Knit the Look: Mary Kate Steinmiller’s lace-front jumper

how to knit Mary Kate Steinmiller's lace-front jumper

You may remember Mary Kate Steinmiller from my aran sweater reveries, as the adorable genius in the Crewcuts’ sweater. Here she is again, in the same great shoes and another quirky pullover-with-skirt ensemble. This time, she’s sporting a white lace-front sweatshirt that, I have to confess, is a little ’80s-flashback-inducing for me. But it’s a great transitional item, and it brings to mind a sweater that’s been near the top of my to-knit list for awhile, Joji Locatelli’s Dragonflies Jumper pattern. To emulate Mary Kate’s sweater, knit it in Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in White or Ecru. Or go with Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in White or Off-White, if you want it to be a spring/summer piece.

See Vanessa’s recommendations for the rest of the look.

(And see also Louhie’s recently finished Dragonflies — I love what she did with the back.)

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

New Favorites: Slightly lacy cardigans

slightly lacy cardigan knitting patterns

I’ve been on a bit of an epic quest lately for one perfect cardigan pattern. Something that’s interesting to knit and a little skill-expanding, but that’s still stylistically simple enough that I’ll want to wear it in the end. It doesn’t take much for a thing to be too fussy looking for me, after all. Shape-wise, at this point, I’m pretty sure what I want is a nice, timeless crewneck, hip-length, no cables on the arms. Worsted weight. I think I’ve narrowed it to these three gems. What do you think?

Clockwise from top:

Acer by Amy Christoffers: killer cables on front and back; bottom-up seamless body with seamed-in sleeves

Lady Marple by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne: understated eyelet cables only on the front; bottom-up seamless with picked-up stitches for the sleeves

Neon by Joji Locatelli (pictured is bouillesdecoton’s version): allover lattice stitch; top-down with the contiguous-sleeve method I’ve been wanting to try

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