Mourn: a lace knitting stitch pattern

I haven’t yet become aware of any friends or family who have died of COVID-19 — though I’m certain that day will come — but I have been heartbroken by the sheer number of people affected, and by knowing that things could have been much better with a competent response by a different administration.

So I have been mourning, and here is the word mourn, made into lace using my usual methods. I turn the letters into numbers and then the numbers into charts that I turn into knitting charts. 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 swatch itself is a bit of a departure from my usual methods. When I was designing the lace, the top center of the pattern looked as if it would do well if I used the decrease pattern that goes with Star Mesh Rib, and then I felt I had to see if Star Mesh Rib looked good above it. So the swatch is 41 stitches of the stitch pattern with three vertical repeats of the design, followed by several rows of Star Mesh Rib. It does work well, though I can also see some ways that there could be some transitional rows that would make the effect work even better. (Star Mesh Rib is a traditional lace pattern, not my design.)

I was so focused on that transition that I forgot to make a swatch for version 2 of the chart, though both the chart and the Stitch Map for it make me think that it ought to work.

Notes:

• The bottom half of the swatch is three repeats of Mourn, version 1; the top is two and a half repeats of Star Rib Mesh.
• 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.
• The repeats in the charts and the text aren’t in the same places. (The double YOs complicate writing the repeats logically in the text.)
• Mourn is a multiple of 20 + 21 stitches. Version 1 is a multiple of 8 rows; version 2 is a multiple of 16 or 16 + 8 rows (end after either row 8 or 16).
• Star Rib Mesh should also work as a lead-in to either version of Mourn; end on a row 2 of Star Rib Mesh before starting Mourn.
• I’ve made stitch maps for version 1 and version 2. There is also a stitch map for Star Rib Mesh (start with row 2 of that stitch map).
• Designers, please feel free to use Mourn in your patterns. I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it. (Star Rib Mesh is traditional.)
• 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)
• kyok: (knit 1, yarnover, knit 1) all in the same stitch.
• 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)
• yo: yarnover

Mourn, version 1

Row 1 (RS): ssk, *yo, k1, 1/1 RC, k2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k2, 1/1 LC, k1, yo, cdd; work from *, yo, k1, 1/1 RC, k2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k2, 1/1 LC, k1, yo, k2tog.

Row 2 (WS): purl.

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

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: k1, *1/1 RC, k2, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, cdd, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2, 1/1 LC, k1; work from *, 1/1 RC, k2, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, cdd, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k2, 1/1 LC, k1.

Row 6: purl.

Row 7: k2tog, *yo, k2, 1/1 RC, (k1, yo, cdd, yo) × 2, k1, 1/1 LC, k2, yo, cdd; work from *, yo, k2, 1/1 RC, (k1, yo, cdd, yo) × 2, k1, 1/1 LC, k2, yo, ssk.

Row 8: purl.

Mourn, version 2

Row 1 (RS): ssk, *yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k5, yo, cdd; work from *, yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k5, yo, k2tog.

Row 2 (WS): purl.

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

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: k1, *k4, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, cdd, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5; work from *, k4, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, cdd, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k5.

Row 6: purl.

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

Row 8: purl.

Row 9: k1, *k1, yo, ssk, k5, yo, cdd, yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *, k1, yo, ssk, k5, yo, cdd, yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k2.

Row 10: purl.

Row 11: yo, k1, *ssk, yo, ssk, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k3, ssk, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, kyok; work from *, ssk, yo, ssk, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, k3, ssk, k1, yo, k1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k1, yo.

Row 12: purl.

Row 13: k2tog, *yo, k2, yo, ssk, k9, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, cdd; work from *, yo, k2, yo, ssk, k9, k2tog, yo, k2, yo, ssk.

Row 14: purl.

Row 15: k1, *(yo, cdd, yo, k5) × 2, yo, cdd, yo, k1; work from *, (yo, cdd, yo, k5) × 2, yo, cdd, yo, k1.

Row 16: purl.

Star Rib Mesh

Star Rib Mesh is a repeat of 4 + 5 stitches and 4 or 4+2 rows (end after row 2 or 4).

Row 1 (RS): k1, yo, *cdd, yo, k1, yo; work from *, cdd, yo, k1.

Row 2 (WS): purl.

Row 3: k2tog, yo, *k1, yo, cdd, yo; work from *, k1, yo, ssk.

Row 4: purl.