Free Pattern: Worsted Lace and Rib Top

I am not really a lacy kind of girl. I lack the patience for knitting complex lace patterns, and as the mom of a toddler they don’t really fit my lifestyle right now (not that they fit my style before I had a kid, either).

But I do like lace with something extra. Large-scale lace is a lot of fun, for instance, and makes a big impact. Lace combined with other patterns into something more structural is more interesting to me than lace is on its own.

That’s why I love the Venezia Worsted Lace and Rib Top designed by Fiona Ellis for Cascade Yarns (the link to download the PDF is on the linked page). This pretty project combines mistake rib and lace is a raglan top with ties that has a lot of structure and interest. The lace section almost looks like cables, which is fun, too.

The yarn, Venezia, is a pretty combo of wool and mulberry silk. I haven’t used it but it certainly looks lovely and makes a cute summer/spring/multiseasonal top that’s perfect to slip on over your favorite tank top and jeans or your cutest summer sun dress.

[Photo by Cascade Yarns.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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