Book Review – 280 Japanese Lace Stitches

Embrace the Japanese concept of ma (negative space) with these delicate lace stitches.

280 Japanese Lace Stitches is a fun and informative resource for experienced knitters. This book is filled with a wonderful variety of beautiful, openwork stitch patterns, including leaf patterns, diamonds, circles and waves—perennial favorites that can be applied to every type of project, from sweaters to blankets. With full-color photos and expert explanations of the symbols and patterns, knitters can expand their knowledge of this elegant and classic style.

11 basic projects give you a chance to try some of these patterns right away. These gentle introductions include such accessories as:

A stripe-textured shawl
A short cowl
Handwarmers with a circle pattern
A versatile winter hat
And more!

Japanese knitting guru Gayle Roehm introduces the patterns and explains the ins and outs of Japanese knitting. A handy index allows you to search for patterns by number of steps and stitches required, so you can shop from the intricacy side of the menu. A section on how to knit the symbols takes you step-by-step through the stitches used in this book.

Next Pattern:

Linen stitch is one of my favorite knitting stitch patterns that, every time I use it in a project, I think about how I don’t use it often enough.

It’s an easy stitch to make, with slip stitches done with the yarn held to the front of the work on the right/front side and to the back on the wrong/back side, which makes the strand of yarn a visible part of the pattern.

It also makes a fabric that is thick and looks kind of like a woven fabric.

I recently used linen stitch to make a double-thick pot holder, which I worked in a kind of interesting way. I didn’t want to have to do any sewing on the project, so I started it from a crochet cast on and picked up stitches from the side of the cast on to make the hot pad all in one piece in the round with the edge sealed.

This requires working on two circular needles, which is another technique I don’t use that often and am always reminded how much I like it when I do.

The combination of double thickness and the stitch pattern makes for a hot pad that’s already pretty thick, but I also added a bit of old towel to the inside before I closed up the end to make it super thick and extra protective for your surfaces.

I found the engineering challenge of this construction method to be a lot of fun, but you could also just knit it as a tube (casting on twice as many stitches as I did) and sew up the ends by hand when the knitting is done. Either way you’ve got a useful and pretty addition to your kitchen, whether you work it in a solid color, stripes or as a stash busting project will all your cotton odd balls.

You can grab the pattern over at Our Daily Craft, or check it out on Ravelry.

40+ Hot Pads You Can Sew For The Kitchen [Sewing]

A Cozy Knit to Calm Your Mind

Double Knit an Infinity Scarf

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