Glasgow Lace

Pattern: Glasgow Lace by Sharon Shoji, Fall 2006 Interweave Knits.

Yarn: Jo Sharp DK wool, color 912, “Brocade,” 9 skeins

Dates: August 5, 2006 to October 11, 2006 (on and off – actual knitting took a month, but it took another month to bring myself to finish the seaming)

Size: 43” bust

Modifications: Added 1×1 ribbing to bottom hem and cuffs, made neckband go all the way around, added waist shaping.

New skills: All-over lace, tubular cast-on, sewn bind-off.

Notes: I really enjoyed this pattern. The lace is easy to memorize, and I think it looks nice. Here is a detail shot.

When this pattern came out there were a lot of nay-sayers. It doesn’t look all that flattering in the magazine, because it makes the model look thicker around the waist than she actually is. If I can say so myself, my version looks a lot better on me than the original would have. They key is waist shaping and ribbing along the bottom, which gives the whole torso more definition.

I did a tubular cast-on, and worked 1×1 ribbing for one inch. Then I began working in pattern, but every 6th row I decreased a stitch on each side, until I had lost one full pattern repeat (12 stitches) each side. I worked even for 6 rows, then began increasing every 6th row until I was back to the original number. The color in this picture is a bit off, but it gives you an idea of how the shaping works with the pattern.

This picture of the front and back blocking should give you an idea of how far the waist comes in.

I though that the neckband sounded weird, so I did it all the way around. The pattern just says to bind off, but I think that a sewn bind-off/Kitchener bind-off gives it a nice professional look.

I would definitely recommend this pattern, with one caveat. If you have a waist and you want to show it, please add waist shaping!