Monday, December 17, 2007

Eastern Lace Sweater


I've finished the Eastern Lace sweater. This one was so much fun to make! The pattern is from Y2Knit. Two sisters run the business, and they have some lovely, creative patterns, in a wide range of sizes. While at the TKGA conference a few months ago, I ran into Jill at the Y2Knit booth who showed me some of their gorgeous designs. This one is absolutely one of my favorites.

The faux wrap is ingenious. It's knit as a V-neck sweater, with set in sleeves. The "wrap" is a strip of seed stitch picked up and knit from the bottom hem, then at an angle up the front and around the neckline. With a couple of sewn tacks at strategic spots, the wrap looks just like a wrap should, but without the possibility of gapping open. (Busty gals take note.)


The great thing about this Y2Knit pattern is that it is written out line by line. In addition, they provide a schematic with measurements for each size, and a lace chart. What could be sweeter? The designers are very accessible and helpful if you have any questions.

The yarn is 100% linen and has a nice, elegant drape after it's washed. Linen is always a little tough on the hands while knitting, but the finished product is gorgeous. I really like this soft blue, which goes with so many things.


The sleeve has an elegant detail -- a seed stitch vent that lets the sleeves drape open at the wrist. Here's one photo of the sleeve as it was being blocked. (I was playing with the settings on my camera, so the color looks different in each photo. I think the second photo looks the closest to the actual color.)

Next up, my moss stitch cardigan has been waiting for sleeves, and sleeves it shall have! I'm almost done with sleeve #1. Two sweaters completed in a month? Do you think I can do it?

8 comments:

Erica said...

GORGEOUS!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!

Laritza said...

Very pretty. Does it have a tie or buttons?

OceanKnitter said...

Laritza - The sweater has "faux" ties on the front left side that make it look like a wrap. (I haven't attached them yet in the photo.) There's no opening - the front is all one piece; the seed stitch strip makes it look like a wrap.

Sandy

Lacefreak said...

Very beautiful sweater! I love how the lace pattern travels so that your eyes follow it. Looks like fun :-)

z's momma said...

That is a beautiful sweater. And that yarn looks lovely.

Unknown said...

It's gorgeous! I can't wait to see you in it!! :-)

zippiknits...sometimes said...

That looks oriental in some ways. It's very beautifully knit. I love this design! And the color of course. I'm really a blue nut. Thanks for sharing!