Play with a Fun Lace Stitch Pattern

One thing I love about knitting is all the different ways that a relatively small combination of stitches and techniques can make so many different designs.

I have a long-running obsession with stitch dictionaries, even though I tend to use the same basic stitches over and over when I design. It’s still fun to have all those options and to think about how someone came up with all those different patterns.

This one is shared by Lilia on her blog Lilia Craft Party, where she calls is knitting stitch 18. I’m not sure where this one came from or if it has a more descriptive name. She also described it as being like dancing feathers, which is definitely a nicer name!

It reminds me a bit of candle flame stitch (which I used on a cowl a long time ago and the pattern is no longer available so I need to repost that somewhere!) with a zig-zaggy twist, and it is worked in a similar way. This would be a great stitch to use for a shawl or scarf, or just to play with to have in your arsenal.

You can use any kind of yarn weight but Lilia recommends to use sock or fingering yarn and 3.25mm needles. She also suggests using a row counter to help you keep track of where you are in the pattern, since the repeat is long (29 rows) and it could be easy to get lost if you put your work down in the middle.

This might be a good time to use a lifeline, too, if you’re new to lace knitting and want to make it easier to rip back should you make any mistakes. If you don’t use a lifeline and need to rip back, you can thread a needle through the stitches on one of the wrong-side rows (so you’re not trying to pick up yarn overs) and rip back in the same way. The needle or yarn stops the piece from unraveling further than you’d like and makes it easy to put the stitches back on the needle.

If you want to try this stitch pattern, check it out at Lilia Craft Party.

[Photo: Lilia Craft Party]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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