Liberty: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

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The first word I drew from the Patreon word suggestions for this month is Liberty, suggested by Maura on Patreon. Liberty has lots of possible references, but right at this instant, my mind goes instantly to the Lady Liberty statue made by the protestors in Hong Kong. (Designed and created after the word was suggested.)

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.

Liberty: 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.
  • Liberty is a multiple of 24+1 stitches and either 8 or 16 rows, depending on the version.
  • The decreases are different in the first rows of each version because of the way the offsets in version 2 changed the flow.
  • 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:

  • 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; substitute sk2p if desired, though it doesn’t look quite the same.)
  • yo: yarnover

Liberty, version 1

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

Row 1 (RS): *p1, yo, cdd, (yo, k1) x 2, k2tog, ssk, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, ssk, (k1, yo) x 2, cdd, yo; work from *, p1. [25 sts]

Row 2 (WS): k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 3: *p1, yo, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, yo; work from *, p1.

Row 4: k1, *p6, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, k1, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p6, k1; work from *.

Row 5: *p1, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, p1.

Row 6: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 7: *p1, k2, yo, k3tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, sssk, yo, k2; work from *, p1.

Row 8: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Liberty, version 2

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

Row 1 (RS): *p1, k1, yo, k1, cdd, k2, yo, k1, yo, k3tog, yo, p1, yo, sssk, yo, k1, yo, k2, cdd, k1, yo, k1; work from *, p1.

Row 2 (WS): k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 3: *p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2tog, yo; work from *, p1.

Row 4: k1, *p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p6, k1, p6, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, k1; work from *.

Row 5: *p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1; work from *, p1.

Row 6: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 7: *p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, sssk, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, k3tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk; work from *, p1.

Row 8: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 9: *p1, yo, sssk, yo, k1, yo, k2, cdd, k1, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k1, cdd, k2, yo, k1, yo, k3tog, yo; work from *, p1.

Row 10: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 11: *p1, yo, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2tog, yo, p1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, yo; work from *, p1.

Row 12: k1, *p6, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, k1, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p6, k1; work from *.

Row 13: *p1, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, p1.

Row 14: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.

Row 15: *p1, k2, yo, k3tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo, sssk, yo, k2; work from *, p1.

Row 16: k1, *(p11, k1) x 2; work from *.