A skirt inspired by, of all things, a moth! Monarch Rising is a skirt designed with a with a textured 8-gore top to prevent sagging and a swishy flirty twirly lace portion. The textured stitches show off the variegated yarn beautifully while the lace is highlighted with beads.

Notions
1 button 1.5” size
1 button 0.5” size
Stitch Markers (8 including 1 unique for start of round)
Spare DPN or cable needle (used to hold stitches when joining to work in the round)
Tapestry Needle

Skills
knit and purl, increases and decreases defined in pattern
lace knitting from charts or written directions
working linen stitch and moss stitch in pattern

Choosing a size
Choose the waistband size 1-2”/2-5 cm smaller than your actual high hip measurement, choosing the smaller size if you are in between sizes. The waistband is designed to sit on top of your hips but even linen stitch has some stretch.

Construction
This skirt is knit from the top down; first worked flat, then in the round.

The waistband is worked flat and bound off. The body of the skirt is worked down from stitches picked up along the bind-off edge of the waistband. At the end of the button placket, the skirt is joined and worked in the round. Increases are worked in the Moss stitch panels and between the lace tiers.

The lace can be worked following row-by-row directions or the charts. Beads are placed every other repeat in the first lace tier and every repeat in the second tier. A ruffle trims the lace just before the bind off.

Pattern is currently unavailable. PDF will hopefully be updated spring of 2012.