Friday, July 29, 2011

Princesa de los Andes: from start to finish

First, the concept sketch:

Then charting and swatching possible lace motifs. I was aiming for a "feather"-looking yoke and sun-rays around the hem. I like pencil and graph paper for my preliminary charting. The computer comes later.


A preliminary schematic, and then the math. Oh, the math! But don't worry, the finished pattern is much more understandable.


Then knit, knit, knit, and knit some more, tweaking the math as the knitting goes on. Once the knitting is complete, block the garment. This, in case you've ever wondered, is why a gauge swatch is important:

 

The finished garment, which I look forward to wearing:



... And as of today, the end result is available to you as a PDF pattern.

Princesa de los Andes*
$6.95 at Ravelry

*Princess of the Andes

Yarn shown: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Lace, colorway "Incan City". Any heavy laceweight or light fingering weight yarn could be substituted.
Gauge: 22 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette stitch
Needle size: US 1 - 2.25 mm (circular & dpn) or size to achieve gauge

Sizes and yarn requirements: The sweater is designed to have 2-4 inches of ease for a body-skimming, not overly tight fit. The pattern includes 6 sizes ranging from Women's XS - 2XL.

XS fits 28–30” (71–76 cm.) bust, requires 920 yd of yarn
S fits 32–34” (81–86 cm.) bust, requires 990 yd of yarn
M fits 36–38” (91.5–96.5 cm.) bust, requires 1130 yd of yarn
L fits 40–42” (101.5–106.5 cm.) bust, requires 1350 yd of yarn
XL fits 44–46” (111.5–117 cm.) bust, requires 1500 yd of yarn
2X fits 48–50” (122–127 cm.) bust, requires 1700 yd of yarn

Notes: Top-down, seamless construction. Lace motifs are provided in chart form only. The pattern includes instructions for side shaping. These may be omitted for straight sides, which will require more yarn.