by Rachel Henry

Galanthus is the Greek name for the snowdrop genus of flowers. Most snowdrops flower in late winter, well before the vernal equinox. Each bulb produces a single small, bell-shape, white flower. In areas where the snowdrop is cultivated (or has gone native), the flowering plants give the impression of a blanket of new snow. How lovely to discover that the "snow" is made of tiny flowers!

Galanthus is a dramatic lace top features the traditional snowdrop lace pattern on a full skirt and long belled sleeves. At the high waist and just above the elbow, the transition from lace to stockinette is marked with rows of horizontal chain stitch. The round neck is finished with the same stitch to bring the entire garment together.

The front, back, and set-in sleeves are all worked flat from the bottom up. The neck edge is worked flat after one shoulder is seamed. The side seams in the body and sleeves will stabilize the lacy fabric and help prevent sagging. Any solid or semi-solid colorway will be beautiful in this pattern.

SIZE
Women's XS [S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X]
shown in size M

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 28 [32.5, 36, 40.5, 44, 48.5, 52] inches
Length: 22 [25, 28.25, 31, 32.75, 33, 33.25] inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Kelpie Fibers Taliesin Sock [80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon; 435 yds/398 m per 100 g skein]; color: Zanzibar; 3[3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6] skeins.
Note: Should you wish to substitute yarns, I recommend wool or wool-blend fingering-weight yarn: 950[1200, 1450, 1700, 1950, 2200, 2400] yds

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US #3/3.25 mm straight or circular needles
1 set US #5/3.75 mm straight or circular needles

Notions
stitch markers (optional)
waste yarn
yarn needle

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

When shaping, create the increases and decreases 1 stitch away from the edges, to maintain a 1-stitch selvage for seaming.

Sk2p: Slip 1 stitch knitwise, then k2tog, then pass the slipped stitch over (a left-leaning double decrease)

S2kp: Slip 2 stitches together as if to k2tog, then k1, then pass both slipped stitches over (a centered double decrease)

HCS (horizontal chain stitch): Knit into the back of the second stitch on the left needle (do not slip stitches off needle), then k2tog through the back loops, slipping both stitches off left needle. Return the first stitch on the right needle to the left needle. (On the final HCS of a given row, skip the last step.)

Lace Pattern:
Row 1 [RS]: K2, *yo, s2kp, yo, k5; rep from * to last 5 sts, yo, s2kp, yo, k2.

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 [WS]: Purl.

Row 3 [RS]: K2, *yo, s2kp, yo, k5; rep from * to last 5 sts, yo, s2kp, yo, k2.

Row 5 [RS]: K2, *k3, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 5 sts, k5.

Row 7 [RS]: K2, *yo, s2kp, yo, k1, yo, sk2p, yo, k1; rep from * to last 5 sts, yo, s2kp, yo, k2.

DIRECTIONS

Next Row [RS]: K2, *s2kp, k1, yo, sk2p, yo, k1; rep from * to last 5 sts, s2kp, k2. 71[83, 89, 101, 113, 125, 137] sts.

Change to smaller needles.
Purl one row.

Waist, Row 1 [RS]: K1, work HCS across piece to last st, k1.
Waist, Row 2 [WS]: Purl.

Repeat the last 2 rows once more.

Work in St st, and at the same time, increase 1 stitch at each end every 8th[8th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 7th] row 4[4, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4] times. 79[91, 101, 113, 123, 135, 145] sts.

Work even until piece measures 5.25[5.25, 5.25, 5, 5, 4.75, 4.5] inches from last HCS row.

Shape Armholes:
BO 1[3, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10] sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.

BO 1[2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 6] sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.

BO 0[1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2] sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.

Decrease 1 st at the beginning of the next 0[0, 0, 2, 6, 6, 10] rows. 75[79, 89, 93, 97, 99, 99] sts. ^

Place center 13[13, 15, 15, 17, 17, 17] sts on waste yarn for front neck. You will now work the left shoulder only; place sts for right shoulder on a holder. 31[33, 37, 39, 40, 41, 41] sts each side.

