Hibernate: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

This month’s Patreon-funded stitch pattern is based on the word hibernate, suggested by Maura.  Sometimes I wish I could hibernate at this time of year, but it really is a good time for knitting.

It is large and elaborate, and I like the way there’s almost little paisleys in it. (I could have made them more overt, but it would require either combining two decreases with a 1/1 RT, or doing a 1/1 RT on a wrong side row. I will leave this as an exercise for the reader.)

P2012574

Hibernate: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

(click to enlarge)

 

 

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.
  • Hibernate is a multiple of 14+1 stitches and 40+28 rows. (To work just a single hexagon requires only 28 rows.)
  • Chart doesn’t show wrong side rows: purl across, knitting the stitches that were purled on the front and working (k1, p1) in each double yarnover.
  • This is a little larger than absolutely necessary; I charted the numbers on six-sided areas, and I thought it might be interesting to work the partial hexagons at top and bottom in stockinette only.
  • 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, k6) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 2 (WS): K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 3: *P1, k4, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k4 ; work from *, p1.
Row 4: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 5: *P1, k3, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, k3 ; work from *, p1.
Row 6: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 7: *P1, k2, k2tog, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, ssk, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 8: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 9: *P1, k1, yo, k2tog, CDD, yo x 2, p1, yo x 2, CDD, ssk, yo, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 10: K1, *p4, k1, p1, k2, p5, k1 ; work from *.
Row 11: *P1, k2, ssk, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, k2tog, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 12: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 13: *P1, k2, ssk, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 14: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.

Row 15: *P1, ssk, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, p1, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2tog ; work from *, p1.
Row 16: K1, *p4, k1, p1, k2, p5, k1 ; work from *.
Row 17: *(P1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k1) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 18: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 19: *P1, k2tog, yo, k2, ssk, yo, p1, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, ssk ; work from *, p1.
Row 20: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 21: *P1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, ssk, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 22: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 23: *P1, yo, ssk, k4, p1, k4, k2tog, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 24: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 25: *P1, k1, yo, ssk, k3, p1, k3, k2tog, yo, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 26: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 27: *P1, yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 28: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 29: *P1, yo x 2, CDD, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, CDD, yo x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 30: K1, *k1, p5, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1 ; work from *.
Row 31: *P1, yo, k2, k2tog, k2, p1, k2, ssk, k2, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 32: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 33: *P1, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k2, p1, k2, ssk, k1, yo, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 34: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 35: *P1, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2tog, p1, ssk, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 36: K1, *k1, p5, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1 ; work from *.
Row 37: *(P1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k1) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 38: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 39: *P1, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k2, ssk, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 40: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 41: *P1, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, k1, ssk ; work from *, p1.
Row 42: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 43: *P1, k4, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k4 ; work from *, p1.
Row 44: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 45: *P1, k3, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, k3 ; work from *, p1.
Row 46: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 47: *P1, yo, ssk, k2tog, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, ssk, k2tog, yo ; work from *, p1.
Row 48: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 49: *P1, k1, yo, ssk, CDD, yo x 2, p1, yo x 2, CDD, k2tog, yo, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 50: K1, *p4, k1, p1, k2, p5, k1 ; work from *.
Row 51: *P1, k2, ssk, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, k2tog, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 52: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 53: *P1, k2, ssk, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 54: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.

Repeat Rows 15-54 as desired.

Row 55: *P1, ssk, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, p1, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2tog ; work from *, p1.
Row 56: K1, *p4, k1, p1, k2, p5, k1 ; work from *.
Row 57: *(P1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k1) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 58: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 59: *P1, k2tog, yo, k2, ssk, yo, p1, yo, k2tog, k2, yo, ssk ; work from *, p1.
Row 60: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 61: *P1, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo x 2, ssk, k1 ; work from *, p1.
Row 62: K1, *(p2, k1, p3, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Row 63: *(P1, k6) x 2 ; work from *, p1.
Row 64: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.
Rows 65 – 66: Repeat rows 63 – 64.
Row 67: *P1, k4, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k4 ; work from *, p1.
Row 68: K1, *(p6, k1) x 2 ; work from *.

Hibernate in base 6 is 12 13 02 05 30 22 01 32 05. I’ve been playing with charting my encoded words on triangles in the last few months; this time I thought I’d try it with a half hexagon. Here’s how to read it.

hibernate encoded hexagon
Click to enlarge

The orange squares are an outline for the encoded section; they don’t count for the encoded section. Start in the bottom right square, and work upward, reading right to left. Each black square functions kind of like a stitch marker, marking off how many squares have just been counted. So I counted 1 stitch, and since I couldn’t mark a square in the same row, I moved up to the next row. The next digit is 2; I counted 1, and then had to move up to the next row to count a second square. Its marker stitch is in the middle of that row. Then 1, with the marker square on the next line. The next digit is 3, so I counted 3 and marked the square on the next line. This is followed by zero, so I immediately placed another square with no counted squares between. And so on.

I mirrored the half hexagon, replaced the marker squares with yarnovers, and saw that there were going to be four yarnovers in a row on two lines. This is certainly possible, but I like to break these up to make the stitch pattern easier. So I inserted extra boundary columns all in purl stitches (as an indicator that they were boundaries). I often like the way the purl columns interact with lace in any case, and they provide more obvious opportunities for beads.