Copyright: Clotheshorse 2012

It has been a long wait for the Winter issue 12/13, but it was worth it to see my design so beautifully styled and photographed! My Gothic lace pullover has been named Eligia Top and the cowl, fittingly Eligia Cowl. The design was submitted at the end of March last year based on Clotheshorse’s Gothic mood board, see my post on clotheshorse-magazine. I wanted to design a fitted allover lace pullover with a puffed sleeve and a straight boatneck. An elegant evening look, with Gothic aspirations. I wanted a yarn with sheen and smooth to the touch, in deep purple. Tencel is a fiber made of cellulose, I love knitting with, since it only needs to be stretched into shape, and is not as slippery on the hands as silk. I also enjoy wearing it. I wanted the same shape but with larger puffed sleeve as my Lace Sweater see ‘Blondegenser’ designed for my book, see ravelry. I chose Tencel 8/2 in Eggplant held double throughout from Valley Yarns, WEBS own brand, see webs-weaving-yarns-valley-yarns-82-tencel, also available at Handweavers Studio in London, see handweavers.

Copyright: Clotheshorse 2012

Construction: Sleeves are knitted flat, to learn the lace pattern and simultaneously, so they become identical. Increases are made between the pattern repeats  after armhole cast off to create puff. Body knitted in the round with decreases to the waist and increases to the bust in between the pattern repeats for a better fit. Both sweater and cowl are knitted on a 3 mm/US 2.5,  sweater is available in sizes 36.5 (38.8, 40, 41.5, 43)”/92.5 (98, 101.5, 105.5, 109) cm and cowl: one size: 23.5″/54.5 cm circumference, 13.5″/34.5 cm heigh.

Copyright: Clotheshorse 2012

I discovered the stunning stitch pattern in one of my Japanese stitch dictionaries: it has symmetry and hence seem more logical to knit without requiring too much concentration, the pattern repeat ended on a purl stitch and had a middle purl stitch = two spines to easily keep track of pattern worked in reverse stocking stitch throughout to end. Either side of a spine is also an ideal place to increase and decrease, but I wanted to avoid interrupting the lace pattern, hence I added several purl stitches in between each pattern repeat. I have learned the hard way to calculate stitch numbers and pattern repeats from waist to hip, and not the other way around to master the maximum number of pattern repeats possible at the narrowest point. There also needs to be an equal number of pattern repeats on back and front of a pullover. The math can be a bit overwhelming at times and by plotting them onto a schematic I can keep a record – read: an awful lot better than notes that need deciphering afterwards!

Copyright: Clotheshorse 2012

The patterns are available to buy and directly download from Clotheshorse magazine, see winter_2012-13 page 63 & 65 and on Ravelry eligia-top and eligia-cowl. I will try not to spend hours watching the activity on those 2 patterns and admiring the photos on Ravelry, but do not dare to promise! I am so grateful to Clotheshorse and its lovely & talented editors Mindy Brown & Heather Dixon!