I have never knit a full length anything, but I have to admit this Silver Spring Duster pattern from Lovely by Lee is definitely tempting.
This full length, lace covered duster is worked from the bottom up in one piece (and I think the sleeves are then worked in rounds from the armholes down). It has a drop shoulder design and straight sleeves. The upper body is worked in stockinette stitch.
The designer calls it “a long, earthy-chic style cardigan” that’s “folksy, whimsical and elegant.” I agree.
The only skills needed for the pattern are knitting flat and in the round, making yarn overs and decreases and picking up stitches. She rates it an intermediate knit.
Notes on the sales page indicate the pattern includes a chart for the lace. The pattern also includes a video tutorial and a link to a blog post that helps explain how to do the edging (which looks like a folded hem but it’s hard to tell what’s going on from the photos).
The pattern includes five sizes to fit a bust range of 28-34 inches (71-86 cm) for the smallest size and 62-68 inches (157.5-173 cm) for the largest. It’s intended to be worn with 2 to 10 inches/5 to 25 cm of positive ease (so for example the smallest size is actually 38 inches/96.5 cm so you can choose the fit you like from there.
This project looks like a lot of fun to knit and maybe not as time consuming as it seems because once you get the lace pattern down it should be smooth knitting. The pattern calls for a worsted weight cotton yarn, which is the only thing about the project that gives me pause because cotton is known to stretch, so you’ll probably want to knit it shorter than you think if you choose a cotton yarn.
You can see some other versions of the project on Ravelry, and buy a copy of the pattern from Lovely by Lee on Etsy.
[Photo: Lovely by Lee]
