In a previous post I told you about nupps, that special textured stitch that originated in Estonia. Another distinguishing Estonian feature in lace knitting, is called a “gather”. These gathers are clearly visible in the photo pictured below.
This photo is from a very interesting website: New lace – Old traditions. On this website the authors focus on modern lace knitting in the Estonian tradition, building on and inspired by the famous Haapsalu shawls. Definitely a must-read for lovers of lace knitting, also due to the many free stitch patterns that can be found there.
What exactly are “gathers”?
Gathers are made by knitting a certain number of stitches together (“gathering” them), after which they are increased. The resulting number of stitches may be the same as the original number, for example, “2-in-2”, “3-in-3”, “5-in-5”, “7-in-7”, etc. It is however also possible to increase to a different number of stitches, the end up with more (or less) stitches. For example “5-in-7” or “3-in-5”. The result consists of small lacy textured buttons in the knitted fabric.
In this post I want to show you how to knit gathers.
Knitting gathers
In this example, I will be making “3 in 3” gathers on a surface of stockinette stitch. I’m using a relatively thick yarn, because it is easier to photograph than lace yarn.
A 3-in-3 gather is made by knitting 3 stitches together, then slipping the newly knitted stitch back to the left hand needle and knitting [ktbl 1, k1, ktbl 1] in the same stitch.
Gathers step by step
1. Knit 3 stitches together.
2. Slip the last knitted stitch back to the left hand needle.
3. Knit 1 stitch through the back loop, but do not slip the original stitch off the needle.
4. Knit one stitch (insert the needle as usual in the front loop), but again do not slip the original stitch off the needle.
5. Knit 1 stitch through the back loop and slip the original stitch off the needle to complete the stitch.
6. This looks something like this:
7. For this example, I knitted three 3-in-3 gathers in the same row:
8. And this is how it looks after I knitted 2 more rows in stockinette as well as another round with three 3-in-3 gathers:
Of course the gathers look very different on a stockinette base and with this thick wool than in lace weight yarn.
The Sedum Shawl is a lovely two-tone shawl with a striped body and delicate contrasting lace edging. Make it in the small size for a sweet kerchief or in one of the three larger sizes for a lovely elegant and warm cover-up.
This shawl is worked from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge. The instructions for the border of the shawl are provided both fully charted and written out.
This pattern is written in American English crochet terminology.
Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)
€
Size and finished measurements
This pattern includes 4 sizes: S (M, L, XL) with a wingspan of 126 (155, 200, 229) cm (50 (61, 79, 90) inches) and a depth of 60 (77, 100, 115) cm (24 (30, 39, 45) inches), measured after blocking. The shawl pictured is in size L.
Difficulty
Techniques used in The Sedum Shawl consist of sl st, sc, hdc, dc and ch st. Because of this the pattern is suitable for the advanced beginner.
Pattern details
Worked flat back and forth.
Gauge is not critical in this design. For the sample shawl: 14 sts / 9 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over hdc, measured after blocking.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 3 pages (letter size).
Materials
Yarn: Used in the sample: Ice Yarns Virgin Wool Deluxe (100% wool; 280 m (306 yds) / 100 g) in lilac and blue / petrol. Use yarn in DK weight in the following quantities:
MC – Lilac: 275 (445, 760, 1025) m or 300 (485, 835, 1120) yds.
CC – Blue / Petrol: 200 (275, 390, 490) m or 215 (305, 425, 535) yds. Used in the sample: Ice Yarns Virgin Wool Deluxe (100% wool; 280 m (306 yds) / 100 g) in lilac and blue / petrol.
Size 5.5 mm (US I/9) and size 6 mm (US J/10) crochet hooks.
Maybe you are already familiar with them: Those funny little buttons that give beautiful lace shawls texture. Take for example the beautiful Luule shawl pictured below. A nupp (rhymes with “soup”) is a characteristic of lace as traditionally knit in Estonia.
The special thing of Estonian lace knitting is that besides the openwork it also contains a lot of texture. As a result, in lace knitting in the Estonian tradition there are many stitches that you will probably encounter (almost) nowhere else.
History of lace knitting in Estonia
The tradition of knitting lace shawls in Estonia, began about 200 years ago in the city Haapsalu. From the early 18th century until about 1918 Haapsalu was a popular destination for Russian tourists. To benefit from this tourism the women of Haapsula started selling their knitted lace shawls.
