Lamb: a lace knitting stitch pattern

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The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Lamb, suggested by Smart Mouth’d, a Patreon supporter. It’s past lambing season here, but I’m still seeing occasional pictures of this year’s lambs in my twitter feed, which always makes me smile.

There are visual similarities between Lamb and Scarab & Apple Blossom; the latter two aren’t encoded words, but they happily have the same stitch count as Lamb, and might work well in the same project. (I haven’t double-checked the transition rows.)

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.

sample knitting for Lamb: a lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
chart for Lamb: a lace knitting stitch pattern, by Naomi Parkhurst
click chart to enlarge

Notes:

  • This is a stitch pattern such as might be found in a stitch dictionary. It is not a pattern for a finished object. You will need to add selvedges or some other form of knitted stitches to either side.
  • Lamb is a multiple of 8 + 9 stitches and 10 rows.
  • I’ve made a stitch map for it.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this 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)
  • 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)
  • 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

Row 1 (RS): k1, k2tog, k1, yo, *k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1, yo; work from *, k1, yo, k1, ssk, k1.

Row 2 (WS): purl.

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

Row 4: p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p2, *(p1, (k1, p1) in double yo) × 2, p2; work from *, p1, (k1, p1) in double yo, p1.

Row 5: ssk, k2tog, yo, *kyok, yo, ssk, cdd, k2tog, yo; work from *, kyok, yo, ssk, k2tog.

Row 6: purl.

Row 7: yo, k2, k2tog, *k1, ssk, k1, kyok, k1, k2tog; work from *, k1, ssk, k2, yo.

Row 8: purl.

Row 9: k1, yo, k3tog, *kyok, sssk, yo, k1, yo, k3tog; work from *, kyok, sssk, yo, k1.

Row 10: purl.