Sleeveless Shell by Verena Designer team

Nancy Riolo stumbled upon a beautiful pattern in the Summer 2008 edition of Verena Knitting. She showed it to me, and according to the description, it was a citrus-fresh top with an airy lace that exuded summer vibes. The neckline and shoulders were well-framed with a textured border. Nancy asked me if I could make it for her, and without a second thought, I said yes.

She went to All About Yarn and bought Ella Rae yarn, which is made of 70% bamboo and 30% silk. Although the fiber was smooth and soft, it was slippery to work with. To create the top, I used seven 50-gram hanks, each with 90m of yarn, a needle size of 6, and a tension of 20 stitches and 24 rows per 10 cm (4 inches). While it was occasionally difficult to knit backwards, the pattern turned out perfect, and I even added an extra detail that I thought looked better than the original shell featured in the magazine. Nancy was thrilled with the end result!