Hiraeth: a lace knitting stitch pattern
The second word I drew from the words suggested on Patreon last month is Hiraeth, suggested by Smart Mouth’d, a Patreon supporter. Hiraeth is a word I’ve loved for a while, though as I understand it it’s one of those words that’s hard to translate well from the original language, in this case Welsh.
Here’s what Wikipedia says: “Hiraeth is a Welsh concept of longing for home. ‘Hiraeth’ is a word which cannot be completely translated, meaning more than solely ‘missing something’ or ‘missing home.’ It implies the meaning of missing a time, an era, or a person – including homesickness for what may not exist any longer. It is associated with the bittersweet memory of missing something or someone, while being grateful of that/ their existence. It can also be used to describe a longing for a homeland, potentially of your ancestors, where you may have never been.”
I like the way this has umbels (seen from the side) scattered throughout, like umbrellas or fennel flowers. (Umbel umbel umbel. It’s a good word.)
Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make three of these into knitting stitches each month: the second and third (posted on the first day of the next month) are drawn from the collection of new words; the first 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:
- The bottom half of the swatch is three repeats of version 1; the top is one and a half repeats of version 2.
- These are stitch patterns such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. They are not patterns for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
- Hiraeth is a multiple of 24 + 24 stitches and either 8 or 16 rows.
- 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.
- 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.)
- yo: yarnover
Hiraeth, version 1
Row 1 (RS): k6, (k2tog, yo) x 2, k2tog, *yo x 2, (ssk, yo) x 2, ssk, k12, (k2tog, yo) x 2, k2tog; work from *, yo x 2, (ssk, yo) x 2, ssk, k6.
Row 2 (WS): p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, *p22, (k1, p1) in double yo; work from *, p11.
Row 3: k5, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, *k1, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k10, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k1; work from *, k1, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5.
Row 4: purl.
Row 5: k3, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC, *1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k6, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC; work from *, 1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k3.
Row 6: p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4, *p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p6, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3.
Row 7: yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo, *1/1 RC, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo; work from *, 1/1 RC, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1, yo.
Row 8: p12, *p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, p11; work from *, p12.
Hiraeth, version 2
Row 1 (RS): yo, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo, k2tog, k6, *k6, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo x 2, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo, k2tog, k6; work from *, k6, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo.
Row 2 (WS): p12, *p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, p11; work from *, p12.
Row 3: k1, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5, *k5, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5; work from *, k5, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k1.
Row 4: purl.
Row 5: 1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k3, *k3, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC, 1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k3; work from *, k3, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC.
Row 6: p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3, *p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p8, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3; work from *, p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4.
Row 7: k1, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1, *yo x 2, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo, 1/1 RC, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1; work from *, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo, k1.
Row 8: p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, *p22, (k1, p1) in double yo; work from *, p11.
Row 9: k6, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, ssk, *yo x 2, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo, k2tog, k12, ssk, yo, k2tog, yo, ssk; work from *, yo x 2, k2tog, yo, ssk, yo, k2tog, k6.
Row 10: p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, *p22, (k1, p1) in double yo; work from *, p11.
Row 11: k5, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, *k1, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k10, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, k2tog, k1; work from *, k1, ssk, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5.
Row 12: purl.
Row 13: k3, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC, *1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k6, (yo x 2, k3tog) x 2, k1, 1/1 LC; work from *, 1/1 RC, k1, (sssk, yo x 2) x 2, k3.
Row 14: p3, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4, *p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p6, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p4, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p3.
Row 15: yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo, *1/1 RC, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1, yo x 2, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, cdd, (yo, k2tog) x 2, yo; work from *, 1/1 RC, (yo, ssk) x 2, yo, cdd, k1, yo, ssk, k1, yo.
Row 16: p12, *p11, (k1, p1) in double yo, p11; work from *, p12.
Now there’s a word (and lace) that completely resonates for me… Hiraeth… maybe I should somehow magically figure out a way to knit this into something *ponders*