I had decided upon the pattern name almost before starting the knitting process.
One morning in Portugal I packed my bag with the most necessary things; water-bottle, sunshield, sunglasses and my new design.
My daughter and I took the train along the beautiful coastline outside Lisbon and went off at the end station.
After lunch we started to look for the perfect house with flowers for the photo-shoot. It was not that easy; most flowers were inside the gardens or too high above the street. But suddenly, it was there! With the most lovely blue/purplish flowers for the most perfect background for my new design:)
Please note: we took all photos of the cardigan with the upper buttons unbuttoned. The cardigan is as lovely with all buttons closed, or unbuttoned.

Casa de flores is a very summery, light and wearable little cardigan. I worked it with short/elbow-length sleeves to add to the summer-feeling, but of course you may add or subtract length.

Construction
Body and sleeves are worked bottom-up to underarms, where the pieces are joined. The upper body is shaped by raglan-decreases. The neckline is shaped using short-rows.
The neck-band is worked from spared sts.
The button-bands are worked from picked-up sts.

Sizes
Finished bust circumference, after washing/blocking, and worked at gauge: 78.5/83/87/91.5/96/100/104/108/113/117/121/126/133 cm = 31/32.5/34/36/38/39.5/41/42.5/44.5/46/48/49.5/52.5”.
The sample is worked in size 2, with 5 cm/2” of positive ease.

Materials
Yarn: I recommend any light fingering/fingering weight yarn that knits up to gauge. I used “Tosh Merino Light” from Madeline Tosh, in the colourway “Blood runs cold” to work the top. This fingering weight, merino yarn comes in skeins of 384 m/420 yards. Of this specific yarn you will need approximately 700/750/800/875/950/1025/1100/1175/1250/1325/1400/1475 m = 765/820/875/955/1035/1120/1200/1280/1365/1445/1530/1610 yards. Needles: circular, or straight, needles, size 2.5 mm/US1.5, for the lower body, the button-bands and the neck-line. A set of DPN’s (or a circular needle if working the magic loop), size 2.5 mm/US1.5, for the sleeves. Notions: 10 removable stitch-markers, waste yarn or separate holders (for the underarm sts), buttons 10 - 12 mm/0.4 – 0.5” across, blunt tapestry needle, blocking tools.

Gauge
28 sts/36 - 38 rows/rounds in stockinette sts/lace pattern = 10x10cm/4x4”, after washing and blocking.

The pattern
The lace-pattern is charted, as well as written out row-by-row.
All measurements are given in cm’s as well as in inches.
There is a schematic.
All necessary stitch-counts are given.

Knitting skills: intermediate

Tecniques involved:

• cast on/bind off
• working lace following charts and/or written instructions
• picking up sts
• short-rows (no need to pick up wraps)