[**]Decrease 1 st at neck edge every 3rd row 13[14, 15, 16, 16, 17, 17] times. 18[19, 22, 23, 24, 24, 24] sts each side.
Work even until armhole measures 6[6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9] inches.
Place shoulder sts on waste yarn.

Join yarn to right shoulder sts with RS facing and work as for left shoulder from [**]

Place center 29[31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 39] sts on waste yarn for back neck. You will now work the right shoulder only; place sts for left shoulder on a holder. 23[24, 28, 29, 30, 30, 30] sts each side.

BO 3[3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4] sts on foll WS row, work RS row and BO 2 sts on foll WS row. 18[19, 22, 23, 24, 24, 24] sts. Place shoulder sts on waste yarn.

Join yarn to left shoulder sts with RS facing and BO 3[3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4] sts on foll RS row, work WS row and BO 2 sts on foll RS row. 18[19, 22, 23, 24, 24, 24] sts.
Place shoulder sts on waste yarn.

SLEEVES
With larger needles, cast on 63[71, 79, 79, 87, 103, 111] sts.

Begin working from chart, working the 8-st repeat 7[8, 9, 9, 10, 12, 13] times across the row.

Work chart in full 7[8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8] times, then work rows 1-6 once.

Next Row [RS]: K2, *s2kp, k1, yo, sk2p, yo, k1; rep from * to last 5 sts, s2kp, k2. 47[53, 59, 59, 65, 77, 83] sts.

Change to smaller needles.
Purl one row.

Elbow, Row 1 [RS]: K1, work HCS across piece until only one stitch remains, k1.

Elbow, Row 2 [WS]: Purl all.
Repeat the last 2 rows once more.

Work in St st, and at the same time, increase 1 stitch at each end every 7th[10th, 15th, 6th, 5th, 6th, 5th] row 4[3, 2, 5, 6, 5, 6] times. 55[59, 63, 69, 77, 87, 95] sts.

Work even until piece measures 5.5[5.75, 5.75, 5.75, 5.75, 6, 6] inches from last HCS row.

Decrease 1 st at each end every RS row 3[3, 4, 2, 5, 3, 3] times.
Decrease 1 st at each end every 4th row 3[4, 4, 7, 5, 7, 7] times.
Decrease 1 st at each end every RS row 5[4, 5, 3, 5, 3, 3] times. 27[25, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33] sts.

BO 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
BO 4 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
BO the remaining 15[13, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21] sts.

FINISHING
Wash and block pieces, taking care to pin out the lace.

Join the left shoulder using 3-needle BO.

To finish the neck, with RS facing you and smaller needles, pick up and knit stitches along the back right neck, knit across the held stitches at the back center neck, pick up and knit stitches along the back left neck and down the front left neck, knit across the held stitches at the front center neck, and pick up and knit stitches up the front right neck.
Next row [WS]: Purl.
Next row [RS]: K1, work HCS across piece until only one stitch remains, k1.
Next row [WS]: Purl.

BO with RS facing as follows: k1, [slip 1 stitch knitwise from right needle to left needle, k2tog through the back loops], repeat across until all stitches have been bound off. (Slipping the stitch knitwise when returning it to the left needle twists the stitch, so that the bind-off row matches the look of the HCS row.)

Join the right shoulder using 3-needle BO, using the tail to seam the neck edging as well.

Sew side seams on body and sleeves. Sew sleeves in place. Weave in loose ends.

Rachel lives near Boston, MA, with her husband, three boys, and two dogs. She loves New England's temperamental weather, making hand-knit items useful year-round. She's been seen knitting at soccer fields, dog agility trials, and in line at Canobie Lake Park, in addition to the more traditional "sitting on the couch, watching reality television" location.

Read more at her blog or find her on Ravelry.