The front and back of this sweater are rectangles, knit the same. The lace is very open and reversible, with yarn overs in every row. I provide hints as to which stitches fall in the yarn overs to keep you on track. The pattern repeat is provided so the size can be easily changed. You can also go to a smaller needle to make the fabric a little more stable. It was meant to be over sized and a little slouchy. The silk is wonderful, but you could also work this in cotton or bamboo. I used 2 skeins of the silk, one for each piece.