The story goes that these shawls were sold by weight. And because nupps consume a lot of yarn, a pattern with many nupps increase the weight of the resulting shawl considerably. This is the reason that the characteristic Estonian lace patterns have been devised in such a way that they combine the so popular delicate appearance as well as many nupps.
In this post I want to show you how to knit nupps.
Knitting nupps step by step
Knitting nupps is actually a 2-step process: first stitches are increased and in the following wrong side row all these stitches are decreased back to 1 stitch by purling them all together.
1 . To start knit 1 stitch, leaving the original stitch on the left hand needle. Make sure to knit loosely.
2. Make a yarn over on the right hand needle.
3. Again knit 1 stitch loosely, leaving the original stitch on the left hand needle.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once more (for a five-stitch nupp), and then slip the original stitch of the left hand needle. You know have 5 stitches where there originally only was 1. The result will look something like this:
5. For this example, I set up several nupps in the same row:
6. On the following wrong side row the nupps will be completed. The clusters of five stitches look like this from the wrong side of the fabric:
7. Insert your needle in all five stitches at the same time to purl them together. This works best if you have made the new stitches for the nupps loosely and when using sharp knitting needles.
8. Once purled together it looks like this:
And this is how it looks on the right side of the work:
When knit in a thin yarn nupps will of course look very different from the ones in the worsted weight yarn I used for this tutorial. Depending on the effect you want to achieve you can make 5-stitch, 7-stitch or even 9-stitch nupps. Just repeat steps 2 and 3 as desired.
And don’t forget:
Knit loosely.
Use sharp needles.
Use a crochet hook to purl the nupps stitches together if you have to.
Don’t sweat it if they don’t turn out the way you want at first: it is only yarn!
In the April 2016 issue of I Like Crochet it is all about the change of seasons: Melting icicles, green grass, flowers emerging from once-frozen soil—Spring is here! This issue is filled with light and lacy projects for that transition between cool-to-warm weather.
For the “fantastic florals” section in this issue, I have designed the Cherry Blossoms Stole. Pictures courtesy of I like Crochet Magazine.
This lovely stole features a dainty floral lace pattern, perfect to dress up any outfit. Wear it as a shoulder wrap to show off the full stunning flower pattern, or as a simple lacy scarf. Take advantage of a beautiful fingering weight yarn with long color runs, as pictured, for a truly spectacular look.
Brocaat is an elegant and fast to knit scarf, designed to use only one ball of super bulky weight yarn with long color runs. Make it nice and long so it can be worn doubled up.
The description of the lace in this pattern is provided both fully charted and written out.
Pay what you want: (minimum €5.50)
€
Difficulty level
Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, skp, yo and a centered double decrease. This pattern is suitable for the beginning lace knitter.
Sizes and finished measurements
One size – measurements: 18 cm (7 inches) wide and 170 cm (67 inches) long, excluding fringe.
Pattern details
Brocaat is worked flat.
Written for a gauge of approx. 11 sts / 15 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over lace pattern, after blocking.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
Digital PDF has 3 pages (A4 size)
Materials
184 m (201 yds) / 100 g Scheepjes Vinci [60% wool, 40% acrylic; 184 m (201 yds) per 100 g]. Substitute any super bulky weight yarn with long color runs for a similar result.
Needles in your preferred style in size 8 mm (US 11).
Olivijn is a crescent-shaped shawl worked from the top-down. Its stockinette body will let that special skein of fingering weight yarn shine, the lace edging adds a special touch of luxury.
Start this shawl with a garter stitch tab, then work the lace in the border on both right side and wrong side rows. The instructions for the body and the border of the shawl are provided both fully charted and written out.
Pay what you want: (minimum €6.50)
€
Difficulty level
Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, skp, yo, p3tog and a centered double decrease. This pattern is therefor suitable for the intermediate to advanced knitter.
Size and finished measurements
Olivijn has a wingspan of 152 cm (60 inches) and a depth of 47 cm (18 ½ inches), measured after blocking.
Pattern details
Written for a gauge of 18 sts / 23 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette after blocking. Gauge is not critical for this design, but a loose gauge is strongly advised.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie).
Digital PDF has 3 pages (A4 size).
