Beloved: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Every month, my backers on Patreon suggest words for me to encode as a stitch pattern (using the methods I’ve developed over the last few years). I pick one at random and publish the result on the first of the month. This month, I decided on a variation – charting the encoded numbers on a diamond instead of a square. I’m particularly pleased with the result, which fits neatly in a triangle. (The edging in the swatch photo is a picot bind-off. I couldn’t resist.)

This stitch pattern is available for personal use and published designs alike (with credit, please). Do let me know if you use it; it makes me happy.

I’m going to post a crochet version of Beloved in a separate entry because it deserves to be seen on its own. (Thanks to a friend for making the swatch for me!) A chart for any craft that works from a grid will be  included in that post.

Note: There are three things that make this a little trickier than some designs.

  1. The quadruple yarnover. This can’t be helped – it’s a result of encoding this particular word to fit in this particular shape.
  2. Purling through the back loops  of that quadruple yarn over. This truly isn’t so bad – I drop all but one, which makes a lot of slack. Then I purl through the back loop, pick up the yarn I dropped, purl through the back loop of that, and so on until I’ve purled 4 times. It’s okay if it’s uneven – it will adjust in blocking. That said, a substitution is possible if desired: knit the first loop, purl the second, knit the third, and purl the fourth. I don’t like the way this looks as much, but it does work.
  3. I finally found a secret code stitch pattern in which to use the 3-to-2 decrease I unvented. A substitution is possible if really necessary. Half the 3-to-2 decreases can be replaced with (ssk, k1); the other half can be replaced with (k1, k2tog).

Beloved, a free stitch pattern, thanks to my Patreon backers. Beloved stitch patterns by Naomi Parkhurst are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

(Click to enlarge)

This version is designed to fit in a triangle or diamond shape. I haven’t included any increases on the sides here; they wouldn’t be necessary if this were being incorporated into a large swathe of stockinette. The diamond I originally used to chart my secret code fits in fourteen columns and 28 rows, outlined here in orange. For structural reasons, I had to add a border of squares around the edge: there’s one on each side, and two extra rows at each of top and bottom. Any decreases in the bottom belong to the bottom half of the diamond.

The side increases are included in this Stitch-Maps version, because it wouldn’t let me leave them out.  (Here’s the PDF version, in case you’d like to print it out.) I haven’t updated the PDF, but the stitch map at the first link now includes the 3-to-2 decreases.

Abbreviations:
1/1 RC: slip first stitch to a cable needle and hold in back. Knit next stitch. Knit stitch from cable needle.
3-to-2 decrease: The goal of this is to turn the next 3 sts into 2. The middle stitch will sit in back and be decreased with each of the first and third. Here’s how: ssk the first two stitches. Put the back stitch back on the needle. K2tog.
cdd: center double decrease. Slip 2 together as if to k2tog. Knit 1. Pass slipped stitches over.
k: knit
p: purl
ssk: slip first stitch knitwise, slip next stitch knitwise, knit these two stitches together through the back loop (left-leaning decrease).
tbl: through back loop
yo: yarn over

Row 1 (RS): 1/1 RC.
Row 2 (WS): purl.
Row 3: k2tog, yo x 2, ssk.
Row 4: p1, k1, p2.
Row 5: knit.
Row 6: purl.
Row 7: k1, cdd, yo x 4, cdd, k1.
Row 8: p2, p1 tbl x 4, p2.
Row 9: knit.
Row 10: purl.
Row 11: (k2tog, yo x 2, ssk) x 3.
Row 12: p1, (k1, p3) x 2, k1, p2.
Row 13: k1, ssk, k2, yo, k4, yo, k2, k2tog, k1.
Row 14: purl.
Row 15: k2, ssk, yo, k2, ssk, yo x 2, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k2.
Row 16: p7, k1, p8.
Row 17: *1/1 RC, k1, 3-to-2 decrease, yo x 2, k1, ssk, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, 3-to-2 decrease, k1; repeat from *, 1/1 RC.
Row 18: p1, *p4, (k1, p5) x 2; repeat from *, p1.
Row 19: k2tog, yo, *yo, ssk, k1, ssk, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, ssk, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo; repeat from *, yo, ssk.
Row 20: p1, k1, *p4, k1, p5, k1, p4, k1; repeat from *, p2.
Row 21: k3, *k3, ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo x 2, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k3; repeat from *, k3.
Row 22: p3, *p7, k1, p8; repeat from *, p3.
Row 23: k1, cdd, yo x 2, *yo x 2, cdd, k10, cdd, yo x 2; repeat from *, yo x 2, cdd, k1.
Row 24: p2, p1 tbl x 2, *p1 tbl x 2, p12, p1 tbl x 2; repeat from *, p1 tbl x 2, p2.
Row 25: k5, *k5, 1/1 RC, k2, 1/1 LC, k5; repeat from *, k5.
Row 26: purl.
Row 27: k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, *yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, 1/1 LC, 1/1 RC, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo; repeat from *, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk.
Row 28: p1, k1, p3, k1, *p3, k1, p7, k1, p3, k1; repeat from *, p3, k1, p2.
Row 29: k1, ssk, k2, yo, k2, *k2, yo, k2, k2tog, k1, 1/1 RC, k1, ssk, k2, yo, k2; repeat from *, k2, yo, k2, k2tog, k1.
Row 30: purl.
Row 31: (k2, ssk, yo) x 2, *yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k4, ssk, yo, k2, ssk, yo; repeat from *, (yo, k2tog, k2) x 2.
Row 32: p7, k1, *p14, k1, p1; repeat from *, p8.

