Stitch a Lightweight Top with a Touch of Lace

August 7, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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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Christmas Stocking Knitting Patterns for Your Pets

I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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