Our August Project of the Month is Sarah’s Amelia Gillet by Mizuho Komiya, a lightweight, lace-detailed summer vest that first caught her eye while travelling through Japan. As soon as she spotted the pattern, Sarah tucked it away for the right yarn. So when Les Garçons Été Sport arrived at the shop, it clicked. She had the pattern, she had the perfect yarn, and it was finally time to cast on.

The result is an effortlessly wearable long vest that’s ideal for layering through summer and into early fall. The original design has an airy, lightweight feel, but Sarah wanted something with a little more structure.

Les Garçons Été Sport has a generous silk content that makes it noticeably softer than many cotton-linen blends, while still giving the garment beautiful stitch definition. Because the yarn sits on the heavier side of sport weight, her finished vest has a little more drape and substance than the original sample something she absolutely loves.

If Été Sport isn’t your style, Sarah also recommends Bramble Ridge Wool/Linen for a lighter version, or Lang Crealino if you’re into an all-linen summer knit.

One of our favourite details isn’t actually in the pattern. Sarah began with a provisional cast-on using a bright sock yarn and loved the contrast so much that she continued the colour into the i-cord bind-off and matching belt.

“I discovered I’m simply not capable of knitting an entirely neutral garment.” (I was confused when I saw she had picked beige).

If you’ve never knit from a Japanese pattern before, don’t let it intimidate you. The lace instructions are presented as charts rather than written directions, and there are a few formatting differences from North American patterns. Sarah notes that although the chart doesn’t explicitly say so, she worked every knit stitch as a purl and every purl as a knit on the wrong side rows. Once you understand the chart conventions, the pattern is surprisingly approachable.

Sarah’s Tips for working with lace:

Sarah already has her next project lined up Leavitt by Hiromi Otsuru, another beautiful design she discovered while travelling in Japan. This time she’ll be knitting it in Bramble Ridge Wool/Linen, making another lightweight layer that’s perfect for warmer weather so stay tuned.