I just finished the Tunic Dress with Eyelet Detail from the new Teva Durham booklet Volume 3. Worked in Loop-d-Loop's Shale, its a quick knit from the top down. Quick for me is two weeks, but I'm sure I could have done it in a week (have you ever said that before?). The design is knit from the top down, meaning that the neckline stitches were cast on and the work progressed from the neck down to the hem, with increases at the appropriate points.







What's so great about top-down knitting is that at key points in the project, I just slipped all the stitches onto waste yarn and tried the thing on to see how it fit! When the yoke was complete, I tried it on and decided I needed a few more rows before the armholes were made. Done. During the knitting of the upper body to the waist, I did the same, as shown in the picture. Finally, during the skirt portion, I decided that I needed more length or it would be only a tunic and never a dress, so I knit more stockinette rows before the ruffly eyelet edge. It's like being your own tailor. If you haven't tried knitting a garment top-down, consider it.