I’ve finished my Modern Lace Henley, but it’s not really a henley any more… I think it’s turned out rather well. (Please excuse the awkward mirror photos/frizzy hair.)
Pattern: Modern Lace Henley by Pam Allen
Yarn: Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK, colour #914 Marine, 7 balls
Size: 35.5″, with waist shaping added. 0.5-1″ of positive ease at the bust.
Needles: 3mm straight throughout, with a 2.5mm circular for the neck ribbing.
Although it’s lace, this was a straightforward knit. The pattern’s easy to memorise - purling on the wrong side, and the four right side rows are really just two rows started in different places. I like the chunkiness of lace knit in a heavier weight of yarn, too.
I made some fairly drastic changes to the original pattern - I like it as written, but decided it could be more flattering on me. So, the sleeves are a lot shorter, the ribbing is a little wider at the hem, and the collar is completely different (mainly because I wanted to be able to wear it over a shirt, as in the photos). I added some waist shaping too. (I’ll post my modifications as soon as I have them written out in intelligible English.) Oh - I also changed the 1×1 ribbing to twisted rib throughout, because I prefer the look of it.
This was the first time I’ve made changes to a pattern, but it worked out well (despite nervous jitters about whether it would fit or not). I think my background knowledge of sewing patterns helped. All I can say is: trust the maths. The numbers will not lead you astray, and as long as your own measurements are correct, and you’re getting gauge, chances are it’ll be okay. In my case, it was - this top fits absolutely perfectly! It’s warm, but not too warm for the still-chilly spring days. I’ll also be able to wear it on its own, but I’ll need a flesh-toned bra or camisole before I can do that.
Verdict: I love the colour, and I wasn’t sure I would, because as we’ve already established in previous posts, I am the monochrome queen. I love the lace. I love the fit. I also love the versatility, which I was a little worried about, since a short-sleeved sweater in DK wool is perhaps not the most practical of garments on initial inspection. This one is great, though, and I suppose it’s really a glorified sweater vest that can also be worn by itself. A complete success, then!
(I’ve got the knitting-clothes-for-myself bug, and have already started on Cherry by Anna Bell. Should be perfect for summer!)
Your mods turned my thoughts on that pattern from meh to wow. Now that’s a sweater I would wear proudly. =) the shaped waist is very flattering on your figure.
And I see you’ve continued to be adventuress with color on your Cherry.
It looks great and I think the shorter sleeves work really well. It co-ordinates rather perfectly with your blog too!
Steph: Thank you so much! I hope it won’t be too long before I can get the mods written up. The yarn I’m using from Cherry has a slightly sad tale behind it, and was originally intended for my Erin, but it wasn’t to be. It’s working up beautifully as Cherry, though, so I mustn’t feel too low about it.
Ysolda: Thank you - my first thought on seeing the pattern was “Lovely, but must shorten those sleeves!”. (I’ve worn elbow-length sweaters before, and they just make my arms look a little chunky.) As for colour, well, I seem to be having a minor obsession with turquoise-y shades at the moment, so the blog had to reflect that. :) Thanks for commenting, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog for some time now.
I love it! You look like a model from the forties! Totally like the photo of a vintage knitting pattern! Looking forward to keeping up with your blog!-kim
It’s lovely, and the color is too. I really like the mods you have made. I hated the color in the original.
erm, the collar in the original.
I love the color. It really fits you very well.
kim: Thank you! I was going for a 40s look with the hair… I’m glad it worked out! :)
Tracey: Yes, I just couldn’t see the collar being versatile for me either. I much prefer to wear a layer under pure wool tops, too, and a v-neck is much better with a shirt.
bluey: Thank you very much! :)
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