Repeat Rows 17-32 as desired.

Beloved, a free stitch pattern, thanks to my Patreon backers. Beloved stitch patterns by Naomi Parkhurst are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is a more normal rectangular repeat. The repeat is 16 + 16 stitches by 32 rows. Here is its stitch map, since updated to included the 3-to-2 decreases.

Row 1 (RS): k2, 3-to-2 decrease, yo x 2, k1, ssk, *k2tog, k1, yo x 2, 3-to-2 decrease, k1, 1/1 LC, k1, 3-to-2 decrease, yo x 2, k1, ssk; repeat from *, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, 3-to-2 decrease, k2.
Row 2 (WS): p4, k1, p3, *p2, k1, p9, k1, p3; repeat from *, p2, k1, p5.
Row 3: Yo, ssk, k1, ssk, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, *ssk, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k1, ssk, yo x 2, k1, k2tog; repeat from *, ssk, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo.
Row 4: p4, k1, p3, *p2, (k1, p4) x 2, k1, p3; repeat from *, p2, k1, p5.
Row 5: k3, ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, *yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k6, ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo; repeat from *, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k3.
Row 6: p7, k1, *p15, k1; repeat from *, p8.
Row 7: Yo x 2, cdd, k5, *k5, cdd, yo x 4, cdd, k5; repeat from *, k5, cdd, yo x 2.
Row 8: p1 tbl x 2, p6, *p6, p1 tbl x 4, p6; repeat from *, p6, p1 tbl x 2.
Row 9: k5, 1/1 RC, k1, *k1, 1/1 LC, k10, 1/1 RC, k1; repeat from *, k1, 1/1 LC, k5.
Row 10: purl.
Row 11: Yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, 1/1 LC, *1/1 RC, (k2tog, yo x 2, ssk) x 3, 1/1 LC; repeat from *, 1/1 RC, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo.
Row 12: p3, k1, p4, *(p3, k1) x 3, p4; repeat from *, p3, k1, p4.
Row 13: k2, yo, k2, k2tog, k1, *1/1 RC, k1, ssk, k2, yo, k4, yo, k2, k2tog, k1; repeat from *, 1/1 RC, k1, ssk, k2, yo, k2.
Row 14: purl.
Row 15: (Yo, k2tog, k2) x 2, *k2, ssk, yo, k2, ssk, yo x 2, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k2; repeat from *, (k2, ssk, yo) x 2.
Row 16: p8, *p7, k1, p8; repeat from *, p8.
Row 17: k2tog, k1, yo x 2, 3-to-2 decrease, k1, *1/1 RC, k1, 3-to-2 decrease, yo x 2, k1, ssk, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, 3-to-2 decrease, k1; repeat from *, 1/1 RC, k1, 3-to-2 decrease, yo x 2, k1, ssk.
Row 18: p2, k1, p5, *p4, (k1, p5) x 2; repeat from *, p4, k1, p3.
Row 19: Ssk, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo, *yo, ssk, k1, ssk, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, ssk, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, yo; repeat from *, yo, ssk, k1, ssk, yo x 2, k1, k2tog.
Row 20: p2, k1, p4, k1, *p10, k1, p4, k1; repeat from *, p8.
Row 21: Yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k3, *k3, ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo x 2, k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k3; repeat from *, k3, ssk, k2tog, yo, k1, yo.
Row 22: Repeat row 16.
Row 23: k5, cdd, yo x 2, *yo x 2, cdd, k10, cdd, yo x 2; repeat from *, yo x 2, cdd, k5.
Row 24: p6, p1 tbl x 2, *p1 tbl x 2, p12, p1 tbl x 2; repeat from *, p1 tbl x 2, p6.
Row 25: k1, 1/1 LC, k5, *k5, 1/1 RC, k2, 1/1 LC, k5; repeat from *, k5, 1/1 RC, k1.
Row 26: purl.
Row 27: 1/1 RC, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, *yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, 1/1 LC, 1/1 RC, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo; repeat from *, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, 1/1 LC.
Row 28: (p3, k1) x 2, *p3, k1, p7, k1, p3, k1; repeat from *, p3, k1, p4.
Row 29: k2, ssk, k2, yo, k2, *k2, yo, k2, k2tog, k1, 1/1 LC, k1, ssk, k2, yo, k2; repeat from *, k2, yo, k2, k2tog, k2.
Row 30: purl.
Row 31: (k2, ssk, yo) x 2, *yo, k2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k4, ssk, yo, k2, ssk, yo; repeat from *, (yo, k2tog, k2) x 2.
Row 32: Repeat row 6.

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