Linen and Lace by Jennifer Miller Comstock

Linen and Lace

Knitting
February 2014
Lace ?
24 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches
in garter stitch
US 4 - 3.5 mm
800 - 1275 yards (732 - 1166 m)
xs 29” (s 33”, m 36”, l 40”, xl 44”) bust circumference, to fit: 27”- 35” (31”-39”, 34”- 42”, 38”- 46”, 42”- 50”) bust
English
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I just love the cool drape of linen for summer knits. This simpler-than-it-looks top will be perfect for so many summer days. Once you have done some careful swatching, the knitting will be a breeze! The lace portions are basically rectangular, with some simple dart-shaping in the garter-stitch bodice only. I have used a lace- to light fingering-weight yarn, at a slightly larger gauge, to give beautiful drape to this design.

Pattern notes: Front and back are identical, and are knitted from the bottom up. The pieces are knitted back and forth in rows, but the circular needle is needed to accommodate the large number of stitches used in the lower portions.

Gauge (after washing and blocking): 24 sts and 28 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch
24 sts and 36 rows = 4” in garter stitch
Chevron lace: 28 sts and 28 rows = 4”
Tiny Leaf lace: 24 sts and 24 rows = 4”
Blossom lace: 22 sts and 26 rows = 4”

There are a lot of stitch patterns to swatch here! I recommend sampling them as a roughly 4” wide strip, with at least 4” worked in each stitch pattern (1 repeat of blossom lace is enough), then washing and blocking the piece as you will wash and block the finished garment.