Fleece: a charted design for any craft

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The random number generator picked Fleece from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Cathy D., one of my Patreon supporters.

In this case, the float length wasn’t suitable for stranded knitting (though on reflection, it would have if I’d rotated it a quarter turn) so I drew it with colored squares. I chose the colors based on natural Shetland sheep colors. There are standard names for these colors on Shetland. The darker brown is based on moorit, and the lighter brown on mogit. The palest shade was chosen using a color picker on some natural white yarn, though it ended up looking darker.

I developed a lace stitch pattern for Fleece, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I want to give a sense of it in use.

A drawing of how the Fleece charted design might look in a finished object using squares in three colors: the background is cream. There are pixelated tan ovals with darker brown squares in them alternating with crenellated darker brown square outlines with tan squares inside them.
Chart showing how to work the Fleece charted design by means of dark and light squares. Written instructions in blog post.
Click chart to enlarge
  • The Fleece charted design has a repeat of 18 columns and 16 + 8 rows. (End after either row 16 or 8.)
  • In the written instructions, color A is the light squares above, and color B is the dark.
  • The written instructions below are formatted for stranded knitting, but it is my hope that they could be translated into instructions for other crafts. For instance, if working filet crochet, 1A could be one open square and 2B could be two filled-in squares.
  • This pattern is written in rounds, but because each row has mirror symmetry, the colors can be read in flat rows as written. If knitting, just work purl stitches on alternating rows instead of knit.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this in your patterns (no need to ask). I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
  • My blog posts and 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!

Round 1: work knit as follows; *6A, 2B, 2A, 2B, 6A; work from *.

Round 2: work knit as follows; *2B, 3A, 8B, 3A, 2B; work from *.

Round 3: work knit as follows; *1A, 3B, 1A, 2B, 4A, 2B, 1A, 3B, 1A; work from *.

Round 4: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, (2B, 1A, 1B, 1A) × 2, 2B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 5: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, (2B, 1A, 1B, 1A) × 2, 2B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 6: work knit as follows; *1A, 3B, 1A, 2B, 4A, 2B, 1A, 3B, 1A; work from *.

Round 7: work knit as follows; *2B, 3A, 8B, 3A, 2B; work from *.

Round 8: work knit as follows; *6A, 2B, 2A, 2B, 6A; work from *.

Round 9: work knit as follows; *1A, 2B, 12A, 2B, 1A; work from *.

Round 10: work knit as follows; *(4B, 3A) × 2, 4B; work from *.

Round 11: work knit as follows; *2A, 2B, 1A, 3B, 2A, 3B, 1A, 2B, 2A; work from *.

Round 12: work knit as follows; *(1B, 1A) × 2, (2B, 2A) × 2, 2B, (1A, 1B) × 2; work from *.

Round 13: work knit as follows; *(1B, 1A) × 2, (2B, 2A) × 2, 2B, (1A, 1B) × 2; work from *.

Round 14: work knit as follows; *2A, 2B, 1A, 3B, 2A, 3B, 1A, 2B, 2A; work from *.

Round 15: work knit as follows; *(4B, 3A) × 2, 4B; work from *.

Round 16: work knit as follows; *1A, 2B, 12A, 2B, 1A; work from *.

Repeat as desired, ending with either Round 16 or Round 8.