Waning Lace: My New Spring Design

The Waning Lace pattern can be purchased from my Ravelry store here.

With cool spring days in mind, I started playing around with the idea of a fading lace yoke sweater back in December of last year. When jumping to my closet, time and time again I select sweaters that are on the lighter side to better suit the weather of the southern US, so it only made sense to design a sweater that would fit this bill.

For those curious about the knitwear designing process, I’d like to provide a rundown of how this sweater came to fruition. With some idea of a lacy yoke in mind, I started flipping through the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible for ideas. I was struck by a beautiful wavy lace motif that became the backbone of the lacework in Waning Lace. There were two patterns within the motif, so with trial and error through knitting, trying it on, frogging, etc., and through chart writing, chart deleting, chart editing, etc., I eventually meshed the two patterns together and came up with the lace pattern shown above. (For writing charts I use Stitchmastery software. I cannot recommend it enough!)

For me, Waning Lace screams spring. The yoke features an airy zigzag pattern that evolves into delicate lace-framed leaves. The lace fades asymmetrically into stockinette for both the body and the sleeves, and there are three sleeve options: half, three-quarter and long sleeve. The sweater is worked seamlessly and top-down, with a crew neckline to squeeze in as much lace as possible. Constructed entirely with yarn overs and basic increase and decrease stitches, the lace patterns are quite simple to work, and both chart and written instructions are provided. (Written instructions are not provided for the sleeves, however.)

For this design I required a very special yarn, and still smitten with the Fuse Fiber Studio yarn I used for my Shusui Shrug, I opted for this brand again. I have great admiration for Rebecca, the face behind Fuse Fiber, and her knack for achieving perfectly spattered speckles on subtle but stunning colorways. For this project I chose the golden green, pear-like colorway “Jasmine Green,” which gives me all the spring feels. If you’ve never worked with Fuse Fiber, you’re missing out!

To purchase my Waning Lace pattern from my Ravelry shop, click here.

Below is the pertinent pattern information for Waning Lace:

SIZING

XS (S, M, L, XL) (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X)

Finished bust circumference: 32 (35.75, 39.5, 43.5, 47.75) (51.25, 55.5, 59.75, 63.25) inches /
81 (91, 100, 110, 121)(130, 141, 152, 161) cm

Intended to fit with 0-2 inches / 0-5 cm of positive ease in the chest. Size up for greater ease. Arms are fitted with 0-1 inch / 0-2.5 cm of positive ease. For reference, I have a 36” bust circumference and am wearing the size Small.

NEEDLES

US 2/2.75 mm 32” or longer circulars for ribbing
(A shorter length and/or DPN’s may be desired for the neckband and cuffs if not using magic loop.)

US 4/3.50 mm (or size needed to obtain gauge) 24” for the yoke, 32” or longer circulars for the body

DPN’s may be desired for the sleeves if not using magic loop.

NOTIONS

One unique BOR marker, 4 other markers, darning needle and scrap yarn for sleeves

GAUGE

25 stitches and 37 rows / 4 inches of stockinette with size US 4/3.50 mm needles BLOCKED
*Stockinette and lace gauge may differ. Please see Gauge Note in pattern.

YARN

Fuse Fiber Studio Fuse Fingering (100% SW Merino Wool 2-ply, 400 yards per skein)

3 (3, 4, 4, 4) (5, 6, 6, 7) skeins

Sample colorway: “Jasmine Green”

YARDAGE (long-sleeved version)

960 (1100, 1280, 1450, 1630) (1910, 2110, 2340, 2510) yards /
878 (1006, 1170, 1326, 1490) (1747, 1929, 2140, 2295) meters