In 2013, I went to Hoi An, Vietnam with my then boyfriend on a 8 week Southeast Asia backpacking trip. The town continues to be one of my favorite in Vietnam. The old section was a mix of history and beauty. The beach was such a relief in the oppressive heat. We rented bikes for $1 and had the time of our lives. One of my favorite memories was sitting at a local restaurant, while it rained, watching life go by with a “fresh beer” (beer from a keg) and a bowl of rose dumplings. Hoi An holds a very special place in my heart.
When I came across Hoi An Top I knew I had to make it. A beautiful lace tank that was inspired by the lanterns of Hoi An? Pattern sold ✅.
Sandra from Nomad Stitches made a well laid out pattern that included different colors for the different sizing options. My gauge was slightly different so I went with the large sizing. The lace chart is easy to work with and eventually I had it memorized. I repeated the chart four times as I wanted a shirt length top rather than cropped. The part of this pattern that dragged out for me was the I-cord bind off for the armholes and neckline. This is not my favorite bind-off method, but in this case I went with the designer’s judgement.
This was my first experience with Rosários 4 Alfama Eco Friendly 100% linen. The color of the yarn is such a lovely lilac. This yarn was easy to work with, but it did shed. I had to be careful about knitting prior to work so I didn’t end up a linty mess. Like any linen yarn there was a loss of fiber flexibility while knitting so I made sure to keep my weaving ends on the longer side. I used about 3 skeins for this project. Originally, I thought of making a tunic length so I overbought on yarn. Midway through the project I decided to keep it simple. I have several skeins leftover so I may make a mini version for the baby if I can get the math figured out.
The Hoi An Top was a rewarding garment to create. The construction was interesting and the lacework was right up my alley. Only order of business now is to find a nice occasion to wear it outside of the house.
Until Next Time,
knitsbywhit 
That’s sooo pretty, and how lovely that it has such good memories attached to it already.
I am still amazed at my stumbling across the pattern. Fate perhaps?
Very nice, beautiful colour and I really like the shaping at the back. Cool thing with the name of the top, too.
Thank you! This is my first time knitting with a lilac color and I think I need to use it more.
I have a pattern in my favorites/ wishlist simply because it has my sister’s name (we’re immigrants from Ireland, so our names are really unusual in the U.S.— it’s the Niamh pullover. You don’t see things with “Niamh” on them that much.). 🙂 So I totally get the appeal of this. It’s also cute. 🙂
That would definitely catch my eye as well. 😊
Beautiful work, as always! What a wonderful connection and story!
Thank you!