Materials
440 m (480 yds) / 110 g Siidegarte Siide-Quirlig [70% silk, 30% SeaCell; 440 m (480 yds) / 110 g skein] in “Hirtetäschli”. Substitute any fingering weight yarn with a high silk or bamboo content for a similar result.
Size 4.5 mm (US 7) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles, or size needed to get gauge.
Size 5 mm (US 8) / 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles, for bind-off only.
Lelie is an airy lace shawl with a beautiful and intricate stitch pattern of flowing leaves blooming into lovely flowers. Evoking feelings of spring and summer this shawl is a perfect choice to dress up that lovely outfit.
This shawl is knitted from the top-down in one piece, starting at the neck edge with a garter tab. The instructions for the body and the border of the shawl are provided both fully charted and written out.
Lelie has a wingspan of 170 cm (67 inches) and a depth of 70 cm (27 ½ inches), measured after blocking.
Pattern details
Written for a gauge of 13.6 sts / 26.4 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over body pattern after blocking, gauge is however not critical in this design.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
Digital PDF has 6 pages for the English version and 7 pages in the Dutch version (letter size)
Materials
480 m (525 yds) / 120 g Siidegarte Siide-Fideel [50% wool, 50% silk], in color Pfaffechäppli. Substitute any fingering weight yarn for a similar result.
A circular needle size 4 mm (US 6), 80 cm (32 inches) long was used for the sample shawl.
Yarn needle
4 stitch markers to indicate the center stitch and edge stitches
18 stitch markers to indicate repeats of the shawl body pattern (optional)
Reminiscent of the soft colors of sea glass on a sunny beach, the Zeeglas Cowl warms the neck and shoulders like a soft cloud. The simple to work lace pattern is provided both charted and written out.
The various colors from the Adele’s Mohair Brushed Self Stripe Yarn used in the sample give this design added visual interest. When substituting yarns, choose either a sport weight brushed mohair type yarn or lace weight kid-silk type yarn held double for a similar result. This design is very well suited for stash busting odds and ends of mohair type yarn.
Pay what you want: (minimum €5.50)
€
Difficulty level
The Zeeglas cowl is knit in the round. Stitches used include knit, purl, sl1, k2tog, psso and yo. The pattern is suitable for the intermediate knitter.
Sizes and finished measurements
S (L), shown in the larger size. Finished dimensions: 37 cm (14 ½ inches) wide and 55 (110) cm (21 ½ (43) inches) circumference, measured after blocking.
Pattern details
Written for a gauge of approx. 13.3 sts / 17.7 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over lace pattern, measured after blocking. Gauge is however not critical in this design.
Pattern languages included: English and Dutch (Dit patroon omvat zowel een Nederlandse als een Engelse versie)
Digital PDF has 2 pages (A4 size)
Materials
112 (223) m (122 (244) yds) / 28 (55) g Adele’s Mohair Brushed Self Stripe Yarn [78% mohair, 13% wool, 9% nylon; 203 m (222 yds) / 50 g ball]. Substitute any sport weight brushed mohair type yarn, or lace weight kid-silk type yarn held double for a similar result.
5 mm (US 8) 60 cm (16 inches) circular needle. Use needles appropriate for the yarn chosen.
The Autumn Leaves Shawl features a simple stockinette body knit sideways in a shallow triangle shape. The leafy border is knitted on at the same time. Made in a loose gauge, Autumn Leaves is an airy layering piece, just enough for when there’s a chill in the air.
This design works great with that special skein of fingering weight yarn. The Autumn Leaves Shawl can, however, be made in any size, using any weight of yarn. Just knit until you have reached half of your yarn or half the size you want the shawl or shawlette to be. Since the body is in plain stockinette this pattern is also very suited to use with hand dyed yarns. Instructions for the lace border are both written and charted.
Materials
Yarn 360 m (393 yds) / 100 g Knitcola Alpaca Hand-dyed Yarn [100 % alpaca] in light blue. Substitute any fingering weight yarn in a solid or semi-solid color for a similar result.
Recommended needles Size 4.5 mm (US 7), 80 cm (32 inches) circular needles were used for the sample shawl.
Other
Yarn needle
2 stitch markers
Gauge
Gauge is not critical in this design. For the sample shawl measured after blocking: 14 sts / 22 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) over stockinette.
Size and finished measurements
Finished dimensions of the sample shawl: 140 cm (55 inches) along the upper edge and a depth of 32 cm (12 ½ inches), measured after blocking. The sample shawl has a total of 16 leaves.
