Lace Crescents v1: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

It’s pretty common for one of my ideas to lead to another. Trying variations of stitch patterns is pretty educational in terms of stitch pattern design! I’ve never had a knitting design block —playing with one idea usually leads to all sorts of other ideas. If I don’t have time to use all the things the first idea makes me think of, I write down enough of a note that I can come back to it later.

Important note about writing down ideas for later: I’ve learned the very hard way that I can’t just scribble down a couple of words that make sense at the time. I need to write things out, or sketch a diagram or chart with an explanation for myself, with enough words that I would have understood what I meant before I had the original idea. Otherwise I come back months later to something like “overlapping braids”, and what the heck does that mean? (I’ve never used that particular phrase in my notes, but it’s the kind of thing that would make sense in the heat of the moment. It would have seemed so obvious to me at the time that I would have thought that it would be enough to jog my memory.)

Anyway! After making Lace Crescent Rib, I wondered what would happen if I shifted every other rib up halfway, removing the purl columns as well. What kind of allover pattern would be the result? Here is the answer. It’s still somewhat rib-like, and I like it. This stitch pattern inevitably led to a further question, and you’ll see what happened with that experiment next week.

Lace Crescents v1: a free lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
click on chart 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 may need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
  • Lace crescents v1 needs a cast on that is a multiple of 12 + 6 stitches. It is a multiple of 4 + 4 rows. The number of stitches varies by the row. You can also start at row 5, in which case you will need to start with a multiple of 13 + 7 stitches.
  • 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.
  • My blog posts and free stitch patterns are supported by subscriptions on Patreon or donations to my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. If you appreciate my work, please consider helping out. Thanks!

Abbreviations:

  • bunny ears back: slip 1 stitch as if to knit. Knit the next stitch without removing it from the left needle. Pass the slipped stitch over the new stitch on the right needle. K2tog. (Turns 3 stitches into 2.)
  • k: knit.
  • k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
  • p: purl.
  • pyop: (p1, yo, p1) in 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: yarnover.

Row 1 (RS): *k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1; work from *, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk. [multiple of 12 + 6 sts]
Row 2 (WS): p6, *p2, pyop in double yo, p8; work from *. [multiple of 13 + 6 sts]
Row 3: *k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, bunny ears back, yo, ssk; work from *, k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1. [multiple of 12 + 6 sts]
Row 4: p2, pyop in double yo, p2, *p8, pyop in double yo, p2; work from *. [multiple of 13 + 7 sts]

Row 5: *k2tog, yo, bunny ears back, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1; work from *, k2tog, yo, bunny ears back, yo, ssk. [multiple of 12 + 6 sts]
Row 6: p6, *p2, pyop in double yo, p8; work from *. [multiple of 13 + 6 sts]
Row 7: *k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, bunny ears back, yo, ssk; work from *, k1, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k1. [multiple of 12 + 6 sts]
Row 8: p2, pyop in double yo, p2, *p8, pyop in double yo, p2; work from *. [multiple of 13 + 7 sts]

repeat rows 5-8