Best colour match in the first photo. Annoyed that my pre-blocking photos are so much better than my post-blocking ones :(

Casting on to give myself some breaks from Toccata and also as part of my ongoing stashbusting. The alpaca is soft and gorgeous and I can’t wait to wear it! Most of the way done with the waistband.

Gauge: 4.5 st/in. 41in waist, 46in bust. Want a little negative ease in the bust, say 1.5 in.

Planned modifications:

• Vertical bust darts
• Use the Basic Black set-in sleeve (and possibly v-neck?)

6/08 Waistband done. Picked up 176 stitches for bodice. Didn’t bother to check if it fit the lace number because I plan to do an increase row or two to get the lace really swingy. Will now knit an inch and see what size-ish it begins to come out …

Bust shaping: will increase to 200 stitches - adding 24 on the fronts - 12 increase rows i.e. 24 rows (while also decreasing for the vee so it won’t actually ever be 200 st).

7/08 I think it’s the right size. Vertical bust darts completed - now just knitting on til it reaches the armpit. Pattern suggests 6.5 inches all up but I might want more or less - want to keep the waistband fairly high but distinctly below the bust for the A-line.

9/08 Have been home sick for a couple of days - miserable experience, miserable cough, but on the plus side the bodice is done now!

I tried to improvise some set-in sleeves - we’ll see how that works out ultimately when I knit the sleeves themselves (planned short-row sleeve caps). I half-assed the armscye from the Basic Black cardigan as follows:

At point to divide for armholes, knit to 3st before marker, cast off 6 st, knit to 3st before marker, cast off 6 st, knit rest of row.

Left front: Continue neckline decreases in set pattern. Meanwhile on the next RS row CO 1 st on the armscye (in the same fashion as for the neckline decreases), and repeat on the next 5 RS rows. 35 st. Knit on, continuing with neckline decreases, for 69 rows - until the work measures 16in from the top of the waistband (18st on needles). On next RS row cast off 6 st, work one row even. Repeat from * to * twice - all stitches are cast off. Repeat for right front (reversing the direction of all decreases, and doing the final cast-off rows on the WS rather than on the RS.)

Back: Work armscye decreases as for the fronts, then work up for a further 65 rows. Knit 20 st, cast off back stitches until 20 st remain, knit 20st. Knit shoulders as follows: decrease a stitch at the neckline on next two RS rows. Over next 6 rows cast off in such a way as to match the appropriate front.

On to pick up stitches for the skirt!

Skirt: picked up 175st. I know the lace gauge will be different but I still plan to increase somewhat to 203 st, i.e. an increase of 28 st, over the next 3 rows. = 8, 8, and 12 increases.
Row 1: s1, p4, m1, * p 21, m1 * 7 times, p23.
Row 2: s1, K22, m1, * k22, m1 * 7 times, k6.
Row 3: s1, p5, m1, * p15, m1 * 11 times, p5.

10/08

Two lace repeats down! I think another five-ish to go? I started with 3 200g skeins of this lovely alpaca, used one skein on the bodice, and am sort of considering just knitting until the second skein runs out, knitting the button bands and then splitting whatever’s leftover in half and knitting sleeves until I run out.

Having tried it on and gotten a good look at it in the mirror … I wish I’d gotten the waistband a little higher. Since I’m pretty happy with the armscye depth I guess that would have meant dividing for the fronts/backs a few inches earlier - I’ll be able to use this as a guide next time, I hope.

Having done some measurements … aiming for 13in length all up on the skirt so 12in of lace.

12/08

Skirt, bodice and bands all done - including an agonising unpicking of my shoulder seams and ripping back an inch. This time I left the shoulder stitches live and did a three-needle bind-off which looks much better than my disastrous mattress stitch!

ARMS: Picked up 82st. 15 “shoulder” stitches at top.

Begin lace 8 rows after working all the short rows.

9/09 All over but the blocking and deciding if I want to button it. I guess I’ll sew on buttons but not wear them unless the skirt blocks out a bit wider - which, given that it’s lace knitted in alpaca, I’m hoping that it will. This is lovely and soft and warm and although there are a few bits I’m not pleased with - I wish I’d done more bust increases and started decreasing for the v-neck later and I wish I’d got the waist a bit higher - overall considering my extensive modifications and the fact that I improvised a set-in armscye all by myself, I’m very pleased. The colour is lovely. I stole the idea for the lace in the sleeves from Tayi’s Summer in Seattle - very easy and beautiful.