Review: Lace Knitting for Beginners

For some reason, lace reminds me of spring. I guess because when it starts to get warm outside you can start thinking about wearing projects with eyelets again.

Whatever the reason, I have lace on the brain right now as we in America eagerly await spring, so I thought it was time to share a great little booklet full of lace projects for those new to lace knitting.

Lace Knitting for Beginners, compiled by Amy Palmer, is a little booklet with 11 projects for new lace knitters. It opens with a primer on reading lace charts, including what all those symbols mean and why sometimes the chart means nothing (in the case of a “no stitch” box).

Five of the patterns are for scarves. The others include a towel, tote bag, headband, book sleeve, poncho, shawl and hat. Most of the projects use charts but for the most part they aren’t very complex.

Some of my favorites include Molly’s Headband by Pam Allen, a rectangular headband with a lace panel running down the center and I-cord ties for an east fit; the simple Rain on the Prairie scarf, pictured on the cover and designed by Maureen Hefti; and the fun Peace Street Hat by Grace Akhrem, which uses a lace panel as the brim, from which stitches are picked up to knit the body of the hat in Stockinette. Accent buttons add a bit of whimsy.

There’s also a pattern by Ann Budd called A Scarf of Your Very Own, which shows several basic variations and includes information on how to design your own lace scarf, which is good information for the basics of designing just about any garment.

A glossary and techniques section round out the booklet, which is a great quick start guide for lace knitting. If you’re new to the genre and don’t want to be overwhelmed by a book full of complex projects, you should check this one out.

[Photo via Interweave/F+W.]

One of my favorite things to make on a circular knitting machine is scarves, because they’re a great way to use leftover yarn and certainly faster than knitting by hand.

But if you pay attention to the colors you’re using and how you are using them, you can make fun knitting machine scarves that look like something different when you roll them up.

One of the first versions of this I saw was the sushi scarf, are there are a lot of variations on this one. For example this one from Flower and Anchor that uses five colors of yarn, or this one from Three Threads NE that uses four. These generally are made to look like California rolls, but you could change up the colors to make them different things if you like. Just make sure the outside of the “roll” is black or green to indicate the nori. I found another version on Pinterest if you’re looking for a free pattern, but there’s no image of it rolled up.

Another popular variation is making a scarf that rolls up to look like a mug with coffee, tea or another fun beverage inside. This collection of three mug scarf circular knitting machine patterns from Idaho Cottage Creation includes green tea, a pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and a candy cane colored confection (which honestly reminds me of the Grinch since it has a green mug!). Again you can change the colors of the mug part and the drink part. The little handle looks like it’s crocheted on these, and it doubles as a loop you can thread the scarf end through when you wear it.

Again there’s a version of the green tea scarf on Pinterest with crocheted elements. I also found a latte done with a striped yarn and a red mug that’s pretty cute and gives you an idea what a different beverage would look like.

I also love this pumpkin pie scarf designed by Jodi Favish Saunier. It has a bit of crocheted edging to give it a fancy crust but you can omit that if you don’t crochet. These are all on Facebook but she also has a watermelon and lemonade pattern that are super cute.

Have you read?