Straylight

This easy-fitting top is knit in pieces but requires very little seaming, thanks to judicious use of picked up stitches and 3-needle bind offs. The centre front and back pieces are knit from the bottom up in a Star Mesh stitch from the Estonian lace tradition, and joined at the shoulders with a 3-needle bind off. Stitches are picked up along each edge to work the side body/sleeve sections. A Spearhead Lace panel runs down the top of the sleeve, where a series of decreases shape them. Meanwhile, another 3-needle bind off finishes the side seams, leaving only a few inches of underarm to be sewn up before cuffs are added. Finally, a garter hem completes the garment, giving the knitter flexibility for adding length to this relatively cropped silhouette.

This top is named for the Villa Straylight, a location inside William Gibson’s Neuromancer.