Free lace stitch pattern: Winter

Happy Winter Solstice – it will be nice to see the days grow longer again.

Here’s the last of the four seasons. I was considering trying for another cable, but I couldn’t make any of the charts work out as a nice cable design, so here we are with lace. (I might go back and do an autumn lace to make the set complete.)

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.
• I’ve marked on the chart where beads might go even though I didn’t use any in the swatch.
• Winter is a multiple of 10 + 10 stitches and 18 rows.
• I’ve made a stitch map for it.
• Designers, please feel free to use this stitch in your patterns.
• If you like my posts like this, please consider supporting me on Patreon or donating with my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. Thanks!
• edited 15 October 2024 to improve the instructions and remove a chart error.

Abbreviations:

• 1/1 LC: Slip next stitch to cable needle and place at front of work, knit 1, then knit 1 from cable needle.
• 1/1 RC: Slip next stitch to cable needle and place at back of work, knit 1, then knit 1 from cable needle.
• k: knit.
• kb: place bead on stitch and then knit it. (Optional; replace with k1 if not using beads)
• k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
• k3tog: knit 3 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning double decrease)
• p: purl.
• ssk: slip each of the next 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop. (Left-leaning decrease)
• sssk: slip each of the next 3 stitches as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop. (Left-leaning double decrease)
• yo: yarnover.

Row 1 (RS): k1, k2tog, yo × 2, ssk, *k2tog, yo × 2, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo × 2, ssk; work from *, k2tog, yo × 2, ssk, k1. (20 sts)

Row 2 (WS): p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1; work from *, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2.

Row 3: k2tog, yo, k2, *1/1 RC, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, 1/1 RC, k2, yo, ssk.

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: ssk, yo, kb, yo, k2tog, *(ssk, yo, kb, yo, k2tog) × 2; work from *, ssk, yo, kb, yo, k2tog.

Row 6: purl.

Row 7: yo, sssk, yo, k2tog, *yo × 2, ssk, yo, k3tog, yo × 2, sssk, yo, k2tog; work from *, yo × 2, ssk, yo, k3tog, yo.

Row 8: p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, *(p3, (k1, p1) in double yo) × 2; work from *, p4.

Row 9: yo, k2, k2tog, k1, *k1, ssk, k2, yo × 2, k2, k2tog, k1; work from *, k1, ssk, k2, yo.

Row 10: p5, *p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p5.

Row 11: k3, 1/1 LC, *1/1 RC, k6, 1/1 LC; work from *, 1/1 RC, k3.

Row 12: purl.

Row 13: k2, k2tog, yo, *1/1 RC, yo, ssk, k4, k2tog, yo; work from *, 1/1 RC, yo, ssk, k2.

Row 14: purl.

Row 15: k1, k2tog, yo, k2, *k2, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, k2, yo, ssk, k1.

Row 16: purl.

Row 17: k2tog, yo, k3, *k3, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k3; work from *, k3, yo, ssk.

Row 18: purl.

As usual, I’ve also encoded Winter in a grid suitable for many crafts. While the lace was done in base 6, this sequence was done in base 3, which makes a style of chart particularly useful for stranded knitting:

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