There are so many beautiful native plants where I live and one in particular, which grows in a patch of shrubs in our yard, is the Lady Slipper Orchid. This delicate little plant cannot be transplanted, as it is highly dependent on the symbiotic relationship it builds with soil organisms in the exact location in which it is growing.

After I developed this special lace stitch for the edging of my top, it reminded me of the cup shape of the orchid’s bloom. 

ANCIENT ORCHID is worked from the top down, beginning as three pieces, two straps and a back panel, then joined to work in the round for the body. All edging is worked in situ, meaning there is no picking-up of stitches in final steps, and edges are grafted together in final steps. The back panel begins with a long, thin section of slipped ribbing (also known as double knitting), and stitches for the back panel are picked up along the edge of this piece.

Shaping is done using Backwards-Loop increases; these are simple to achieve and provide much needed stretch along shaping sections. If you are not familiar with this increase, I have created a tutorial for my YouTube channel to help you learn how to do it! It is my favourite increase method at the moment.

Compound increases along the armholes provide an appropriate fit for all nine sizes. The front straps are worked separately in double knitting with a lace picot edging. Decorative lace picot edge adorns the v-neck, while simple ribbing is used throughout the rest of the garment. Once joined in the round, subtle A-line shaping is added to the body to add more ease and drape there. This garment fits snug at the bust and loosely at the waist.

I hope you enjoy the Ancient Orchid top! I love to see and share your projects! If you like, you can tag them with @the.bluebird.box and #ancientorchidtop. Uploading a project page to Ravelry or pinning the pattern through Pinterest is really appreciated. Thank you for supporting my creative work!

Much love,

Anna