Knit a Pretty, Lacy Skirt

I have knit just about every kind of thing it’s possible to knit, but I have never knit a skirt. (I have knit a dress, and a tunic that’s probably long enough to be considered a dress.)

If I were going to knit a skirt, something like the Lana Lacey Skirt from Mipi Makes might be just the thing. It’s a midi length skirt, but it’s worked in worsted weight yarn so it wouldn’t take forever to knit even though it’s long.

About half of the skirt is stockinette, and the rest is different bands of lace, which makes it a lot faster to knit, plus it provides more air flow for wearing during the summer.

The original skirt was worked in a cotton yarn, so it would be good to wear when the weather is warm, but you can also work it in wool yarn for a skirt that’s perfect for colder times.

It’s worked from the top down and includes an elastic waist. The pattern has 10 sizes, with a waist measurement range from 60-65 cm (23.5-25.5 inches) to 105-110 cm (41-43 inches) and hips from 70-92 cm (27.5-36 inches) to 115-137 cm (45-54 inches). The waist needs to be bigger than your actual waist measurement so that it can stretch with the elastic. There are ranges because there are different hip shaping sections in the pattern so that you can choose exactly the size and amount of ease you want.

You can also change the length of the stockinette section as needed to make sure you have the amount of coverage you want for your backside. So many great options for modification.

I love this in a solid color but it would be fun to work in stripes or use a different color for the lace at the bottom if you like.

You can get this free pattern from the Mipi Makes website.

[Photo: Mipi Makes]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

Have you read?