This is my 5th test for the talented Irina Anikeeva. I love her style. This one has pretty, feminine details in both front and back. Irina’s patterns are unsurpassed, with many publications to her credit. If you love cables and lace, check out her many beautiful designs.

5 buttons required for the lovely back closing. See photos here.

Weight of finished garment: 8.8 oz.(250 grams)

Needles used:

Size 1.5 US - All ribbing, including bind-offs and lace back panels. Used JSSBO for sleeve and bottom bind-offs. Neckband has a sewn bind-off.

Size 2.5 US - Everything else

The pattern calls for German short rows which is what I did. However, with my cotton yarn, I found that these were quite visible (the double stitch points) all along the top of the sleeves. So if I did this again, I’d probably use a different (less bulky) short row technique.

My stitch pick-up ratio for the back lace panels was approximately 18: 19.

Please note that I used every inch of the five balls of yarn. So you may want to purchase an extra one if you knit this size.

What I did differently:

Although all my horizontal stitch counts are exactly per the size 2, I did lengthen this top due to the fact that I’m tall. I also knew that it would shrink lengthwise (only) when put into a warm dryer. So I allowed for this which actually brought my (longer) row gauge closer to that stated in the pattern. Since the top is a bit longer, I had to pick up 140 sts for the back lace panels rather than the 122 sts stated in the pattern for size 2 (S). So I did one extra 18-st repeat of the back lace panels. It all worked out perfectly for me. And I used less yarn that the amount suggested in the pattern for size 2. Machine drying works wonderfully well for this yarn because not only did it correct my row gauge, but it evened out all of my stitches. I have a problem with “purl ridges” when knitting flat in spite of my decades of knitting experience. After blocking, my stitches all look very even. And this is how it looked coming out of a warm dryer

Finished side length from underarm = 12” (shrank 2.5”)
I left it in the dryer for two cycles of 41 minutes each. So if you want it to shrink less, take it out of the dryer before it’s completely dry. It will shrink very little in width (an inch or less) compared to the length. I did 4.5 repeats of the front lace chart. If I make this again, I’ll do 5 vertical repeats and perhaps make the lower ribbing a half inch longer. Then I can do one extra horizontal repeat of the back lace charts. That would require 6 buttons instead of 5.

Tubular Bind Off (Flat Knitting) Video