Introduction

The Projects

Just Right Wrap
Sometimes two yarns are better than one – especially when they’re two weights of the same luscious alpaca – as Mari Lynn Patrick demonstrates in this wear-everywhere wrap jacket.

The Point About Cuffs
For centuries, a white lace louse has been a wardrobe staple, but when that blouse is covered with a jacket, all that shows are the cuffs. With this notion in mind, Vicki Square designed a pair of mohair cuffs that can be worn with any garment.

Lily of the Valley Shawl
Some of the most beautiful lace patterns come from Eastern Europe. The lily of the valley pattern Nancy Bush used in this shawl is a traditional but enduringly popular motif that originated in Estonia.

Floral Lace Anklets
Evelyn A. Clark nearly always has a pair of socks on her needles. In this pair, she worked a small scalloped lace border that evolves into columns of little lace flowers.

Lace-Edged Corset
Michele Rose Orne is an expert in designing sophisticated feminine knitwear. In this delicate corset top, she chose a silk yarn for the body and a very fine, crisp cotton yarn for the delicate lace edging at the neck and hem.

Featherlight Lingerie Dress
We’re all familiar with gossamer shawls, but Mari Lynn Patrick went a step further and created a featherweight dress with handkerchief hem.

Little Silk Shrug
A lace garment doesn’t get much simpler than this little shrug. The lace motif has a four-row repeat-and two of those four rows are simple purl rows-that is easily memorized.

The Essential Tank Top
A large-scale lace motif worked in fine yarn on large needles creates an appealing airy fabric in Laura Zukaite’s lace tank.

Tailored Scallops
A longtime fan of the traditional feather and fan stitch pattern, Pam Allen worked it on a grand scale for this classic jacket.

Ooh La Lace Dress and Stole
In this elegant dress and stole ensemble, Shirley Paden proves that sometimes you can’t have too much of a good thing.

Retro Redux Shrug
A wardrobe mainstay of the 1940s and 1950s, shrugs helped ensure warmth when sleek, backless dresses were all the rage.

Katharine Hepburn Cardigan
Lace and cables. Cables and lace. However you pair the two, you’re bound to come up with a winning combination.

Long Long Lacy Gloves
Simultaneously elegant and whimsical, Lois S. Young’s over-the-elbow fingerless gloves accessorize any sleeveless top or dress.

Peek-a-Boo Cloche
For the most part, lace patterns do not make insulating fabric and are rarely considered appropriate for warm winter hats. But by layering a decorative lace pattern over dense stockinette stitch, Mona Schmidt found a way to make this hat both lacy and warm.

Show-Off Ruffle Skirt
For this knitted skirt, Kat Coyle worked the bobble lace ruffle back and forth in rows. She then joined the ruffle in to a circle and worked slimming twisted-rib pattern in the round to the waist.

Leg Cozies
Openwork zigs and zags give a ribbed appearance to Lisa Daehlin’s casually dressy leg warmers. Ribbed edgings at top and bottom border a pattern that alternates fagot lace with panels of wavy stockinette stitch.

Lacy Waves Top
In this striking sweater Norah Gaughan carved out a broad notch at the front neckline and filled it with an asymmetrical lace motif that forms scalloping ripples at the neck.

Greta Garbo Garden Hat
For those days when a wide-brimmed hat is still in order, Annie Modesitt has designed a knitted version of this elegant staple.

Never Wimpy Wimple Priscilla
Whether you wear it up over your head or down around your neck, a wimple – especially one that’s edged in lace – makes a delicate frame for your face.

Sterling and Crystal Cuff
Annie Modesitt has used fine silver wire to knit this classy little bracelet on large needles that exaggerate the open stitches of a simple pattern.

Shetland Shawl Turned Vest
Véronik Avery took inspiration from the classic Shetland shawl for this little charcoal vest. She combined two lace patterns: one typically used to create the shawl’s outer edge for the lower part of her vest, and one typically used in the shawl’s interior area for the bodice.

Design Notebook

Abbreviations

Glossary of Techniques

Contributing Designers

Bibliography

Sources for Yarns

Index