Volia.
One single Ukrainian word with so many important, powerful meanings. It means willpower, self-control; a desire and a right to act at one’s discretion; but most importantly it means freedom and independence.

Freedom is what you don’t notice when everything is alright. It seems so basic and undeniable a concept that we easily grow accustomed to it. Ukrainians now probably see the value of freedom more clearly than any other country in Europe. Ukrainians know that freedom can be attacked and must be defended.

Why pick this name for a blouse?
Because it is a light, loose-fitting garment, it calls freedom to me: freedom of movement, of choice as to which sleeve shape and length to pick and how deep the neck opening to make. It’s playful with cute little tassels resembling those of traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses.

The pattern calls for a light mix of linen and silk-mohair yarns, which makes it perfect for the warmer season. Substitute linen with merino or alpaca yarn and you will have a wonderful blouse for the colder months.

You can take a closer look at my sample and discover the design process in episode 17 of my podcast.

Sizes

• The pattern is written for nine sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9) with a finished bust circumference of ca. 95 (105, 115, 125, 135) (145, 155, 165, 175) cm // 37.5 (41.5, 45.5, 49.5, 53.25) (57.25, 61.25, 65, 69) in incl. ca. 20 cm (8 in) of recommended positive ease.

• The sample is cropped and shown in size 2 on a 160 cm (5.3 ft) tall model with ca. 84–66–94 cm (33–26–39 in) body measurements. For more of the finished garment measurements, please refer to the schematic.

Yarn

• 2 strands and ca. 185 (200, 220, 235, 260) (275, 305, 335, 355) g or 2 (2, 3, 3, 3) (3, 4, 4, 4) skeins of Flora from Colori Naturali, 100% linen lace weight yarn with 800 m (875 yds) in 100 g skein, shown in colourway “a tea with friends”;

or ca. 1554 (1600, 1848, 1974, 2184) (2310, 2562, 2814, 2982) m // 1700 (1838, 2022, 2160, 2389) (2527, 2803, 3079, 3262) yds of any other lace weight yarn. Divide the required yardage in half if using a single strand of fingering weight yarn;

• held together with 1 strand and ca. 90 (95, 105, 115, 125) (135, 145, 160, 170) g or 4 (4, 5, 5, 5) (6, 6, 7, 7) skeins of Le Petit Silk & Mohair from Biches & Buches, 30% silk and 70% kid mohair lace weight yarn with 210 m (230 yds) in 25 g skein, shown in colourway Red Brown;

or ca. 756 (798, 882, 966, 1050) (1134, 1218, 1344, 1428) m // 827 (873, 965, 1057, 1149) (1241, 1332, 1470, 1562) yds of any other lace weight yarn.

Estimated yardage is calculated for the shortest version of the blouse (22 cm (8.75 in) with 3/4 sleeves and includes +10% extra. If you wish to add more body/sleeve length, plan for some extra yarn.

Needles and notions

• 2.5 mm (US 1.5) and 3.0 mm (US 2.5) circular needles (pick the length of the cables according to your personal preferences and adjust the size of the needles to get the gauge if necessary);
• spare cables, spare circular needles or scrap yarn to keep sts on hold;
• one 2.5 mm (US 1.5) double pointed needle;
• a few stitch markers, one of which is removable;
• a tapestry needle.

Gauge

• 24 sts & 30 rnds in 10 cm (4 in) on 3.0 mm (US 2.5) needles measured over stockinette stitch worked in the round after blocking;
• 24 sts & 30 rnds in 10 cm (4 in) on 3.0 mm (US 2.5) needles measured over lace pattern on the hem and cuffs worked in the round after blocking.

Adjust the needle sizes if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.