Basic Corset by Joan McGowan-Michael

Basic Corset

Knitting
April 2007
DK / Sport ?
20 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette Stitch
US 6 - 4.0 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm
510 - 610 yards (466 - 558 m)
To fit 31-33, 35-37, 39-41, 43-45 inches
English

From Knitting Lingerie Style:



As you might expect, a knitted corset doesn’t have the kind of constricting power it would take to whittle a thirteen-inch waist--thank goodness.  However knitted corsets offer other benefits--including gentle shaping and feminine details--that makes them wonderful to wear. 



My version of the Basic Corset is worked in a cotton/elastic blend yarn with the vertical lines and short-row  insets knit in a pretty ribbon yarn, providing contrast and curvy shaping.  Many of the 19-th century corset styles were based on this structure:  a tubular shape with pie-shaped wedges of fabric inset where the body was the fullest--the hips and breasts.  Inside, channeling is hand sewn to sections to the front, into which plastic boning is inserted for structure--a much more forgiving option than the steel boning of old, which forced a woman to stand and sit with arrow straight posture.



Wear this over bare skin, as we’ve shown here, or hook it over a white shirt or tee instead of a vest for a lingerie-as-outerwear twist and a great way to show off some curves.