Oolong: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Oolong, suggested by Joan, Asimina, and Amy on Patreon. As a tea-lover,I’ve been delighted that the random number generator has been bringing up so many tea-related words! Oolong is a word that means the tea leaves have been prepared a special way that’s different from black tea. As a black tea drinker, I’m pretty ignorant about the specifics of oolong, so I hope the Wikipedia article is accurate!

I like the way the lines of this look like flying birds.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose these, 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.

The stitch patterns are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.

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.
• Oolong is a multiple of 24 stitches and 6 rows.
• I’ve made a stitch map for it.
• Designers, please feel free to use this in your patterns. I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
• My blog posts and free stitch patterns are supported by subscriptions on Patreon or donations to my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. If you appreciate my work, please consider helping out. Thanks!

Abbreviations:

• 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): *k2tog, yo, k3tog, yo, k1, (yo, k1, k2tog) x 2, yo x 2, (ssk, k1, yo) x 2, k1, yo, sssk, yo, ssk; work from *.
Row 2 (WS): *p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, p11; work from *.
Row 3: *k2, ssk, yo, k1, k3tog, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, yo x 2, sssk, k1, yo, k2tog, k2; work from *.
Row 4: *p6, k1, p9, k1, p7; work from *.
Row 5: *(k1, k2tog, yo) x 2, k2, k2tog, yo, k4, yo, ssk, k2, (yo, ssk, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 6: purl.