Summer Knit Sun Dress with Lace

I genuinely believe that Vogue Knitting, Spring/Summer 2010 is one of the best Vogue Knitting issues for patterns because it includes both beach-y, floating lacework patterns as well as more solid, often textured, pieces. I have accumulated several other Vogue Knitting magazines, and this is my favorite.

This is pattern 22, Sun Dress by Alice Halbeisen. The yarn is Filatura Lanarota Cool Cotton (dk weight, 52% cotton, 48% acrylic), color 29. The yarn was great to work with; sometimes when I order bulk I am a little hesitant about what I'm getting, but I was thoroughly happy with the quality.

Overall, I followed the pattern as written, and I felt that it was well written. I was not meticulous about my decreases; I eyeballed how far they were apart and then counted my stitches periodically to determine what progress I was making. I also did not maintain a perfectly straight decrease line, moving the decreases over from time to time. The sides in the magazine picture looked rather squared off, and I wanted to avoid that.

In addition to making somewhat purposefully imprecise decreases, I made everything longer, both for the sake of my long torso and to make the pattern into more of a dress and less of a long tunic or cover up. To accommodate the lacework, I wear a black camisole underneath.

I didn't feel that the yarn was particularly heavy, but when the dress knitted up, it weighed down progressively, as would be expected. The yarn is by no means to heavy for wearing or hanging in the closet, but since I had the rib stitch closer to my waist, the yarn draped less flatteringly than it likely does when it is an empire waist, as written in the pattern. I therefore wove in a simple thin ribbon to cinch the waist, which works great.

Also, a little surprise quality about this pattern that I didn't see from previous project pictures - the back of the bodice area is a basic rib, which adds great flexibility to the top section and works well "across from" the front-and-center lace paneling.

This pattern bears some resemblance to Libby Baker's Hush-hush slip on knitty, emphasized more by my color choice. Therefore, if it is more challenging to secure a copy of the Vogue magazine, Hush-hush could be a great alternative, or even preference.

So there you have it! Proof that I have been knitting all of this time, despite my neglect of the website. ;) Graduation is coming up quickly for me, so it will likely be quiet again for a little while, but stay tuned for some posts (and patterns?!) this summer!