After my first cardigan came the question: what to knit next? I knew I wanted to make another cardigan, but when I saw this lace elastic belt tutorial I figured it’d be a small and quick project to break up the longer ones. Plus, I’d like to add more belts to my wardrobe even though I hardly ever think to wear them! I’m not big on accessorizing (I wear earrings and call it a day), but sometimes it’s nice to pair a belt with a dress. So here’s my attempt at doing just that.

**Note: I found this Andi Satterlund tutorial on Tuts+, but there are errors on rounds 10 and 12. The corrections are noted on the Ravelry page so I’d recommend looking there as well.

I used:

• About 60 yards of Painter’s Palette Premium Merino wool (phew) by Koigu, which I picked up at The Yarn Company, a local store on the Upper West Side. This yarn may not have been the best choice to show off the lacework (rookie mistake!), but I do think the colors look pretty together. They add some zing to a solid-colored outfit like my peach sundress. Plus, the color changes really allowed me to see how the lace was forming, which was pretty cool.

• US 3 / 3.25mm needles with a 24″ cable.

• 1″ wide pink elastic and gold belt buckle from Daytona Trimmings in the Garment District. They even have knitting needles there (thanks Carolyn for that tip!).

One of the colors in this yarn matches my dress color – I swear!

With this belt I learned the following techniques:

• Magic loop: I used this tutorial, if you’re curious. I’ve been finding it really useful to watch videos on that website because they’re all taught by the same woman. A private lesson of sorts! It really is magic seeing this small tube come together, which started off looking like I was knitting a scarf for a wee mouse.

• Lace repeats: There are a few cardigans with lacework that I’d like to try, and I figured this small, less complex project would be the perfect practice piece. You repeat 16 rounds multiple times depending on your desired size, and I found placing a clasp marker at the end of each 16th round super helpful in keeping me on track.

Artsy “toy camera effect” setting on my camera because yep!

To insert the elastic, I stuck a safety pin to one end and slowly brought it through the knit casing. I really had to smooth things out several times to get the casing and the elastic to match lengths so don’t give up if your casing comes up short at first!

Another artsy shot with a view of midtown Manhattan from the Long Island City waterfront.

You can also see my notes on my Ravelry page. And if you have any belt pattern recommendations, I’d sure love to hear them. :-D