knitteknik

Wed - February 14, 2007

Knitting lace

Holy impossible? Maybe? Here's a few techniques to master the art of lace knitting

Lace, a new thing for me. Lace isn't about what you knit but more about what you don't knit. Lace is just strategically placed "holes" and a series of knitted stitches.

There are two main techniques for learning to knit lace: increases and decreases. A yarn over is, in fact, an increase and is most often used to create a lace pattern. Wrapping the yarn over, or under and over, the needle and then treating that wrap as a stitch on the next row makes a "hole" in the fabric. Because you have added a stitch with this yarn over (YO), you must decrease a stitch either before or after the YO to keep the stitch count the same as you cast on. If you don't decrease, you will have made an increase in your total stitch count, and this will make the garment wider. Most triangular shawls are shaped this way. You knit from a point, increasing as you work your way to the widest portion. Knitter's Review has an excellent description of knitting lace. Check out "The Essentials of Knitted Lace" at knittersreview.com.

Knitting lace is easier if you follow a chart or diagram to keep the complicated stitches in pattern. Pictorial symbols have made reading a chart easy to do, and there will be a symbol index with your charted lace. The YO is represented with a circle to show the "hole" in the pattern. The decreases are done in a variety of ways, depending on the movement, or direction, the thread must take. There is usually a "key" to the symbol index that will tell you how to make the decreases or increases needed to create the lace motif.

The charted rows are sometimes repeated to create a lace fabric, and it is crucial to mark the rows to keep track of where you are. You won't want to rip out lace work, if at all possible.

Another great way to work the chart is to copy and enlarge the chart. Using a highlighter, you can stop after each row and draw a line through the row. I always use a stitch or row counter on the needles. I make sure to change the counter at the appropriate times and this number should always match the chart row.

But what happens if you must rip out your lace work?

Most experienced lace knitters use a "lifeline" to insure that the stitches aren't unraveled too far back. Thread a piece of dental floss or heavy thread in a needle and draw it through a plain, even row. I usually do this every two or three inches if I am working on a complicated piece of lace. When you have several hundred fine stitches on your needle, this is critical -- and very cheap insurance.

Another trick to keeping you sane while doing lace is to place a stitch marker, or small loop of colored thread, on the needle every 10 or 20 stitches, or every pattern repeat. This way you won't have to count all those hundreds of stitches to find your mistakes. When I work across a pattern repeat, I stop and count between the markers before going on. If there is a mistake, the number of stitches won't add up right and I can locate the mistake without getting too far along.

Finishing the lace is probably the most important part of the work. Blocking lace opens up the stitches and the "holes" to reveal the beauty of your pattern. Some lace is starched to keep it uniform, while other lace is softly and elegantly draped. Try your hand at lace with free patterns and instructions at www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/lace/edgings.htm.

Adapted from an article by Catherine Hollingsworth

Posted at 09:28 AM