Tunic with Belt

Size: 10 (US 6).

Materials: 

Yarn: 200 g (25% Alpaca, 40% Merino Wool, 35% Polyacrylic, yardage = 700 m/100 g); one pair quick knit needles sizes 3 mm (US 2.5) and one circular needle size 4 mm (US 6).

Stockinette stitch (St st): Work RS rows K and WS rows P.

Rib Patt: alt K1, P1 Rib.

Garter stitch in rnds: alt 1 rnd - K, 1 rnd - P.

Bear Paw Stitch:

Work according to chart. RS and WS rows are shown.

Gauge:

over St st: 20 sts and 27 rows = 10 x 10 cm.

Tunic is worked in rnds bottom up.

With circular needle size 4 mm, cast on 238 sts and join to work in rnds, then work 2 rnds in gst. 

Then work 60 rnds in Bear Paw Stitch. 

Switch to 3 mm needles and cont in St st. Knit 2 sts tog = 119 sts. Work 4 rounds.   

Determine the center of front and work bustline darts as foll: up to 16 sts before center - K1, M1, K30, M1. 

Work such incs on every 2nd rnd 5 times. 

Cont even for 20 rnds.

Work from center 20 sts, K2tog, K30, and bind off 12 sts for armhole.  

Work back. Bind off 12 sts for other armhole, then K30, K2tog and 20 sts up to center. 

Work such decs on every 2nd rnd 12 times more.

At the same time, for armhole, bind off 2, 1, 1 st (for back) and 3, 2, 1, 1 st (for front). 

Neckline Shaping: After 14 rnds from beg of decs of dart, bind off center 20 sts, then at both ends bind off 1 st 5 times more on every 2nd rnd.

Work 13 cm more and bind off all sts.

Finishing: 

Close shoulder seams.

Pick up sts evenly around neck edge and armhole edges and work 4 rnds in gsr. Bind off sts.

For belt, using 3 mm needles, cast on 20 sts and work 122 cm in Rib Patt. 

For strips (4 pieces), cast on 6 sts and work 7 cm in St st.