The hardest thing about knitting lace is keeping track of the pattern and making sure the number of yarn overs is the same as the number of decreases.
Both these difficulties are easy to overcome with the super easy stitch pattern described in this tutorial.
Some sources call this pattern a “Witch’s Ladder Stitch”, others list it as a “Lover’s Knot”, but no matter how we call it, it is probably the easiest way to make a beautiful lacy texture that looks exactly the same on both sides of the fabric.
With a two-stitch and one-row repeat, even newer knitters will make stunning lacy shawls and scarves without much effort.
To make things even better, we’ll talk about three ways to knit this stitch pattern. Try all of them and choose the one that feels more comfortable to you.
The pattern is built on a multiple of two stitches. No matter which of the three ways you decide to use, cast on an even number of stitches.
Because every row starts with a yarn over, it is better to add selvedge stitches. They will keep the side edges of the project nice and neat, and they will protect the first yarn over of the row from unravelling.
You can choose any way to treat the edges. Some of them are described in the “Neat Side Edges” book available over here.
In my test swatch, I use Silesian selvedges. This method requires one selvedge stitch at each side of the fabric, so two of the ten stitches I cast on will serve that purpose.
There are no setup rows. Whether you start to work in this pattern right after you cast on stitches, or you add it as a section to a project, the steps are exactly the same.
WAY #1
As we agreed, the first stitch is a selvedge. With the Silesian selvedge method, we knit that stitch through the back loop.
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We do it by inserting the right needle into the stitch from right to left, wrapping the tip of the needle with the yarn as we do when we knit a stitch, and pulling that wrap through to form a new stitch. Finally, we slip the original stitch off the left needle.
Then we work a simple two-stitch repeat.
First, we make a regular yarn over by bringing the working yarn to the front of the work, over the right needle and to the back of the fabric.
Then we knit two stitches together.
That’s when things can get a bit tricky. Often, it is not easy to insert the tip of the right needle into the first two stitches on the left needle from left to right.
It helps to move these two stitches closer to the tip of the left needle, but without letting them slip off the needle before we are ready to let them go. The right index finger helps a lot. Simply hold it at the first stitch, and the stitches will be safe.
Once we insert the right needle into the stitches, we can remove the right index finger and wrap the yarn around the tip of the right needle, as we usually do when we knit a stitch.
Pull the wrap through both stitches and slip those stitches off the left needle.
Repeat the same sequence of [ yarn over, knit 2 together ] until you get to the last stitch of the row.
This is our second selvedge, and when we use the Silesian selvedge method, we slip this stitch purlwise with the yarn in front of the work.
This is the pattern row that we work on and on to form a lovely texture with lots of holes branching out from the columns of angled knit stitches.
WAY #2
If you feel that knitting a stitch and a yarn over together is problematic (it could be quite a challenge for “tight knitters”), knit those two stitches together through the back loop.
It is much easier, and it forms a texture that is very similar to the one formed by way #1.
This change does not affect selvedge stitches, and we still start every row by knitting the first stitch through the back loop.
Then we make a regular yarn over.
And, finally, we knit the first two stitches from the tip of the left needle together through the back loop.
To do that, we insert the tip of the right needle into those stitches from right to left.
There is no need to move these stitches very close to the tip of the left needle. The right needle slides into the stitches much easier than it does when we insert it from left to right.
Once the right needle is inserted, wrap its tip with the yarn and pull this wrap through both stitches, knitting them together through the back loop.
Repeat the sequence of [ yarn over, knit 2 together through the back loop ] until you get to the last stitch.
This is our second selvedge. We slip it purlwise with the yarn in front of that stitch.
As you repeat this pattern row, you will see that the lacy elements are the same, but the columns of stitches between them don’t look like angled knit stitches any more. They look like twisted stitches.
No surprise there. By knitting two stitches together through the back loop, we twist them. This twist does not only show in the stitches. It also makes the fabric curl a bit to the left.
This slight curl disappears after blocking, but if you want to avoid the curl without struggling to insert the right needle into every two stitches of every row, the third way of making this lacy stitch pattern will help.
WAY #3
The row starts with a selvedge stitch, and by now, we know that we should knit this stitch through the back loop.
Then comes a two-stitch pattern repeat. First, we make a regular yarn over.
After that, we bring the yarn to the front of the work and purl two stitches together. As you bring the yarn to the front, be careful not to unravel the yarn over. It should still be sitting on the right needle.
Purling does not add unnecessary curling to the fabric, and because it is easy to insert the right needle into the stitches from right to left, we get a perfect solution to the issues we discovered with way #1 and way #2.
Repeat the sequence of [ yarn over, purl 2 together ] to the last stitch of the row.
And slip the last stitch purlwise with the yarn in front of the work.
Once you work the pattern row several times, you will see that the columns of stitches between the lacy elements of this pattern resemble a wheat spike with alternating knotted stitches that lean to the right and to the left.
BIND OFF
When it is time to bind off stitches, don’t make any new yarn overs in the bind-off row. Knit or purl the regular stitches from the previous row, and knit all yarn overs through the back loop before you bind them off.
Knitting through the back loop will twist the yarn over and keep it from forming a huge hole.
Whether you choose the first, the second, or the third way to make this beautiful lacy texture, make sure you start the pattern repeat of each row with a yarn over and finish it with a decrease. No yarn overs before the second selvedge stitch unless you want to increase the number of stitches on your needles.
To confirm that you are on the right track, count the stitches every now and then. The number should be the same as the number of stitches you cast on.
SAVE IT FOR LATER
This and 26 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #9.