Is lace knitting really so scary?

I used to think so. I still back away slowly from some of the more intricate designs but I'm not nearly as scared of lace as I used to be.

I remember when lace was mainly used for intricate baby garments and shawls. Womens' shawls didn't do it for me. They were for little old ladies not young things like me!  Most patterns used very fine yarn (1 or 2 ply) and the needles were often tiny, as small as size 0.  With this treacherous combination I can see why many baby clothes were knitted as family heirlooms!

Nowadays, lace is so much more. You hardly ever see knitting pattern books devoted to matinee jackets and layettes these days. Baby garments combine lace with chunky yarns in all the colours of the rainbow. Lace garments for women have evolved from your grannie's wrap to an essential fashion accessory, with designs and yarn choices like never before. All weights of yarn are suitable and many patterns use large gauge needles to accentuate the lacy effect.   And once you get started, you will realise that just because it is a lace pattern, the technique is not that hard and the end result looks like you've slaved for months to produce it!  We really have nothing to fear from lace knitting....have we??

Let's have a think about what scares people the most about lace and what to look for in a first lace experience.

Hundreds of stitches! How will I keep track of them all?

Don't! Why not start with a scarfette or stole, which is rectangular and has no increases? A narrow scarf with a couple of pattern repeats is a great way to start. And don't forget the humble washcloth, headband or bookmark as a starter project. There are thousands of patterns available to use as a test and the best thing is you get to use your test swatch.

If you're still keen after attempting a small item, you might like to try a triangular shawl. Same technique but there will be regular increases.

My teeny tiny test swatch

I'll get lost amongst all the holes and k2togs!

This can be a bit scary to start with, but again, if you choose a simple pattern it will be easier to get used to. Lace knitting is based on a repeating, symmetrical pattern. Once you've completed a few rows you will start to see how the shape is developing and can predict what comes next.  You'll see quite quickly that a yarn over is evened out by a knit 2 together.  The stitch count won't change but the appearance of the pattern will change to reflect the different stitches.

Look for a pattern where the lace work is only done on right side rows.  The wrong side will be all purl/plain stitch with maybe a 3 or 4 stitch plain stitch border. 

It's starting to look like a pattern is forming (I worked a few stocking stitch rows to get started)

Yarn forward yfwd (also known as Yarn over yo) just before knitting or slipping the next stitch

yfwd, slip 1, knit 2 together

yfwd, slip one purlwise (the same way as you start to work a purl stitch)

I've made a mistake and don't know how to fix it!

There are 2 things you can do here.  The first thing is to insert a "lifeline".  A lifeline is a length of waste yarn threaded across a row of stitches that hold them if you have to rip your work back to fix a mistake.  Thread a wool needle with a length of smooth yarn and run it through the stitches on your needle.  This is easier than trying to insert a lifeline several rows down.  If you make a mistake and don't notice it straight away you can unravel your knitting until you get to the lifeline row.  The stitches can't unravel anymore so it is easy to pick up the row and fix your mistake.  Just be careful not to knit the lifeline into the real stitch!

The start of a lifeline.  Just thread through the base of the stitches on the needle

The second thing is to use stitch markers to separate each pattern repeat.  If your lace pattern is a repeat of say, 12 stitches, place a stitch marker at the beginning and end of each repeat.  If you are really nervous you can count each repeat as you go.  I'm sure you'll find that you will end up removing the markers after a few pattern repeats, as you will get to know the pattern and how it works.


I'm scared my stitches will drop off the needle!

My top tip for this is to use a needle that has some "grip".  I do love my Addi Clicks.  They are smooth and shiny (and circular, my favourite!) BUT...they are so smooth that the stitches slip about when I am trying to knit them.  Add a few yarn over loopy bits and you can guess the rest!  Circulars are fine, as well as straights, but I would choose something like brushed metal, bamboo or wood needles for lace.  The slight friction as you knit works with you not against you like it would with a bulkier yarn, to keep the stitches stable.  As most lace these days is worked with fine yarn and thick needles, you do need to have some control, as the lace will be fairly loose, no matter if you are a loose or tight knitter.

I've forgotten where I'm up to!

This happens to even the most hardened of lace knitters.  I photocopy the pattern (I hate writing on the original) and jot down the next row that I'm going to knit.  Sometimes you can see straight away where you are but why tempt fate?


Where are the instructions?  All I can find is a graph with funny symbols all over it!

Some people are readers, others are lookers.  I used to prefer a writtten pattern but I can cope with graphs now if I have to!  As long as they aren't covered with a million symbols I'm OK.  Lace patterns lend themselves well to graphs, as you can see what goes where.  If you are really scared of graphs, look for patterns that include both written and graphic steps.

It looks all funny, not like lace at all!

Like it or not, lace will need to be blocked before wearing.  Blocking really isn't hard, it just adds a few hours to the grand unveiling of your latest creation.  Be sure to check the ball band for washing instructions, as some yarns mustn't be ironed or machine washed.  At the very least, you will need to wet down your work, squeeze out any excess water, then lay the item flat on a towel or folded sheet (gingham material is great as it has a built in grid) and use lots of long, rustproof pins to get your shawl into shape.  Don't be shy here.  You want the yarn to relax and sit well so a little manipulation to get those lacy panels looking right is really worth it.



How do I wear it?

