Happy 2016: a free lace knitting stitch pattern
Last year I made a stitch pattern for 2015 using the digits of the year as the basis for the design. I had so much fun doing it that I thought I’d do it again.
Happy New Year! May the year ahead be peaceful and content, with lots of time for knitting or whatever things you like to make.
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.
- The code section is encompassed within each diamond.
- 2016 is a multiple of 10 stitches and 10 rows.
- 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:
- 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.
- k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning 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)
- yo: yarnover.
Row 1 (RS): *k2, yo, k1, k2tog, ssk, k1, yo, k2, rep from *.
Row 2 and all even rows: purl, working (k1, p1) in each double YO.
Row 3: *k3, 1/1 RC, 1/1 LC, k3, rep from *.
Row 5: *k2, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2, rep from *.
Row 7: *k1, cdd, yo, k1, yo x 2, k1, yo, cdd, k1, rep from *.
Row 9: *1/1 RC, k6, 1/1 LC, rep from *.
Row 11: *ssk, k1, yo, k4, yo, k1, k2tog, rep from *.
Row 13: *1/1 LC, k6, 1/1 RC, rep from *.
Row 15: *k1, yo, ssk, k4, k2tog, yo, k1, rep from *.
Row 17: *yo, k1, yo, cdd, k2, cdd, yo, k1, yo, rep from *.
Row 19: *k3, 1/1 LC, 1/1 RC, k3, rep from *.
For the bulk of my lace stitch patterns, I lay out the yarnovers first and then work out where I want the decreases. This time I laid them out on a half diamond shape, then mirrored them
The orange squares are a border to outline the diamond. I ignored them while doing the actual layout. I started at the bottom, working right to left, top to bottom, like knitting. The black squares are kind of like stitch markers in terms of marking off a section of square; the numbers show the count for each digit of the code.
Since the first digit of 2016 is 2, I counted one stitch in the first row. Since I had to count another, I moved on to the second row, then placed a black square. Then I counted 0 (moving from the second row to the third), then 1, and then 6. Just as a page of a book can have a lot of blank space at the bottom, this triangle has a lot of blank space at the top. The black squares are replaced by yarnovers in the final chart.
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I love your photo, great contrast. It’s hard to have a color shot while still emphasizing the stitch pattern.
I love the spiky cast on and bind off edge, the swatch reminds me of the sweater pattern samples in the Hitomi Shida 250 book. (There is a 260 book out, drool!)
I think it’s interesting that your mind flows to the holes first, because the one I made a lace motif, I went to the decrease lines first. I wonder if that’s just how our minds go, or if it’s because of your encoding process?
I haven’t decided yet, but I’m thinking of embracing my inner 14 year old’s love of overly representational illustration by attempting a blog series with the same Dover Press line drawing interpreted as a ring cable, twist stitch, lace and color stranded chart. The inner 14 year old wants me to draw the base drawings myself, and she wants birds in flight. I keep telling her that I’m 46 and birds move really fast. She’s not listening too well. Teen-agers!
It’s the encoding process. I don’t have any control over where the holes go; I just make a variety of charts based on the numbers, and then pick what I think what works best. And then I do my best to make the decrease lines work.
Swatch photos are a little easier for me than finished objects–I just have to get that one small area well lit. I also have no qualms about playing with color filters and things to make the stitch pattern show better. It’s not as if it matters for my swatches if the color is true!
I’m glad you like it.
And I like your idea for the different representations! I think it will be an excellent way of illustrating the different design techniques.
This encoding process intrigues me. Is there any place you explain it further or how your come up with the process?
If you look at the top of the page, there’s a link to a series that needs rewriting. If you have a small screen, I think it’s behind the menu icon.
Ah! Thanks! I will take a good look at that.