Xiaji Lace Tunic Dress Knitting Pattern

Xiaji Lace Tunic Dress by Mari Chiba

What Is Being Made

The Xiaji Lace Tunic Dress is a versatile knitted garment from Juniper Moon Farm's Summer Collection, designed by Mari Chiba. This lace tunic dress offers multiple styling options, making it a practical addition to warm-weather wardrobes. It can be worn as a standalone pool cover-up, layered over a slip as a flirty summer dress, or paired with leggings and a tank top as a tunic. The design accommodates a wide range of sizes from XS through 3X, with finished bust measurements ranging from 31 inches to 58 inches and lengths from 34¼ inches to 42¾ inches.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several advanced lace-making techniques to create an elegant, open fabric suitable for summer wear. The construction uses circular needle knitting in the round, which allows for seamless construction and even fabric development. The garment features two primary stitch patterns that create the distinctive lace appearance: the Cellular Stitch and the Triangle Eyelet pattern.

The Cellular Stitch technique creates a textured, open fabric through a repeating four-row pattern that combines knit-two-together decreases with yarn overs, producing a dimensional cellular texture. The Triangle Eyelet pattern is more complex, involving strategic decreases and yarn overs that create triangular openings in the fabric. This pattern requires careful stitch manipulation, including knitting into stitches in the row below and dropping yarn overs at specific points to achieve the desired eyelet effect.

Stitches Used

The Xiaji Lace Tunic Dress utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in sophisticated lace patterns:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The base fabric used for gauge measurement and foundational sections, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side
• Cellular Stitch: A four-row repeating pattern combining knit-two-together (k2tog) decreases with yarn overs (yo) and single knit stitches to create an open, textured fabric
• Triangle Eyelet: An advanced lace stitch pattern featuring pass-slip decreases, yarn overs, and knitting into stitches from the row below to create triangular openings
• Knit-two-together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used throughout the lace patterns
• Yarn overs (yo): Essential increases in lace work that create the characteristic holes and openness of the design
• Purl stitches: Used on wrong-side rows to maintain pattern integrity

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Xiaji Lace Tunic Dress is knitted using Juniper Moon Farm Zooey yarn in color #2 Toasted Coconut. Yarn requirements vary by size: XS requires 4 balls, S requires 5 balls, M requires 6 balls, L requires 7 balls, 1X requires 8 balls, 2X requires 9 balls, and 3X requires 10 balls.

The pattern calls for a US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needle measuring 24 inches (61 cm), or the size necessary to achieve proper gauge. Additional notions include a tapestry needle for finishing, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping, and scrap yarn or a stitch holder for securing stitches during construction.

Gauge and Construction Details

Achieving proper gauge is critical for this project. The pattern specifies 22 stitches and 32 rows equal 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch, and 21 stitches and 26 rows equal 4 inches (10 cm) in Cellular Stitch pattern. These different gauges reflect the varying density of the stitch patterns used throughout the garment. Knitters should swatch both stitch patterns to ensure accurate finished measurements before beginning the full project.