If you have been thinking about learning lace knitting then you are in a right place. Lace knitting is not harder than any other knitting technique. You just need to understand abbreviations and get on with it.
Here is a simple step by step tutorial on how it’s the easiest way to start knitting lace for absolute beginners.
The first step on learning lace knitting is finding the perfect lace pattern for beginner lace knitter. Now, it might feel like an impossible task to do, and I admit, it will take a bit of time, but I will give you a few pointers. Here’s what you should look from the pattern if you want to learn lace knitting by yourself:
- the fewer different stitches there are the better;
- and/or no more than 4 pattern rows;
- OR find a pattern you absolutely love to pieces and have an extremely high motivation to knit;
I also recommend you to start with the simple lace scarf. While it might feel a good idea to just try to knit a lace dishcloth, it won’t give you enough practice for you to feel comfortable with lace. Scarf, on the other hand, is long enough for you to get the necessary practice.
So where do you go to find those kinds of patterns?
Try Ravelry.
If you don’t know what Ravelry is, then know that it’s a knitters heaven.
First, go https://www.ravelry.com/ and make yourself an account.
Once you have an account and you’re logged in, find “Patterns” section on your top left corner and click on it:
“Patterns” section will open up. Now look top left corner again and find the advanced search option.
You will see different options on your left part of the screen now. Find the “Category” box, click “Accessories”, and tick the “Scarf” box under“Neck/Torso”.
On the “Craft” box tick “Knitting”:
On “Availability” box tick “Free”:
On “Has Photo” box tick “Yes”:
Under “Attributes” find “Construction”, and tick “Worked flat”:
And in the same section, under “Fabric Characteristics”, tick “Lace”:
Now you should see all the free lace knitting patterns that you can choose from.
Here are 3 simple lace scarf patterns you might want to check out:
- Baby’s Feather & Fan Scarf by Denise Jackson-Holder
- Grapevine Lace Scarf by Azure
- Diamonds in the Rough by In2knition
Once you find the pattern move on with the next step.
Read the pattern through (from start to finish) and make sure you understand everything. Go over the workflow, check all the abbreviations, read the instructions. As soon as you find something you don’t understand, pause and find out.
Take notes, or better yet, keep a knitting notebook. This will help you record everything you want to be remembering. Also, make sure you write down pattern names and the yarn you used.
Check out these links too:
- How to knit basic lace stitches
- Knitting questions answered
- How important is the gauge for a simple straight lace scarf?
Let’s start with the obvious ones:
- yarn
- and needles
Click here to read the post on how to find a perfect yarn for your first lace project.
In terms of needles, I recommend you to pick wooden needles like these:
But that’s not all. To make your life easier and learning more pleasurable, I recommend you to get a few things more.
First – lifelines so if you make a mistake you can easily take back your stitches.
Read what is a “lifeline” and how do you use it here.
And second – stitch markers to mark pattern repeats and edge stitches.
Once you have your tools ready and you’ve made sure you understand the pattern, you can start knitting. If the pattern doesn’t state which cast on and bind off methods to use then choose something stretchy. Your starting and finishing rows need to be as flexible as the lace pattern, and lace patterns usually have a good amount of give.
Here are cast on methods you could use:
And here are bind off techniques you could use:
Now there’s nothing more to it – just start. Be patient with yourself. Take it slow.
Put in a lifeline after every few rows or after every pattern repeat. It might seem tedious, but you’ll thank yourself later. It saves you a lot of time.
You can do this – stitch by stitch.
Congratulations! You have successfully finished your lace project. Just a few more finishing touches and you are done!
Hide in all yarn ends (use this tutorial here on how to weave in yarn ends for lace knitting) and block.
If you feel it’s a bit overwhelming and you need little more guidance, then I have a lace knitting class you will love. It’s called “Lace Knitting for Beginners” and it contains five comprehensive sections with lessons covering the basics, from most helpful tools to practicing different lace stitches and moving on with three beautiful scarf patterns.
You will get video lessons on how to insert lifelines, fix mistakes and three different ways how to cast on and bind off.
It’s lifetime access anytime and anywhere plus you can download all the materials right into your device for later viewing without the internet!
