Stitch a Lightweight Top with a Touch of Lace

It took almost all summer but I’m finally getting interested in knitting some tops for the summer. I have so many long-sleeved, cozy sweaters, which is great, but I don’t have a lot of stuff I made to wear when it’s hot outside.

I’ve got my eye on the Wild Flowers Tee from Tif Neilan as a solid option to stitch for summer. It’s a fingering weight top worked from the top down, mostly in garter and stockinette stitch, with a little bit of lace at the top on the front.

The easy drop shoulder construction makes this a good project for someone who hasn’t knit a garment before, though it will take some time to knit even though it’s mostly stockinette because of the fineness of the yarn. The shoulders are shaped with short rows but that’s probably the most “complicated” skill required in the project. There’s also a provisional crochet cast on, and instructions for both the cast on and the German short rows called for are provided in the pattern. You’ll also need to be able to pick up stitches.

The pattern suggests using stitch markers to mark each of the repeats in the lace pattern, in which case you would need 10 to 18 markers for the lace section, depending on the size you are knitting, plus a different marker for the end of the round.

The pattern comes in nine sizes up to a chest measurement of 66 inches/165 cm. It is designed to be worn with 5-7 inches of positive ease. You can also choose to knit a size with less ease, but you’ll want to try on the garment before and while knitting the sleeves to make sure that they fit comfortably with the reduced ease. It’s also written to a cropped length but you can adjust that as well, though you will need more yarn.

Check the pattern out on Ravelry.

[Photo: Tif Neilan.]

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Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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