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]

It’s kind of coincidental that I recently posted about patchwork blanket knitting patterns right before reviewing a book that makes a patchwork blanket, but this one would also be a great choice if you’re looking to bust some stash and learn a lot about colorwork knitting at the same time.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket by Annah O’Leary includes charted designs for 50 colorwork blocks worked flat that can be combined to make a blanket or used in other projects. The book calls for worsted weight yarn but also offers suggestions for using fingering, DK or even bulky yarn, which will give you blocks of different sizes.

It opens with a section on materials and tips for choosing colors and maintaining contrast among blocks across a large project. There’s also information on how to read charts and colorwork basics such as maintaining tension, measuring gauge, catching floats, holding yarn and yarn dominance, among other things.

There are 196 squares (14 by 14) in the blanket shown on the cover, which, including the edging, makes for a blanket that’s about 79 inches, or 200 cm square knit in worsted weight yarn. You can adjust the size as needed by working more or fewer blocks, especially if using a different weight of yarn.

The sample was worked in Cascade 220 and the book includes the amounts of yarn used in each color so you can knit a blanket exactly as shown. Or use stash and leftovers from other projects to make a possibly less harmonious but more meaningful project.

Colorwork patterns are arranged into 10 themes: flowers, tiles, diamonds, stripes, peaks, woven, sky, leaves, lovestruck and architecture. They’re also rated by skill level on a range of 1 to 3 balls of yarn. If you’re newer to knitting or colorwork in particular, you can start with the easier squares and move up as you build more skills.

Each pattern is shown as a large black and white chart with three or four possible color variations, though or course you can also go your own way on the colors. There’s also a knit sample of each block pictured at the beginning of each pattern section.

There’s also a section to help you finish your blanket, including tips for weaving in ends, blocking, joining squares and adding a border. She also suggests different project sizes and color palettes for smaller scale projects.

In addition to the big blanket there are five other project ideas including a baby blanket made of 6 by 8 squares, a hot water bottle cover, a couple of pillows and a wall hanging. These are sure to give you ideas of different ways to use the blocks in other projects.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket includes lots of fun colorwork blocks and ideas for using them that are sure to appeal to those new to colorwork as well as those with more experience. Even if you never knit a full blanket with them, you can add these motifs to your collection to work in other projects.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 50 charts and 6 patterns. Published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $25.99.

Have you read?