I already made one top using this pattern, my Winter Lace Sampler Top, and I’ve already commented on the pattern at length there, so I’m not going to do that again here. The Winter Lace Top included a number of different and more complicated stitch patterns, and while I love the result, I wanted to make another slightly simpler one that follows the original pattern a little more closely. I also wanted something a little simpler to knit since this was a vacation project for our Norwegian Fjords/Midnight Sun cruise of 2019, and I didn’t want to have to concentrate too hard on any intricate lace patterns which might have diverted my attention from the beauty of the fjords, mountains, and waterfalls of Norway.

I’ve called it my Wild Iris top because the yarn colors remind me of those of the wild iris, which has always been one of my favorite flowers since childhood (the yarn colorway is actually called Crocus, but hey, pretty close). Besides, we also saw quite a few wild irises growing in the fields of Norway during our trip, so it seemed very appropriate! We also saw a lot of similarly colored Nootka lupine in the fields of Iceland, but let’s face it, Nootka Lupine Summer Lace Top just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

I ended up sticking (more or less) to the stitches used in the original pattern, except for the eyelet stitch, which I found a bit too plain, so I added a crossover (CR2F if I remember my terminology correctly) to the stitch clusters in Row 4, the row after the YOs and k2togs. This made the eyelet pattern a little more interesting. This top will also be quite a bit shorter than my first one, which was perhaps a tad too long.

And hey, when I finish it, it will also match my Witchy Lacy Fingerless Gloves! In color if not in style, anyway.

CO 72 sts on Size 9 needles. Switched to Size 10s for the Solid Mesh Stitch, as it bows inwards a little bit otherwise.

Finished knitting 8/29/19; just need to block. I msy also add some short sleeves. These drop stitches are such a pain; they seem to catch on absolutely everything, exactly as I was afraid they would. They’re very cool-looking, but I may never knit them again!

12/19/2019: Finally blocking the shirt. I hope to get it sewn together in the next few days and add some kind of short sleeves. I’m excited to wear it!!

1/16/2020: Finally finished blocking, seaming and adding cap sleeves over the Christmas holiday, picking up 14 sts along the shoulder line and increasing/picking up 1 st per row along the edges with each row downward. Mostly garter stitch, but including a twisted eyelet section and a row of flower stitches to finish off the sleeve edge. I think I ended up with 36 sts at the bottom of each sleeve. Not 100% happy with the way the sleeve turned out, but I probably won’t change it now, since I love the rest of the shirt. Keeping the length to about 17” (blocked to 19”) turned out to be just about perfect!

I am NEVER doing this many drop stitches on a garment again, though - not unless I find a better way to secure them. They catch and snag on everything, exactly as expected. That aside, I love it! I may shorten my earlier blue one to a similar length. Now, I’m off to wear it in Mexico and Belize!