Lace Patterns Easier With Practice
Today’s lace-bordered cardigan has a simple border pattern called vine lace that consists of four rows with the two wrong-side rows worked in purl. We’ll use it to illustrate the concept of paired yarnovers and decreases.
Lace stitches are basically placed patterns of holes made by yarnovers with corresponding decreases. We are going to talk about the placement of these stitches.
Pairing of yarnovers and decreases is done in several ways:
1. Sometimes the yarnover stitch precedes or directly follows the decrease. For example: yo, k2tog or k2tog, yo. The stitch count at the end of the row remains the same.
2. The yarnover can be separated by other stitches. For example: yo, k2, k2tog. The stitch count at the end of the row remains the same.
3. The pairing can consist of two yarnovers with a double decrease that removes 2 stitches. For example: yo, slip 1 stitch, k2tog, pass the slip stitch over the k2tog, yo. The stitch count at the end of the row remains the same.
4. There may be one or more yarnovers on a row that does not have a pair within the row. The stitch count changes from row to row. These patterns are more complicated to shape and keep in pattern.
It is important to understand the concept of pairing. When you need to shape pieces in lace patterns, always think about the linking of your pairs. The general rule is: If you can’t do one, do neither. By this we mean, if you can’t make a yarnover, don’t make its paired decrease.
What do you do? If you eliminate a yarnover by some sort of shaping and then come to the matching k2tog, just work these stitches as k2.
Here’s a sample of the lace pattern used in today’s cardigan. You may want to try it:
Cast on 22 sts for a multiple of 9 sts plus 4 extra stitches.
Rows 1 and 3: (Wrong side) Purl.
Row 2: K3, (yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo, k1); rep between parentheses, end k1.
Row 4: K2, (yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo, k1); rep between parentheses, end k2.
Rep rows 1-4 for pattern.
Notice that on Row 2, there is a yarnover that is separated by 2 knit stitches. Following are 2 decreases, then 2 more knit stitches, and finally a second yarnover. If you were searching for the pairs in the row, you should link the first yo with the ssk and the final yo with the k2tog.
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