Frances is a t-shirt-style sweater combining bands of lace and Fair Isle. It has turned hems, neckband and cuffs for structure and is designed to be made in Jamiesons of Shetland Spindrift jumper weight yarn. The inspiration for my design came from a lovely lady, Frances, who is a member of our makkin group. I’ve known Frances since I was a teenager when she was my dinner lady at school!

Frances is often seen wearing a combined lace and Fair Isle cardigan which she knits for herself from memory – never using a pattern! – and usually accessorised by a lovely sparkly brooch. For my design, I decided to combine lace and Fair Isle, but used a more contemporary motif for the stranded colourwork. I decided to use a retro colour palette of mauve and purple in homage to Frances, and colours similar to these can also be seen used together in fabric created by Bernat Klein, who I am also a huge fan of!

SIZES

1 (2, 3, 4) {5, 6, 7}

To fit chest: 72–82 (85–95, 97–107, 110–120) {122–132,135–145,147–157} cm
/ 29–33 (34–38, 39–43, 44–48) {49–53, 54–58, 59–63} in

Designed to be worn with approx. 5–15 cm / 2–6 in of positive ease.

Sample 1: Shown in size 2 with 10 cm / 4 in positive ease.

Sample 2: Shown in size 3 with 22 cm / 9 in positive ease.

Note: Sample 1 was knitted at a tighter row gauge, and sample 2 at a larger row gauge, than these instructions, which have been edited to match the measurements in the charts with the gauge provided.

YARN

Jamiesons of Shetland Spindrift, 2-ply Jumper Weight, 100% Shetland wool 105 m / 115 yds per 25g ball

MC: 9 (10, 11, 13) {14, 15, 16} balls
CC: 2 (2, 2, 2) {3, 3, 3} balls

Sample 1
MC: 547 Orchid
CC: 596 Clover

Sample 2
MC: 757 Splash
CC: 780 Lime

OR in 4-ply yarn which knits to the specified gauge and has
similar strong stitch definition and are suitable for stranded
colourwork. Avoid hazy or fluffy yarns for this project as the delicate lace may be lost.

APPROXIMATE YARDAGE REQUIRED

MC: 856 (951, 1150, 1380) {1514, 1619, 1768} m
/ 936 (1040, 1257, 1509) {1655, 1770, 1933} yds

CC: 151 (168, 198, 243) {267, 286, 312} m
/ 165 (183, 216, 266) {292, 312, 341} yds

TECHNIQUES

Stranded colourwork, knitting in the round, reading charts, lace knitting