Diana Bralette - Knitting Pattern
Diana Bralette - Knitting Pattern
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Embrace your femininity with the Diana Bralette. Craft cups perfectly molded to your figure, then choose your body style: a cropped bralette, or an empire waist A-line top. Feel like a goddess.
A straightforward knit, with high impact results. The lace + cable pattern is very quickly memorized while working the straps and back, making it a breeze to stay in pattern for the rest of the garment. There’s also no finishing other than weaving in the ends, as the patterned stitches don’t curl, and no additional trim is needed.
Construction:
Worked top down seamlessly. Start with the straps, CO for the back neck joining the two. Work the back flat, shaping the armholes with increases after transitioning two of the cables into stockinette. Pick up sts to work the left front, work a short strap, then transition the center cable into stockinette and shape the neckline and armhole with increases. Repeat for the right front, then CO sts at the center front to join the two. Work a few more increases for the armholes, then CO sts at the underarms to join the front to the back. Work in the round to full bust height, then shape each cup individually with customized short row instructions using the calculator. Even out the center front hem with a few more short rows, then transition the stockinette sections back into the lace + cable ribbing, and choose your body style.
Option 1: Bralette - Work the lace ribbing for the under bust, then BO with a Tubular BO.
Option 2: Top - Work the lace ribbing for the under bust (fewer repeats than the bralette), then transition the cables into stockinette and work gradual increases in the stockinette sections to shape the A-line body. Finish with a short double knit hem.
Difficulty: Intermediate
The stitch pattern is easily memorized, and the pattern uses markers to help you distinguish between the patterned sections and stockinette sections where all the shaping occurs. The cup shaping calculator provides personalized cup shaping instructions, and offers a lot of modification options for the shape and size of your breasts.
As with all my size inclusive garment patterns, you can use the code ANTIFATTAX to get 20% off the pattern, intended for sizes 6-10 to help combat the extra costs incurred by knitting larger sizes.
This pattern has been professionally tech edited by Boann Petersen, and has been test knitted.
Details
Sizing
I recommend choosing a size that is 20% smaller than your full bust circumference (multiply by .8). The bralette is meant to be snug around the full bust and the under bust. If between sizes, size down.
Cup size is customized to your body with short rows. A calculator generates instructions for you based on your bust cup depth measurement. Depending on size and the desired bust cup depth, this shaping may be split into 2 sections, with preliminary short rows followed by the cup shaping short rows. See photo for illustration.
Pattern comes in 10 sizes, which are intended to fit a 30”, 34”, 38”, (42”, 46”, 50”) {54”, 58”, 62”, 66”} / 75 cm, 85 cm, 95 cm, (105 cm, 115 cm, 125 cm) {135 cm, 145 cm, 155 cm, 165 cm} full bust measurement.
Finished garment bust circumference:
24.25”, 27.5”, 30.75”, (34.25”, 37”, 40.5”) {43.75”, 46.75”, 50”, 53.5”} / 60.5 cm, 69 cm, 77 cm, (85.5 cm, 92.5 cm, 101.5 cm) {109 cm, 117cm, 125 cm, 133.5 cm}
Sample is size 2 with 2.5” / 5 cm of cup shaping, and is ~21% smaller than my full bust circumference.
Please see the size chart and schematic in the photos for additional garment measurements, A-E are finished garment measurements.
Gauge
38 stitches and 40 rows in 4” / 10 cm in lace ribbing with (Smaller) needles, after blocking. This is the gauge that matters most. Pattern includes swatching instructions.
30 stitches and 32 rows in 4” / 10 cm in stockinette stitch and faux cable columns with (Larger) needles, after blocking. This is the gauge for the body portion of Body Option 2: Top, after the under bust ribbing.
Needles & Notions
(Smaller) US 2 / 2.75 mm circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge in lace ribbing, after blocking.
(Larger) US 4 / 3.5 mm circular needles, or 2 sizes larger than (Smaller) needles. Only used if making the top.
9 stitch markers, removable markers, darning needle, cable needle, scissors, tape measure.
Yardage
Top:
Sandnes Garn Petite Knit Sunday 3, 4, 4, (4, 5, 5) {6, 6, 7, 7} skeins (257 yards / 235 meters per 50 g), 100% Merino Wool, in the color ‘1012 Whipped Cream’.
OR 727, 775, 907, (1004, 1152, 1260) {1362, 1469, 1613, 1765} yards / 665, 708, 829, (918, 1053, 1152) {1245, 1343, 1475, 1614} meters of comparable fingering weight yarn.
Bralette:
Sandnes Garn Petite Knit Sunday 2, 2, 2, (3, 3, 3) {4, 4, 4, 5} skeins.
OR 388, 412, 497, (560, 665, 732) {812, 879, 981, 1093} yards / 355, 376, 454, (513, 608, 669) {743, 804, 897, 999} meters of comparable fingering weight yarn.
My bralette is knit out of a SW Merino, Yak, and Silk blend. The animal fibers add elasticity to help it retain its shape, while the silk adds strength and makes it super soft.
Techniques
Long Tail CO
Backwards Loop CO
Directional increases (lifted and M1R / M1L) and decreases
Pick up and Knit
Shadow Wrap Short Rows (bust shaping)
German Short Rows (bust shaping)
Italian BO
Tubular BO
Double Knit Hem
Cables - 1-1p LC, 1-1p RC, 1-1p-1 LC, 1-2 LC
Lace - YO, Sl1p PSSO
What’s Included
-Main Pattern PDF
-Progress charts for the yoke
-Cup shaping calculator for personalized short row cup shaping instructions
-Charted and written instructions for the patterned stitches
-Modification guidance for altering armhole depth
-Modification guidance for altering body shaping
-Illustrated construction overview
-Links to video tutorials and explanations of special techniques
-Hyperlinks in the pattern for easy navigation within the pattern
-Full schematic and size chart