This shawl can easily be made larger by using heavier yarn and/or working more repeats. This will, of course, increase the amount of yarn needed.
Skills required
This pattern features lace knitted on both right and wrong side rows. Stitches used include knit, purl, k2tog, p2tog, kfb, m1, skp, yo, and sl2-k-p2sso. Therefore, this pattern is suitable for the intermediate or lace knitter.
Abbreviations
BO – bind off CO – cast on k – knit k2tog – knit two together kfb – knit in the front and in the back of the stitch m1 – increase by lifting the loop between the stitch just knit and the next one from the front with your left needle, then knit into the back of the loop p – purl p2tog – purl two together PM – place marker rep – repeat RM – remove marker RS/WS – right side/wrong side skp – slip, knit, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch sl2-k1-p2sso – slip two together, knit one, pass two stitches over (2 stitches decreased) sl1 wyif – slip 1 stitch as if to purl, with yarn in front SM – slip marker st(s) – stitch(es) yo – yarn over
Pattern notes
Work the Autumn Leaves shawl sideways from tip to tip, with increases and then decreases worked on one side every other row. The lace border is worked simultaneously.
The pattern has a garter stitch border of 4 stitches on the upper edge, with a decorative slipped stitch edge finishing.
Always slip markers as you come to them.
Instead of the skp decrease ssk can be used if desired.
Stitch guide
Slipped stitch edge: Slip the last stitch on each WS row as if to purl, with yarn in front.
Wrap and Turn (w&t): Bring your yarn to the front between the needles, slip the next stitch purl-wise, bring your yarn between the needles to the back again, slip the stitch back to the left needle, and turn work.
Rows 13-22: Rep row 11-12 five more times (13 sts).
Body – increase section
Both the written out and charted instructions for the leafy border can be found at the bottom of this page. Please note, stitch counts given here are only applicable to the body stitches.
Row 1 (RS): K4, SM, k1, m1, PM, work row 1 of Leafy border. (6 sts – 1 st increased in body) Row 2 (WS): Work row 2 of Leafy border, SM, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif. Row 3: K4, SM, k to 1 st before marker, M1, K1, SM, work row 3 of Leafy border. (7 sts – 1 st increased in body) Row 4: Work row 4 of Leafy border, SM, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif. Row 5: K4, SM, k to 1 st before marker, M1, K1, SM, work row 5 of Leafy border. (8 sts – 1 st increased in body) Row 6: Work row 6 of Leafy border, SM, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif.
Continue in this manner until all 18 rows of the border pattern have been worked. (14 sts in body)
Next: Repeat last 18 rows until 8 leaves or almost half of the yarn has been used. (77 sts in body)
Next: Rep rows 1-16 once again. (85 sts in body)
Tip: Weigh your project in between pattern repeats to get an idea the amount of yarn needed for each repeat. This way, a better estimate can be made whether another repeat is possible with your available amount of yarn.
Easing the border around the center point
Row 17: K4, SM, k to 1 st before marker, m1, K1, SM, work row 17 of Leafy border. (78 sts – 1 st increased in body) Row 18: Work row 18 of Leafy border, RM, w&t. Row 19: PM, work row 1 of Leafy border. Row 20: Work row 2 of Leafy border, SM, pick up and purl wrap together with corresponding st, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif.
Body – decrease section
Row 1 (RS): K4, SM, k to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, SM, work row 3 of Leafy border. (77 sts – 1 st decreased in body) Row 2 (WS): Work row 4 of Leafy border, SM, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif. Row 3: K4, SM, k to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, SM, work row 5 of Leafy border. (76 sts – 1 st decreased in body) Row 4: Work row 6 of Leafy border, SM, p to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif.
Continue in this manner until the same number of leaves as on the increase section have been completed (14 sts).
Next row (RS): K4, SM, k1, k2tog, k to end, removing marker. (13 sts – 1 st decreased in body) Next row (WS): P to marker, SM, k3, sl1 wyif. Rep these last 2 rows 9 more times, removing marker after final rep (4 sts).
Next row: K1, k2tog, k1. (3 sts) Next row: K2, sl1 wyif. Next row: K1, k2tog. (2 sts) Next row: K1, sl1 wyif. Next row: K2tog and fasten off.
Finishing
Finally, weave in ends and block your Autumn Leaves Shawl to shape.
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