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]

There are two schools of thought when it comes to instructional books about knitting. Either focus in one particular technique or kind of knitting (stranded knitting, say, or brioche) or try to cover a little bit of everything in a reference book that knitters will use throughout their careers.

The Knitting Book by Frederica Patmore and Dr. Vikki Haffenden aims to be the second kind. The subtitle is: a step-by-step guide to creating imaginative projects for the home and to wear. I’m not sure it does that, exactly, but it does include a quick look at a lot of different techniques and stitch patterns you might use in your projects.

A “guide to creating imaginative projects” sounds to me like it’s about design, but this book is not. There’s 1/3 of a page about altering patterns that only talks about how to add length to a sleeve and adjust where the increases go.

There’s nothing about measuring your body (the section on choosing a size in a pattern only suggests measuring a garment you already own), general garment construction, ease or stitch pattern multiples. The section on gauge (which is the last third of the page with choosing a garment size and altering patterns, discussed above) just says to knit a swatch, block and measure it to compare to a pattern, with no discussion on how you might use your swatch to design your own project or alter a pattern to meet your gauge.

If you ignore the subtitle, what you will find is a lot of information about different kinds of knitting and various techniques you might want to try on your projects. There are 20 cast ons and 15 bind off options, for instance, all discussed before you learn how to knit or purl. (Another quibble I have with this book is the order in which things are presented, but that’s relatively minor.)

You’ll find quick hits on increases and decreases, twists and cables, lace, colorwork, textured effects like fisherman’s rib and brioche, loops, mosaic knitting, double knitting, decorative stitches, shadow knitting, bias knitting, mitered squares, entrelac and more. There are tips for selvedge stitches, knitting with beads, adding buttonholes, picking up stitches and more.

A few patterns at the back give knitters a taste of some of the techniques included, but they’re not rated by skill level and the first one is a bias knit gradient scarf worked in six different colors of mohair, which isn’t a thing I’d wish on any beginner.

And I guess that’s maybe what my issue with the book is. I don’t know if it’s meant for beginners and it doesn’t seem to, either. I feel like this book would be overwhelming to new knitters and doesn’t really give you a place to start or all the information you might need to do projects well.

The variety of techniques included is fun, and there are also stitch patterns in the back you can use on your own projects, but again it doesn’t really provide any guidance for how to design your own projects so I don’t know how helpful all of that is.

I want to like books like this because having one reference that helps you with a lot of different things is great, I’m just not sure this is the one. If you can find it at your library or local book store and flip through it before buying, I think that would be a great idea to see if it’s a book that would be helpful for you.

And if you have this book and love it please let me know! I’m sure it’s good for someone I’m just not sure who.

About the book: 336 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by DK. Suggested retail price $40.

Have you read?