Cariad: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Cariad, suggested by Sarah Dawn on Patreon. Cariad is a Welsh word meaning love or sweetheart.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. Starting this month, I’ll make three of these into knitting stitches each month: two drawn from the collection of new words and the third 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.

Cariad lace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst

Notes:

  • These are stitch patterns such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. They are not a pattern for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
  • Version 1 is shown at the bottom of the swatch; version 2 at the top.
  • Cariad is a multiple of 16 + 17 stitches and either 8 or 16 rows, depending on the version.
  • Version 1 has 1/1 cable crosses in row 7 to improve the flow between repeats; version 2 omits the cable crosses because it works better that way in the offset version.
  • I’ve made stitch maps for version 1 and version 2.
  • Designers, please feel free to use these 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:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • DSD: double slip decrease; ssk, slip the resulting stitch back to the left needle, pass the next stitch over, then slip the result. (Right-leaning double decrease. Substitute knit 3 together if desired; they are similar but don’t look quite the same.)
  • k: knit.
  • k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
  • kyok: (k1, yo, k1) in 1 stitch.
  • p: purl.
  • sk2p: slip 1, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over. (Left-leaning 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: yarnover

Cariad, version 1

Cariad version 1: a free lace knitting stitch chart by Naomi Parkhurst
Click on chart to enlarge

Row 1 (RS): ssk, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, *kyok, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo, cdd, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog; work from *, kyok, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo, k2tog.

Row 2 (WS): p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4, *p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p5, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3.

Row 3: (k1, p1) in 1 stitch, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, *k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo, kyok, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, k1, yo; work from *, k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo, (k1, p1) in 1 stitch.

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk, *k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk; work from *, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog, k1.

Row 6: p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, *(p1, (k1, p1) in double yo) x 2, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2; work from *, (p1, (k1, p1) in double yo) x 2, p2.

Row 7: k3, 1/1 RC, k1, yo, k1, *cdd, k1, yo, k1, 1/1 LC, k5, 1/1 RC, k1, yo, k1; work from *, cdd, k1, yo, k1, 1/1 LC, k3.

Row 8: purl.

Cariad, version 2

Cariad version 2: a free lace knitting stitch chart by Naomi Parkhurst
Click on chart to enlarge

Row 1 (RS): (k1, p1) in 1 stitch, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo, *cdd, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, kyok, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo; work from *, cdd, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, (k1, p1) in 1 stitch.

Row 2 (WS): p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, *p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p7, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3; work from *, p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4.

Row 3: k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo, *kyok, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, (k1, yo) x 2, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo; work from *, kyok, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k1.

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog, *k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog; work from *, k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk, k1.

Row 6: p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2; work from *, [p1, (k1, p1) in double yo] x 2, p2.

Row 7: ssk, k1, yo, k5, *k6, yo, k1, cdd, k1, yo, k5; work from *, k6, yo, k1, k2tog.

Row 8: purl.

Row 9: ssk, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog, *kyok, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo, cdd, yo, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, k2tog; work from *, kyok, ssk, k2tog, yo x 2, ssk, yo, k2tog.

Row 10: p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4, *p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p5, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3.

Row 11: (k1, p1) in 1 stitch, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, *k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo, kyok, yo, cdd, k1, k2tog, k1, yo; work from *, k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, cdd, yo, (k1, p1) in 1 stitch.

Row 12: purl.

Row 13: k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk, *k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog, k1, ssk, yo x 2, DSD, yo x 2, ssk; work from *, k1, k2tog, yo x 2, sk2p, yo x 2, k2tog, k1.

Row 14: p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, *[p1, (k1, p1) in double yo] x 2, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2; work from *, (p1, (k1, p1) in double yo) x 2, p2.

Row 15: k6, yo, k1, *cdd, k1, yo, k11, yo, k1; work from *, cdd, k1, yo, k6.

Row 16: purl.