Anais Lace Panel Top in West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite Lace - DBP0271 - Downloadable PDF

Anais Lace Panel Top – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Anais Lace Panel Top is a beautifully crafted knitted top designed by Chloé Elizabeth Birch and published by West Yorkshire Spinners. Available as a downloadable PDF (pattern code DBP0271), this pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with lace techniques and are ready to move beyond basic construction. The finished garment features elegant lace panels as a central design element, lending the top a delicate, feminine aesthetic suitable for a range of occasions.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a lace panel top — a wearable knitted garment for the upper body. The defining feature of the design is its decorative lace panelling, which is integrated into the fabric to create visual interest and a lightweight, airy feel. The top is constructed with attention to shaping and fit, and the sleeve construction involves either a raglan or semi set-in sleeve style, giving the garment a polished, structured silhouette.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is specifically written for West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite Lace yarn, a luxurious lace weight yarn. Lace weight yarn is among the finest weights available in knitting, producing a fabric that is gossamer-thin, lightweight, and ideal for intricate stitch patterns such as the lace panels featured in this design. West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite Lace is known for its smooth, even twist and beautiful stitch definition, which allows lace motifs to appear crisp and well-defined in the finished fabric.

• Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite Lace
• Weight: Lace
• Needle size: As specified in the individual pattern tension section — knitters are advised to swatch and adjust needle size to achieve the stated tension

Tension and Sizing

As with all garment knitting, achieving the correct tension is essential to ensure the finished top matches the intended measurements and sizing. The pattern explicitly instructs knitters to work a tension square before beginning the garment. If fewer stitches than stated are achieved over the tension square, the knitter should move down a needle size; if more stitches are achieved, a larger needle size should be used. This careful attention to tension is especially important when working with lace weight yarn, as even small variations can significantly affect the drape and dimensions of the finished piece.

Techniques Used

The Anais Lace Panel Top draws on a range of knitting techniques appropriate for an intermediate level knitter:

• Lace knitting: The central technique of this pattern, lace knitting involves working yarn overs and decreases in a deliberate sequence to create decorative open-work panels. Lace requires careful attention to stitch counts and pattern repeats.
• Garment shaping: The top is shaped to fit the body, requiring knitters to work increases and decreases at specific intervals to achieve the correct silhouette.
• Sleeve construction: The pattern features either raglan or semi set-in sleeve shaping. Raglan sleeves are sewn by matching row for row, while semi set-in sleeves require a different seaming approach as noted in the finishing instructions.
• Seaming with mattress stitch: The pattern recommends mattress stitch for joining seams, a technique that produces a nearly invisible, neat join on the right side of the fabric — ideal for a refined, professional finish on a delicate lace garment.
• Working pattern repeats: The pattern uses standard repeat notation, including single asterisk repeats and bracketed instructions worked a specified number of times or for a specific size, requiring the knitter to follow multi-size instructions carefully.

Stitches Used

The stitch work in the Anais Lace Panel Top combines foundational knitting stitches with decorative lace elements:

• Lace stitches: Yarn overs (to create deliberate holes and the characteristic open-work of lace) combined with paired decreases to maintain stitch count across lace panel sections.
• Knit and purl stitches: Used throughout the body of the garment to create the