Lace shawls and stoles can be worn with pretty much anything (well, I wouldn't wear a stole over sweaty running gear, but each to her own!).  A lovely shawl or stole can make the simplest outfit look stunning, so why not team it with a basic black or white top?  If I'm wearing a multi-coloured lace item I would wear a solid colour garment and for a solid colour lace item I can usually jazz up my outfit a bit.  My main criteria is that I have put such a lot of work and care into the lace I want it to be the star!

Don't forget a nice shawl pin.  Etsy have thousands of examples, from simple wooden pins to elaborate wirework ones.  You can even crochet a flower and attach a brooch pin to the back, or raid your grandma's jewellery box for a vintage number.

My current lace project is the Fairy Leaves Stole by the Yarn Floozies.  I didn't use the pooling technique but chose Naturally Waikiwi, which is a merino nylon possum blend sockweight yarn.  Lovely to knit with and will be yummy to wear!

Fairy Leaves Stole made with Naturally Waikiwi

Here's one I prepared earlier!  This was my first attempt at a lace stole.  It is knitted from this Fibretrends pattern and uses Heirloom Pixie.  It was so easy to do that I could pick it up after a week and know where I was up to, and even though I made a few little mistakes you would have to study the whole 5 1/2 half feet of it pretty closely to see them!  Lace heaven if you ask me!

Easy Lace Wrap by Fibretrends knitted in Heirloom Pixie 4ply and 5.00mm needles

Some tips that have saved my sorry knitting wotsit!

Although I've been knitting and crocheting for around 40 years, I wouldn't call myself an expert knitter.  Maybe I'm being too harsh on myself but I have to admit I still find myself making silly mistakes when I would have thought I was way beyond that sort of thing.

Over the years, I've developed a bag of tricks that has saved me from many a knitting or crocheting disaster.  Looking back, I can see that I actually have become a skilled knitter, if a little lazy!  I've come to accept the odd mistake as a badge.  After all, if I wanted everything to look manufactured I wouldn't bother to knit would I?!

So here are some of the things that I've relied upon for all these years to dig me out of whatever yarny hole I find myself in!

Frogging - pulling knitting back to just before the mistake was made.  I did this just this morning.  I am currently making a jumper for my grandson Connor, and am doing the sleeves.  The pattern is written for flat knitting but as I hate (and I do not use the word hate lightly!) seaming, I knitted the front and back in one piece.  When I was nearly up to the armholes, I realised I had cast on more stitches for the back than the front.  Grrrr.  I "fixed" this by knitting a couple of stitches together while casting off for the armholes and am fairly confident any unevenness won't be noticed.  They are my favourite mistakes - the ones that look like they were meant to be there!

If you look closely you can see the side panels are slightly different widths

Now I'm doing the first sleeve in the round as well, until I reach the shaping.  I mis-read the pattern which said increase on the 7th and every following fourth row until the increasing is done.  Well, first of all I increased on the first row (old habits die hard) then every 4th row as instructed but found that the increases were finished about 2 inches up the sleeve.  Now that didn't sound or look right to me, so I put the sleeve back into my knitting bag for a couple of days, hoping that I would decide this was OK.  Alas, it was not OK.  I dithered about, not wanting to pick it up, but wanting it finished anyway, until I bit the bullet this morning and pulled back the sleeve to the ribbing. 

This time I am increasing on the 7th, 4th, 7th etc rows until I get the right number of increases.  Even now I'm not convinced that this was correct but that is how I've interpreted the pattern.  I know that  patterns can't be too long and wordy, but I do really like the ones that spell it out row by row...I wonder why?!

In case you are wondering, here is the actual text of the sleeve increases -

Excerpt from Peter Pan Jeanie Bk 341

And of course, I've just re-read the instructions for the first size (not the one that I'm doing) and it says, inc 1st then every 10th row.  This means that I am doing it wrong AGAIN!!!  Oh well, it should still be fine...shouldn't it??   Postscript - I've just checked the Blog preview and realised I should have increased every 8th row not every 4th........now where is the "smash head against keyboard to continue" button??!!

What does all this rambling have to do with handy tips?  I'll tell you what - READ the pattern BEFORE you cast on!  Get the design into your head first so the instructions are logical.  Don't start something then have to give up when it gets complicated by a new stitch or technique that you are having trouble mastering.  I shall call this Tip number 1.

Tip Number 2 - Use stitch markers.  When you are knitting lace or anything that has panels of stitch patterns, stitch markers can make the difference between pulling back a few stitches to pulling back entire rows....no fun when you are knitting cables or lace.  Markers are pretty much essential for circular knitting too.  You must know where the beginning of a row is.  You can use all sorts of things as markers, from pieces of scrap yarn tied around the needle, to beautiful handmade beaded markers.

Tip number 3 - If you are tackling a new stitch pattern consider doing a test swatch first.  Tension (gauge) swatches are a common task when knitting with a new yarn or needle size that is different to your normal one.  I'm trying to design a knitted messenger bag using cable stitch panels and I'm finding it easier to knit the panels out of cheap yarn first to make sure I have the pattern correct.  Once I've done this, I'll be much more in tune with the design and hopefully won't make too many mistakes.  (This relates to Tip 1)

There are hundreds of handy tips and hints to help make your knitting life a little easier and the ones I've listed are only a few of my faves.  If you have a favourite, why not let me know by adding your comment?