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Capriccio is a musical term for a lively, free-form composition where the composer follows their curiosity rather than strict rules. That’s exactly how this top came to be. I spotted a lace trim on Pinterest and could not stop until I had built a whole summer top around it.

The lace trim does a lot here: it forms the shoulder straps, finishes the neckline, and then shows up again at the hem. The lace itself has no shaping, so you can settle into the rhythm and just enjoy the stitch pattern.

The body is seamless and is worked from the top down. Back and front are each picked up from a lace trim and worked flat with armhole increases, then joined in the round at the underarms. From there you decide how far you want to take it. The straight version is a very relaxed knit. If you want more of a challenge, there are bust darts using short rows and waist shaping with decreases and increases. You can also choose between a straight hem or an asymmetric one.

This is an adventurous beginner pattern. The simplest version keeps things straightforward. The shaping options are there when you’re ready to stretch a little further.

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Translations provided by knitlingo.com

Difficulty: Advanced beginner. Ability to read lace charts required.

Sizes: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Finished chest circumference:

• 81 (90, 100, 111, 121, 131, 141, 151, 160) cm
• 32¼ (36, 40, 44¼, 48¼, 52¼, 56¼, 60¼, 64)”

Designed to be worn with 0-5 cm / 0-2” positive ease around the chest.

Yarn: Fingering weight yarn. Depending on the length of the top, allow approximately:

• 540 (610, 680, 755, 820, 905, 975, 1060, 1125) m
• 590 (665, 740, 825, 900, 990, 1065, 1160, 1230) yds

For reference:

• The bust darts will need additional 15 - 70 m / 20 - 80 yds depending on size & dart depth option.
• The asymmetric hem section takes up 50 - 100 m / 55 - 110 yds depending on size and shaping option.

Yarn used in the sample (size 2, shaped waist and asymmetric hem) is 2 skeins Ritual Dyes Undine Fingering (60% Organic Cotton, 40% Linen; 350 m 382 yds / 100 g), colour Natural. Shown on a 85 cm / 34” bust with 5 cm / 2” ease.

Gauge: 24 sts & 32 rows = 10 cm / 4” in stockinette, worked flat and in the round, blocked.
- Width of the lace trim at the narrowest point: 7 cm / 2¾”

Suggested needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) or needle size that gets the gauge for stockinette; circulars 60-100 cm / 24-40″ long.

Notions: Stitch markers, row counter, tape measure, stitch holders or waste yarn, tapestry needle, spare set of needles in the same size for the lace at the hem.

Techniques used: I-cord, i-cord bind-off, picking up stitches, Cable cast-on, Long-tail cast-on, lace knitting, mattress stitch, (optional) short rows.

Construction notes: The top is worked seamlessly from the top down. Two top lace trims are worked sideways first. Each trim begins with an i-cord, followed by a lace section, and ends with an i-cord bind-off.

Stitches for the back are picked up along the edge of one lace trim and worked flat down to the underarms, with increases along the way to shape the armholes.

The front is worked in the same way from the second lace trim.
The back and front are joined at the shoulders by seaming the i-cord edges of the two trims together.

At the underarms, stitches are cast on to join the front and back, then body is worked in the round down to the desired length. Optional bust darts can be added using short rows and the body can be worked straight or with waist shaping.

The hem can be worked straight or asymmetric using short rows. A third lace trim is worked sideways and joined to the live hem stitches as you go.