Peace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

I’ve been working on rewriting my instructions for turning words into lace, and the example word I’ve been using is Peace. This chart and swatch will go into the instructions, but I also wanted to pull it out as a blog post of its own. Peace has been on my mind lately, and perhaps it’s been on yours, too.

In the end, the “obvious chart” I was using for my other swatches turned out not to work so well for lace; this is often the way. (The lace turned into creepy, grinning faces, which is all very well and good if you want creepy, grinning faces. But that’s not very peaceful to my mind.) This is from the code grid I labeled “Method 4, 6 columns”.

Peace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Peace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern chart, by Naomi Parkhurst
click to enlarge

Notes:

  • This is a stitch pattern such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. It is not a pattern for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
  • Peace is a multiple of 12+12 stitches and 16 rows.
  • Purl all wrong-side rows, working (k1, p1) in each double yarnover.
  • 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:

  • DSD: double slip decrease; ssk, slip the resulting stitch back to the left needle, pass the next stitch over, then slip the result. (Right-leaning double decrease. Substitute knit 3 together if desired; they are similar but don’t look quite the same.)
  • k: knit.
  • k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
  • p: purl.
  • sk2p: slip 1, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over. (Left-leaning double decrease.)
  • ssk: slip each of the next 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop. (Left-leaning decrease)
  • yo: yarnover.

Row 1 (RS): knit.
Row 2 (WS): purl.
Row 3: k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo; work from *, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1.
Row 4: p5, k1, *p11, k1; work from *, p6.
Row 5: k2, yo, sk2p, k1, yo, *yo, k1, DSD, yo, k4, yo, sk2p, k1, yo; work from *, yo, k1, DSD, yo, k2.
Row 6: p5, k1, *p11, k1; work from *, p6.
Row 7: k3, yo, ssk, k1, *k1, k2tog, yo, k6, yo, ssk, k1; work from *, k1, k2tog, yo, k3.
Row 8: purl.
Row 9: knit.
Row 10: purl.
Row 11: yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, *k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1; work from *, k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo.
Row 12: p6, *p5, k1, p6; work from *, p6.
Row 13: yo, k1, DSD, yo, k2, *k2, yo, sk2p, k1, yo x 2, k1, DSD, yo, k2; work from *, k2, yo, sk2p, k1, yo.
Row 14: p6, *p5, k1, p6; work from *, p6.
Row 15: k1, k2tog, yo, k3, *k3, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, k3; work from *, k3, yo, ssk, k1.
Row 16: purl.