Doodle lace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

Over the last while, I’ve been turning a doodled colorwork pattern into several knitting stitch patterns so you can see how I turn my code grids into knitting in various ways. Here is my original post.

For this version, I substituted yarnovers for the original black squares, and then made quite a few alterations in both the layout and the chart. Lace often has its own considerations, you see.

On the left, you can see the original grid with YOs instead of all the black squares. I looked at that and remembered that I’m not fond of doing vertical symmetry in lace. (Though it can be worth playing around.) So I removed the top half of each diamond and nudged things around until I got the chart on the right.

This was a good starting point, but I could see that I’d probably need to rearrange things to account for the decreases I wanted to go with the single YOs in columns 1, 5, and 9

Here is the result:

Notes:

• This is a stitch pattern such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. This is not a pattern for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
• Doodle lace has a changing number of stitches on each row. It takes a cast-on of 7+7 stitches, and ends likewise. It has a multiple of 12 rows. This is not a square stitch pattern and is not suitable for a classic triangle shawl pattern, however square the diamonds look.
• I’ve made a stitch map for it.
• Designers, please feel free to use it 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:

• bunny ears back: work ssk but leave the second stitch on the needle. Knit 2 stitches together. (centered 3-to-2 decrease)
• 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)
• 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.

Important: because the stitch count changes from row to row, it’s important to cast on a stitch count that’s a multiple of 7 + 7 stitches.

Row 1 (RS): yo, ssk, k1, yo, *k1, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, ssk, k1, yo; work from *, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, yo. [multiple of 8+9 sts]

Row 2 (WS): purl.

Row 3: k1, yo x 2, cdd, *k1, cdd, yo x 2, k1, yo x 2, cdd; work from *, k1, cdd, yo x 2, k1.

Row 4: p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2; work from *, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1.

Row 5: k2tog, k1, yo, *bunny ears back, yo, k1, cdd, k1, yo; work from *, bunny ears back, yo, k1, ssk. [multiple of 7+8 sts]

Row 6: purl.

Row 7: k1, yo, k1, k2tog, *yo, ssk, (k1, yo) x 2, k1, k2tog; work from *, yo, ssk, k1, yo, k1. [multiple of 8+9 sts]

Row 8: purl.

Row 9: k1, cdd, yo x 2, *k1, yo x 2, cdd, k1, cdd, yo x 2; work from *, k1, yo x 2, cdd, k1.

Row 10: p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, *(k1, p1) in double yo, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1; work from *, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2.

Row 11: k2tog, yo, k1, *cdd, k1, yo, bunny ears back, yo, k1; work from *, cdd, k1, yo, ssk. [multiple of 7+7 sts]

Row 12: purl.