A sepal is the leaf that protect the petals and interior of a budding flower. Our Sepal is a tidy shrug with an openwork back and a wide trim of lace ribbing that can be worn upright or folded over in a shawl collar. It is a little jewel of a sweater: perfect for a bit of protection and warmth without sacrificing ease or style.

Construction: Sepal is worked seamlessly in one piece as a top-down raglan cardigan. It begins with a provisional cast on and is worked back and forth to just below the underarms. A delicate, flower-like lace motif is worked across the entire back for an elegant peek-a-boo effect. The lacy ribbed edging is picked up and worked in the round on the body, side, and neck stitches for a seamless, continuous finish. At each of the two corners where the fronts meet the body, a few short rows and a stack of increases turn the corners and create a perfect fit.

Sizing: Sepal is graded for eight sizes.

Fit: Sepal is designed to fit busts from 28” to 64”. The lace back of Sepal is quite stretchy, the fronts are designed not to overlap, and the shrug looks quite well worn with a few inches of positive or negative ease. Tips for achieving the best fit are included in the pattern notes.

Yarn and Yardage: Two to three skeins of Why Knot Fibers’ Siren DK, a heart meltingly luscious cashmere blend, in the Ripple colorway. Approximately 300(330, 370, 400, 425, 450, 475, 500) yards will complete your cardi. For a slightly less structured look, we recommend Why Knot Fibers’ Seduction DK, a soft and fluid blend of linen, silk, and alpaca.

Needles: A size 8 U.S. (4.5 mm) 32” long circular needle (for the body, both back-and-forth and in-the-round) and size 8 U.S. (4.5 mm) double pointed needles (for the sleeve ribbing), or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notions: Four stitch markers, preferably two of which are distinct, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Instructions: The pattern includes both charted and fully written-out instructions.

Techniques Used: provisional cast on, basic lace knitting, purling through the back loop (ptbl), working back and forth, working in the round, and short rows.

Thanks:. To CC, badass stare-into-the-middle-distance-and-make-it-work model, and suzeeq, volunteer editor in chief.

As Modeled: The last three photos, credited to Ms. Cabrera, show Sepal in an alternate yarn--Seduction DK, a soft and fluid blend of linen, alpaca, and silk from Why Knot Fibers.