Honey: a free lace knitting stitch pattern
The first word I drew from the Patreon word suggestions for this month is Honey, suggested by Cathy on Patreon. I’m quite pleased with how this one came out. I do regret that it doesn’t have the same stitch count as Bees, but that’s just how things go sometimes.
Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. 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.
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.
- Honey is a multiple of 12 + 1 stitches and either 12 or 24 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:
- k: knit.
- k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
- k4tog: knit 4 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning triple decrease.) If the stitches are too tight for this, try this tip.
- 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)
- sl3—k1—psso: slip each of the next 3 stitches as if to knit, knit the next stitch, then pass the slipped stitches over the knit stitch. (left-leaning triple decrease.)
- yo: yarnover
Honey, version 1
Row 1 (RS): *p1, k3, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k3; work from *, p1. [13 sts]
Row 2 (WS): k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 3: *p1, yo, k3, k2tog, p1, ssk, k3, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 4: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 5: *p1, k1, yo x 2, k4tog, yo, p1, yo, sl3—k1—psso, yo x 2, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 6: k1, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, k1, p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, k1; work from *.
Row 7: *p1, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 8: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 9: *p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k2, p1, k2, ssk, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 10: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 11: *p1, k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 12: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Honey, version 2
Row 1 (RS): *p1, ssk, yo, k3, p1, k3, yo, k2tog; work from *, p1.
Row 2 (WS): k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 3: *p1, ssk, k3, yo, p1, yo, k3, k2tog; work from *, p1.
Row 4: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 5: *p1, yo, sl3—k1—psso, yo twice, k1, p1, k1, yo twice, k4tog, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 6: k1, *p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, k1, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, k1; work from *.
Row 7: *p1, k1, yo, ssk, k2, p1, k2, k2tog, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 8: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 9: *p1, k2, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 10: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 11: *p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, p1, k2, yo, ssk, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 12: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 13: *p1, k3, yo, k2tog, p1, ssk, yo, k3; work from *, p1.
Row 14: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 15: *p1, yo, k3, k2tog, p1, ssk, k3, yo; work from *, p1.
Row 16: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 17: *p1, k1, yo twice, k4tog, yo, p1, yo, sl3—k1—psso, yo twice, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 18: k1, *p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, k1, p2, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, k1; work from *.
Row 19: *p1, k2, k2tog, yo, k1, p1, k1, yo, ssk, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 20: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 21: *p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k2, p1, k2, ssk, yo, k1; work from *, p1.
Row 22: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
Row 23: *p1, k2, yo, ssk, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, p1.
Row 24: k1, *(p5, k1) x 2; work from *.
I’m really drawn to this lace pattern – beautiful!
Thank you!