Étude no.11: KYOKs in lace

I’ve been interested lately in the double increase that’s most handily abbreviated as KYOK: (k1, yo, k1) in one stitch.  I’ve been wondering  how to include it in lace, and so I decided it was time to try another design exercise. I played with a couple of layouts, and here are the results. I think they make serviceable patterns, if not wildly exciting ones, but I’ve learned something from the practice.

I was thrown for longer than I’d like to admit by the need to incorporate a no-stitch square on either side of the double increase, but the fact is that the symbol represents three stitches, and so it needs to take up the space of three stitches on the chart. Stitch Mastery’s handy stitch count feature kept telling me I had the wrong number of stitches on that row, and I kept staring at it and thinking there must be a bug. A long conversation with another designer finally helped me understand what was happening.

The other thing that really came clear for me with this is that the single hole formed by the KYOK is actually the stitch the increases are worked in. I half knew this before, but I hadn’t consciously understood it.

Étude no 11: kyoks in lace

Notes:

  • These are stitch patterns such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. They are not a pattern for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
  • All wrong side rows are purled.
  • They are each a multiple of 6+1 stitches and 6 rows.
  • I’ve made a stitch map for it.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this stitch in your patterns. I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
  • If you like my posts like this, please consider supporting me on Patreon or donating with my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. Thanks!

Abbreviations:

  • CDD: centered double decrease: slip the next 2 stitches as if to knit 2 together, knit the next stitch, then pass the 2 slipped stitches over the third.
  • k: knit.
  • k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
  • KYOK: (knit 1, yarn over, knit 1) in the next stitch.
  • ssk: slip each of the next 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop. (Left-leaning decrease)
  • yo: yarn over.

Gumdrops: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Gumdrops is the bottom stitch in the swatch above. I have made a stitch map for Gumdrops.

Row 1 (RS): K1, *k2tog, KYOK, ssk, k1 ; work from *, k2tog, KYOK, ssk, k1.
Rows 2, 4, 6: purl.
Row 3: K2tog, *yo, k3, yo, cdd ; work from *, yo, k3, yo, ssk.
Row 5: K1, *k1, yo, cdd, yo, k2 ; work from *, k1, yo, cdd, yo, k2.

Little Bees: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Little Bees is the top stitch in the swatch above. I have made a stitch map for Little Bees.

Row 1 (RS): K1, *k2tog, KYOK, ssk, k1 ; work from *, k2tog, KYOK, ssk, k1.
Rows 2, 4, 6: purl.
Row 3: K1, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1 ; work from *, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1.
Row 5: K2tog, *yo, k3, yo, cdd ; work from *, yo, k3, yo, ssk.