Paradise: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

This month, the random number generator chose paradise, suggested by Nyriis. I’m really pleased with how this turned out, despite (or perhaps because of) the unexpected owls.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. A random number generator helps me choose the word of the month, and then I get to work, first turning the letters into numbers, then charting the numbers onto grids in various ways. Finally, when I make the chart into lace, I turn the marked squares into yarnovers and work out where to place the corresponding decreases. (I usually make lace; occasionally I make cables instead.) I also make a chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing; this goes in a separate post.

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.
• Paradise is a multiple of 18+1 stitches and 24 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:

• CDD: centered double decrease: slip the next 2 stitches as if to knit 2 together, knit the next stitch, then pass the 2 slipped stitches over the third.
• k: knit.
• 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): *p1, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k3tog, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, sssk, ssk, yo x 2, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 2 (WS): k1, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p5, k1, p5, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, k1; work from *.
Row 3: *p1, k3, k2tog, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k1, yo, ssk, k3; work from *, p1.
Row 4: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 5: *p1, k2, (CDD, yo x 2) x 2, p1, (yo x 2, CDD) x 2, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 6: k1, *p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, k1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, k1; work from *.
Row 7: *p1, k1, yo, CDD, k1, yo, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, CDD, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 8: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 9: *p1, yo, k2, ssk, k1, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k2, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 10: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 11: *p1, k1, yo, k2, ssk x 2, k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, k2tog x 2, k2, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 12: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 13: *p1, k2, yo, sssk, ssk, yo x 2, k1, p1, k1, yo x 2, k2tog, k3tog, yo, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 14: k1, *p5, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, k1, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p5, k1; work from *.
Row 15: *p1, yo, ssk, k1, yo, ssk, k3, p1, k3, k2tog, yo, k1, k2tog, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 16: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 17: *p1, (yo x 2, CDD) x 2, k2, p1, k2, (CDD, yo x 2) x 2; work from *, p1.
Row 18: k1, *(k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, k1, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, k1; work from *.
Row 19: *p1, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, CDD, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, CDD, k1, yo, ssk, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 20: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 21: *p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, p1, yo, k2, ssk, k1, ssk, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 22: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 23: *p1, yo, k1, k2tog x 2, k2, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k2, ssk x 2, k1, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 24: k1, *(p8, k1) x 2; work from *.

Encoding explanation for the curious:

The first thing I did was to turn the letters of paradise into numbers, using base 7: 22 01 24 01 04 12 25 05. (I picked base 7 because I liked the resulting charts.)

Then I charted them in various ways, and picked this one:

I started in the bottom right corner, because so does knitting. The first digit of paradise is 2, so I counted two squares from right to left, and then marked the next square. The second digit is also 2, so I counted two more squares from right to left, and marked the next square. The third digit is 0, so I counted no squares and marked the next square. The fourth is 1, so I counted one square, and—there is no next square on this row, so I jumped up to the right end of the next row and marked the next square there. And so on, and so forth. The last marked square shows the end of the encoding, so it doesn’t matter that there are extra blank squares after it.

Next I figured out the layout.

My usual first step is to mirror the code grid horizontally. In this case, that made for four black squares in a row, which would mean a quadruple yarnover. I didn’t like that idea, so I put in border columns on each side of the code grid in the form of purl columns.

Then I added another vertical repeat, offset horizontally by a half repeat.

Finally, I mentally replaced all the black squares with yarnovers, imagined alternating plain rows, and figured out where to place the corresponding decreases for each yarnover. Voila!