Frost: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Each month my Patreon backers suggest words for me to use as the basis for designing a knitting stitch pattern; this month’s word is Frost, suggested by Nim. I encoded the letters as numerals in base 9, then laid them out on a grid to make a knitting stitch chart.

Much as I love complicated designs, it’s nice to have something a little shorter and therefore somewhat simpler for a change.

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 noticed in swatching that this pattern works well with a horizontal offset for every other repeat, so I’ve included that. However, it also works to just repeat rows 1-16.
• Frost is a multiple of 10 + 1 stitches, and 32 + 16 rows. (Because of how the repeats work, end after either row 16 or 32.)
• 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:

• k: knit.
• k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
• p: purl.
• CDD: slip 2 together as if to knit together, knit the next stitch, then pass the slipped stitches over. (centered 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: yarn over.

Row 1 (RS): *p1, yo, k2, ssk, p1, k2tog, k2, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 2 (WS): k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 3: *p1, k2, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 4: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 5: *p1, k1, cdd, yo x 2, p1, yo x 2, cdd, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 6: k1, *p2, k1, p1, k2, p3, k1 ; work from *.
Row 7: *p1, k2tog, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, ssk ; work from *, p1.
Row 8: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 9: *(p1, k4) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 10: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 11: *(p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 12: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 13: *p1, k1, yo, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 14: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 15: *p1, yo, ssk x 2, yo, p1, yo, k2tog x 2, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 16: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 17: *p1, k2tog, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, ssk ; work from *, p1.
Row 18: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 19: *p1, yo, ssk, k2, p1, k2, k2tog, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 20: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 21: *p1, yo x 2, cdd, k1, p1, k1, cdd, yo x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 22: k1, *k1, p3, k1, p2, k1, p1, k1 ; work from *.
Row 23: *p1, k2, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 24: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 25: *(p1, k4) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 26: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 27: *(p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 28: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 29: *p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 30: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 31: *p1, yo, k2tog x 2, yo, p1, yo, ssk x 2, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 32: k1, *(p4, k1) x 2 ; work from *.

I’m going to start adding a general explanation of the encoding for each word I use as the basis for a design.

Here’s how to read the numbers of the encoding.

This reads from bottom to top, right to left – like knitting stitches. The black squares are kind of like stitch markers; the numbers show the count for each digit of the code.

Frost (in base 9)  is 06 20 16 21 22. I plotted those numbers on charts in several ways, and picked this one as a starting point.

Since the first digit is zero, I counted zero stitches and placed a black square in the first row, then I counted 6 (moving from the first row to the second), and placed another square after the sixth. Two stitches next, followed by another zero, so there’s two black squares in a row. One stitch, square, six stitches, square, and so on.The black squares are replaced by yarnovers in the final chart.

Then I mirrored the chart horizontally, noticed that there’d be four yarnovers in a row, and decided not to do that this time. So I placed a vertical column of purl stitches to act as a border in between each mirrored repeat.