Interweave SKU: EP9750

Finished Size: About 36 (40½, 44, 48, 52)“ (91.5 [103, 112, 122, 132] cm) in circumference and 21 (21, 22, 23, 23)” (53.5 [53.5, 56, 58.5, 58.5] cm) in length. Top shown measures 40½“ (103 cm).

Yarn Weight: #4 - Medium

Needles: Size U.S. 7 (4.5 mm): 24” (60 cm) circular (cir).

Notions: Size G/6 (4.5 mm) crochet hook; tapestry needle.

Gauge: 19 stitches and 24 rows = 4” (10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

Shiro, or white, was basic to Heian color fashion. Placed on top or underneath, white expanded the color impression of other coordinating layers. Symbolically, white represented purity and beginnings. A new empress would wear a white jacket at her investiture ceremony and a soon to be new mother would wear white robes.

The natural white of the soysilk ribbon yarn I used for this design is timeless and will coordinate with virtually any color in the rainbow. The randomly spaced garter stitch textural stripes on a stockinette stitch background pay homage to the many variations of stripes woven into kimono through the centuries. Stripes are always a sophisticated aesthetic.

Once blocked, the graceful flow of this garment is more pronounced, but it also measures a bit larger than the fi nal knitted measurement. Be sure to account for this additional ease when choosing the appropriate size.