I’m somewhat confounded by what to knit, and what to wear generally, in the summer. The same pants as winter? The same skirts and dresses, minus the tights and cardigans?

This spring I’ve challenged myself to create some summery designs that will also work as layering pieces when the weather is chillier. You can wear this light pullover over a camisole or a long-sleeved shirt, and choose to wear the mesh panel in the front or in the back, or to omit it altogether. I know this is something I’ll be wearing a lot this summer.

Construction and yarn notes:

I designed this simple pullover to showcase subtle gradations in color, texture, and fiber. The design is reversible: A translucent panel knit from a silk and stainless steel fiber can be worn to the back or front. To omit the translucent panel, work this portion (yarn D) in the same yarn as the other side of the pullover (yarn B) or use a different color of the main yarn to maintain the colorblock effect.

This design is knit in one piece from the bottom up. It is worked in the round to the underarms, at which point the front and back are divided and worked separately to the shoulders. The shoulders are then grafted or sewn, the only finishing necessary!

You could easily substitute a fingering-weight yarn for the heavy laceweight yarn used for the sample. This would create a slightly heavier, less translucent fabric.

Yarn requirements:
For finished bust measurements 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52):
920 (1030, 1180, 1310, 1460, 1620) yds total
350 (390, 440, 490, 530, 580) yds A (light green); 310 (350, 400, 450, 510, 570) yds B (gray); 120 (130, 150, 160, 180, 200) yds C (brown; used for shoulders); 140 (160, 190, 210, 250, 280) yds D (the silk/stainless yarn used for the translucent panel)