Weldon was inspired by underwear patterns of the 1940s, and comes in two versions: a cropped vest updated to a modern silhouette and a stylish dress which takes full advantage of the stretchy lace patterns used to create most vintage undergarments. The easy lace and garter stitch panels provide a great introduction to lace knitting, and the simple shape makes this a fun and surprisingly quick knit. Weldon is a close-fitting, lacy garment with instructions for both vest and dress length options. Both garments are knitted from the bottom up.
Both versions of Weldon are knitted in Susan Crawford Lomaria for a truly luxurious feel, perfectly suited to the elegance of the pattern’s inspiration.

Lomaria is spun from a sumptuous blend of alpaca, silk and cashmere, feels wonderful against the skin and is utterly decadent. In common with many 1940s patterns, the design is wonderfully economical with yarn, so this is a little bit of luxury that won’t break the bank. The Weldon vest is knitted in Grigia, a light, natural grey, and the Weldon dress is knitted in Snowdrop, the soft, ivory shade of the undyed yarn.

Weldon is shown here in two styles; the dress in shade Bianca and the top/vest version in shade Dealbata.

The pattern is written for 10 sizes to fit from 71–162cm (28–64in) chest, includes both written and charted instructions and comes with a clear schematic and comprehensive sizing chart.

Yarn kits are available at Susan Crawford Vintage.

Yarn
Susan Crawford Lomaria, fingering weight, 70% alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere (400m / 366yds per 100g skein)
Dress
2 (3, 3, 4, 4) (4, 5, 5, 6) skeins, shade Bianca

Top / Vest
1 (1, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 3, 3) skeins, shade Grigia

Suggested needles
Small Needles: 2.75 mm (US 2) circular needle (80-100 cm / 30-40 in)
2.75 mm (US 2) circular needle (40-60 cm / 16-24 in)
Large Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle (80-100 cm / 30-40 in)

Gauge
28 sts and 42 rows = 10 cm / 4 in all over stitch pattern without blocking. We obtained this gauge using 3.5 mm needles.

Notions
Stitch markers, removable marker, tapestry needle.

Techniques
Lace knitting
Knitting in the round
Reading a chart