Photo Finish

Photo Finish Knit Top by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

Photo Finish is a top-down raglan knit top designed by Corrine Walcher. This lightweight sweater features a lace panel running down both sleeves and decorative detailing at the neckline. The garment is available in six sizes, ranging from 32 inches to 52 inches in chest circumference, with finished lengths between 13 and 15 inches from cast-on to underarm. The design was originally created as a festival sweater for Rhinebeck 2017, crafted in a breathable silk yarn suitable for warm weather wear.

Techniques and Construction

Photo Finish employs a top-down raglan construction method, meaning knitting begins at the neckline and progresses downward toward the body and sleeves. This approach allows for seamless shaping and easy customization of fit during the knitting process. The top-down raglan technique is particularly valued for its ability to create a garment with minimal seaming and the flexibility to try on the piece as it develops. The design incorporates lace patterning as a key design element, with lace panels integrated into the sleeve construction and neck detail to create visual interest and enhance the lightweight, airy quality of the finished garment.

Stitches Used

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided pattern excerpt, the construction includes lace stitches for the decorative panels on the sleeves and neckline. The lace detailing is characteristic of intermediate-level knitting, requiring knowledge of yarn-overs, decreases, and stitch manipulation to create the open, patterned fabric typical of lace knitting.

Yarn and Materials

Yarn: Photo Finish is knit using Dragonfly Fibers Dance Rustic Silk, a 100% silk noil yarn that provides excellent drape and breathability. This yarn is supplied at 450 yards per 4-ounce skein. The pattern requires 2 skeins for sizes 32 through 40 inches, 2 skeins for the 44-inch size, and 3 skeins for sizes 48 and 52 inches. The sample garment shown was knit in the colorway Kelpie at the 44-inch size using approximately 800 yards of yarn.

Needles: Photo Finish is worked on US #5/3.75mm circular needles measuring 32 inches or longer. Knitters working larger sizes may prefer needles longer than 32 inches to accommodate the increased stitch count comfortably. Double-pointed needles of the same size are used for working small circumferences, such as the upper sleeves or neckline, or knitters may substitute their preferred method for working in the round on small circumferences.

Difficulty Level

Photo Finish is rated as an intermediate knitting project. The combination of top-down raglan shaping, lace panel integration, and seamless construction techniques places this pattern at an intermediate skill level. Knitters should be comfortable with working in the round, understanding raglan increases, reading lace charts or instructions, and managing yarn-overs and decreases. Despite the intermediate difficulty, the pattern gained recognition for its quick completion time, with the designer completing the sample from cast-on to bind-off in just two days.