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Knitting a layered lace dress that also doubles as a bathing suit cover up

by Michelle Nussey

Red Heart’s pattern for the Layered Lace Dress is a beautiful addition to the free patterns on their website. This garment can be dressed up or down for any occasion. It’s lace, so you’ll have to wear something underneath it, but that could be anything from a slip to a pair of jeans to a bathing suit! Knitted in black and paired with a black tank dress, this could even be your new LBD! (little black dress)

Shawls aren't the only thing lace is good for. Check out the Layered Lace Dress, a free pattern from Red Heart yarn's website.

The pattern photo from the Layered Lace Dress.

The pattern on the skirt is a variation of the Horseshoe Lace pattern. It’s quite a simple one to memorize. The top section is an eyelet pattern that could be worked in all stockinette stitch for a smoother, closed in look. Both stitch patterns are combinations of yarn overs and decrease stitches, so there’s nothing too fancy.

For more information about Horseshoe Lace pattern, see the May 2017 posts for the exquisite Horseshoe Wedding Stole pattern on KNITmuch.com.

I love the combination of the two different patterns, though. It adds a bit of texture to your knitting and breaks up the process of only doing one type of stitch. Changing up that kind of stitch in the home stretch of a project is one of my favorite things. It makes it seem like you’re really close to the end.

Always knit a swatch when you're testing out yarn for a pattern. This is the bottom lace for the Layered Lace Dress, a free pattern at Red Heart.com

Here is what the lace looks like in a variegated yarn. Knitting a washcloth in this color (Old Blue Jeans Ombre) would self stripe, but the dress will make the yarn simply look variegated.

The way this pattern is designed, it knits up very quickly. Whenever there’s a lace pattern that is comprised of 4-6 rows, I tend to think of it in chunks – a chunk being the pattern repeat. It isn’t like a regular knitting pattern where you think of it row by row in your mind. It may be a psychological game I’m playing with myself, but to me, these types of patterns seem to flow better that way.

Lace is an excellent time to practice reading your knitting. In this horseshoe lace pattern, the idea is to have all the decreases "stack" up over one another. If that line of decreases moves, you can read it and go back to the problem.

A close up of the eyelet patterns. A swatch is an excellent place to examine the differences in the patterns, and how they interact.

What you wear underneath the Layered Lace Dress will determine how fancy you’re going to be. If you wear something underneath with a little bit of sparkle, you’ll be ready for a lavish night out. Putting the Layered Lace Dress under a bathing suit will make for a very casual look, as in the picture below.

This pattern was first featured in the Summer 2015 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine as the Cocktail Cover Up. The pattern works perfectly as a bathing suit cover up, and knit up in the Creme de la Creme yarn, is ideal for the beach or pool.

Layered Lace Dress by Lorna Miser was originally the Cocktail Cover Up perfect for the beach or pool area. Knit up in Creme de la Creme is ideal. First featured in the Summer 2015 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine.

Layered Lace Dress by Lorna Miser was originally the Cocktail Cover Up perfect for the beach or pool area. Knit up in Creme de la Creme is ideal.

The yarn color choices might also determine its appropriate events. The denim colorway in the photo above will be great over jeans or a denim skirt for casual wear. Done in black, you can add a statement necklace, an under dress, and glitzy shoes and be all set for an elegant dinner party. There are enough colors in Creme de la Creme to make one for every occasion, and, at just around $50 to make this dress, it’s affordable enough that you can make more than one!

And needless to say that if this pattern is made shorter, it’ll cost even less!

Join me tomorrow for more knitting fun with Creme de la Creme yarn.

First featured in the Summer 2015 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine. How ideal for the beach, just enough cover and pretty lace pattern. Layered Lace Dress by Lorna Miser was originally the Cocktail Cover Up perfect for the beach or pool area. Knit up in Creme de la Creme is ideal.

How ideal for the beach, just enough cover and pretty lace pattern.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 1: 4 reasons to wear knits made with Creme de la Creme yarn

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