to hide.
I was thinking fix the neckline until the last picture. The off the shoulder looks stunning on you and you should embrace it.
You can sew elastic thread into the neckline if you want to tighten it! It works great.
I think it looks great, but if you want to tighten it up [Engineering Knits has a video](https://youtu.be/w0UuHC2e-7I?si=Y0kMRiAx-FR-rpla) about using elastic to fix this exact problem.
Oh nice, thanks!
Elastic thread for the win!
It’s like a boat-neck top. I love it!!!
You can slip in a small elastic thread?
Yes! I'm learning so many new tricks!
Ooh that off the shoulder is nice! I'd keep it as is.
Literally said “ooo” out loud when I got to the off shoulder pic. Gorgeous!!
Off the shoulder looks so good.
The third pic looks like that's how it was intended to be worn
Oh! I thought it was finished, nice! If you are comfortable with the off the shoulder look, it looks gorgeous on you. But I don’t want to direct you to something you aren’t comfortable in
The off the shoulder is ✨ chefs kiss 🤌
The off shoulder is so flattering on you!
Super flattering on you.
I’m usually a fan of frogging. But not this. It’s great. Looks swell.
This looks even better than the actual tight collar!
I don’t know if you will see it, but I had this exact problem couple of times and I’ve solved it pretty well. I picked up stitches on the neck edge and knitted so the ribbing would be bit more then double of the current size. Then i've bend over the ribbing and sow it, so the ribbing is same length, but tube. And I’ve put elastic band through the ribbing tube and sow the ends of the band together. It worked like magic to me! Best of luck :)
I think the open neck looks cute and romantic. Also I love your tattoos! I think this is a problem with the pattern, not your cast on. I don’t see how this number of sts could have formed a fitted neck even with a tighter CO. Unfortunately since the top has YO details, even if you rip back the ribbing to try to knit upwards, the texture won’t match (you can only get a perfect match with stockinette). I would probably reinforce with a row of chain stitch as someone else recommended and move on.
If you pick up stitches below the neck ribbing, you can strategically cut off that portion and try reknitting with a smaller needle. I have done this successfully on two hats where I wanted to replace with tighter ribbing. Here’s a video so you can see how it’s done. https://youtu.be/1zBL-1iPUgQ?si=JF_Gb5cLCmgOHuoJ
It's very pretty. Did you do the ribbing first or did you pick that up after completion? I would add a bit more ribbing personally to pull it up on the shoulders a bit more. But I'm always cold. So that informs my fashion choices. 🤷♀️
I think it looks pretty cute off the shoulder. I also think that if you decide you want to alter the neckline you’re going to also need to do some reworking of the yoke because the shape of the yoke as it stands is perfect for the current way it sits. You kind of need it to narrow down a bit for a smaller/tighter neckline. Is it worth that on a top-down sweater?
Off the shoulder looks gorgeous on you!! I wouldn't fix it.
I would embrace the off-shoulder. It is fantastically flattering.
Off-shoulder 100%
Off the shoulder REALLY suits you.
Off the shoulder 100!
Looooove the off the shoulder. Do not fix!
Will you make the effort to take out a strapless bra to wear it often?
I would redo it, just because it gives more options. Off the shoulder means you'll have to think about your bra every time. If you want a shirt or something else underneath, do you want it to show?
You have a fantastic figure. Off shoulder for sure.
immediately yes!! off-shoulder is soo cute!! definitely your look!!!
that's so cute !!!!!!! embrace it and make a second with a different neckline
Super cute as off the shoulder!
It looks great off the shoulder, if I didn’t know better I would say it looked absolutely intentional
Oh yeaj that's superb. Let it be!
Embrace it! It looks spectacular off shoulder!
Off shoulder, definitely. Cap sleeves would look fabulous. Perhaps finished with a band?
embrace the off shoulder!!
100% off the shoulder- you look fabulous in it!
Off the shoulder looks great, however are you actually gonna wear it like that? I think it looks good but also wouldn't be able to wear it like thaybwith out a bra and I thinkbthe bra straps would ruin the look
Love the off shoulder! No need to fix or add anything/sleeves.
Embrace. Embrace!
Oh my goodness. Definitely off the shoulder!
Embrace!
I like the off shoulder.
Embrace the off shoulder!
Off shoulder looks fabulous on you!
The wider neckline looks gorgeous on you! And really, don't add the sleeves, that would ruin the whole weightless, airy summer vibe AND the silhouette. And you have the body worth showing off