[tipsyclaire]

I have a top I love the colour and shape but hate the sleeves, I was thinking of removing them and replacing them with some lace knit ones. However I am unsure how to judge the best way of working out how many stitches to cast on or how to shape them. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[dragonflylace]

This is a great place for stitches and motifs of all kinds.

http://www.knittingfool.com

This is the main page. At the left, you can search by stitch count. If it is on the sleeve and you want part solid stst and part lace, you could put the lace just at then center of the sleeve.

I would select a pattern where you can center the lace. Just calculate how many stitches you need at the shoulder (if you are doing a traditional set in sleeve, because this is the part you want to have centered. Be sure you have enough stitches at the cuff and you should be alright.

If you want an all-over design, then you should also be able to find a design to cover the entire sleeve.

This is a great place to explore. Hope it helps.

 

[Casper12a]

Thank you for sharing this site!

 

[LadyBecket]

I must agree with Dragonflylace, that is the best place for lacy designs.

 

[Carol J.]

Use the same sleeve pattern but find the center, pick out the design you want to use and subtract the number from the sleeve stitches above the cuff if there is one. The keep half of the remaining stitches on each side in stockinette stitch. You may want 1 or 2 stitches in purl on each side of the design to emphasize the lace pattern you choose. You can do the increasing as your pattern reads, only the center panel will be lacy.

Carol J.