Last summer I visited my little sister, SB (an amateur fashion maven and my muse, though she also has a responsible day job), in Washington, D.C. During one of many walks around Capitol Hill she showed me the Summerhouse, which was built in the early 1880s so that visitors to the Hill would have a water fountain. I fell in love with the little brick grotto with a garden and immediately filed it away in my memory. The lattice brickwork and romantic atmosphere basically begged to be knitted.

Whenever I design something I ask myself “Would SB wear this? Where would SB wear this?” This transitional pullover screams “cool spring day on the Hill” to me. The lace and cable pattern seems solid from a distance, but at the right angle the eyelets really show. I’d love to see this knit up in a silky neon, or with the body one color and the sleeves in another. I can see this sweater dressed up or down, flirty or conservative, but it’ll always be comfortable and cute. Just like SB.

Finished Size 30.5 (35.25, 40, 42.25, 47, 51.75, 54, 58.75, 63.5)” bust/chest circumference. Pullover shown in Knit picks City Tweed DK in size 35.25″ and in Artisan Yarns Alpaca Silk in size 30.5”.

Materials

Yarn Knit Picks City Tweed DK, 55% Merino Wool, 25% Superfine Alpaca, 20% Donegal Tweed; 123 yds/50g: CH96 Porpoise, 9 (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) skeins.

Yarn Artisan Yarns Alpaca Silk, 70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk; 245 yds/100g: Brick, 5 (6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9) skeins.

Needles Size 4 (3.5 mm): cir and dpn in lengths appropriate for working body and sleeves in the round and flat; Size 5 (3.75 mm): cir in length appropriate for working body hem in the round. Adjust needle sizes if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions Markers; tapestry needle; blocking tools.

Gauge 24 sts and 34 rows = 4″ (10 cm) in St st on smaller needles. A swatch of 40 sts and 48 rows in Flat Pattern Stitch will measure 5.875” wide by 4.75” tall.

Notes In order for the pattern to hide the row jogs, there is a bit of juggling with the End of Round Marker. This is spelled out in the written instructions.