Vox: a lace knitting stitch pattern

Posted on by

The word I drew from the words suggested on Patreon for this post is Vox, suggested by Catnach, a Patreon supporter. Vox is the Latin word for voice, and is both the word that turned into the English voice and a part of such phrases as vox populi (voice of the people, popular sentiment) and vox humana (a part of a pipe organ that’s supposed to sound like a human voice).

Sometimes when I design lace with my encoding techniques, I come up with something that I think could conceivably have already been designed with more typical methods. This is one such, though my first try (with a different chart) produced something that I have already seen in regular designs. More about that in the charted design post for vox, as that was the basis for the lace chart I didn’t post.

Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. A random number generator helps me choose which word I will encode from 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 made a Vox charted design for any craft that uses a square grid for designing.

The stitch patterns are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.

Columns of lace knitting where the groups of holes look somewhat like longwing butterflies with larger holes between them.
chart showing how to work Vox lace. Written instructions in blog post.
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.
  • Vox is a multiple of 12 stitches and 8 rows.
  • I’ve made a stitch map for Vox.
  • This is very close to being one of my simpler designs, barring the double yarnover. If you’d like to eliminate the double yarnovers, you could add a column of plain stockinette between columns 6 & 7 of the chart, and subtract either column 1 or 12. This will make it not be code for vox, but it will look nice and be easier.
  • edit: I had originally put the repeats in the wrong places, but I realized right after posting and have fixed it. (This not is in case you saw the original version.)
  • 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:

  • k: knit.
  • k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as if they were 1. (Right-leaning decrease)
  • p: purl.
  • ssk: slip each of the next 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit them together through the back loop. (Or substitute your favorite left-leaning decrease)
  • yo: yarnover. Bring the yarn forward between the needles so that it will make a loop over the needle when the next stitch is worked. When there are two in a row, bring the yarn forward, wrap it once around the needle, and leave the yarn in front so it makes a second loop.

Row 1 (RS): k1, *k2, yo, ssk, k2, k2tog, yo, k3; work from *. (12 sts)

Row 2 (WS): purl.

Row 3: k1, *yo, ssk, k1, yo, ssk, (k2tog, yo, k1) × 2; work from *.

Row 4: purl.

Row 5: k1, *yo, k2tog, k6, ssk, yo, k1; work from *.

Row 6: purl.

Row 7: k1, *k1, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo × 2, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2; work from *.

Row 8: *p5, (k1, p1) in double yo, p4; work from *, p1.