Petite Knit Cumulus Blouse PROJECT

Cumulus Blouse

The Cumulus Blouse was originally designed with 2 strands of a lace weight kid mohair held together, but I was curious to see if it could be done a bit more simply with a single strand of Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk, which is a very soft brushed alpaca. We made the second size, which called for about 6 balls, but in the end we used less than 5 balls of Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk, so you might have an extra ball - better to be safe than sorry!

You can also use 2 strands of Drops Kid Silk held together, which offers lots of opportunities for playing with colour! You could choose two colours that are close together to create a depth of colour, or pick a higher contrast to make something more marled and tweedy looking. Of course, you can also go with two strands of the same colour for a classic look.

Construction

The Cumulus Blouse is worked in the round from the top down in stockinette stitch. The design has a deep rounded V-neck, and all edges are finished with i-cord.

Size

The Cumulus Blouse is designed to have approx. 10-15 cm [4-6 inches] of positive ease, meaning it is designed to be approx. 10-15 cm [4-6 inches] larger in circumference than your bust measurement. The sizes XS (S) M (L) XL (2XL) 3XL (4XL) 5XL are designed to fit a bust circumference of 80-85 (85-90) 90-95 (95-100) 100-110 (110-120) 120-130 (130-140) 140-150 cm [31½-33½ (33½-35½) 35½-37½ (37½-39½) 39½-43¼ (43¼-47¼) 47¼-51¼ (51¼-55) 55-59 inches]. Measure yourself before beginning your project, to determine which size will fit you the best. For example, if you measure 90 cm 35½ inches around your bust (or around the widest part of your upper body) you should knit a size S. A size S sweater has a bust circumference of 102 cm [40¼ inches] which in the given example would give you 12 cm [4¾ inches] of positive ease.

• we made the second size
• XS (S) M (L) XL (2XL) 3XL (4XL) 5XL of
• Bust circumference: 96 (102) 109 (116) 126 (136) 140 (149) 156 cm [37¾ (40¼) 43 (45¾) 49½ (53½) 55 (58¾) 61½ inches]
• Length: 52 (54) 57 (59) 60 (62) 64 (66) 68 cm [20½ (21¼) 22½ (23¼) 23½ (24½) 25¼ (26) 26¾ inches]

Materials

• Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk: 5 (6) 6 (6) 7 (7) 8 (8) 9 balls (knit with a single strand of yarn)
• 4.5mm/US7 - 24" circular needles
• 4.5mm/US7 - 32" circular needles
• 4.5mm/US7 double pointed needles (or 10" to 12" short circular needles)
• Stitch Markers
• PATTERN

Alternative Yarn Suggestion

Drops Kid Silk: 6 (7) 8 (8) 9 (9) 10 (10) 11 balls (knit with 2 strands held together)