What’s that saying, life imitates art? Well in this case, I tried (with some success, I feel) to find a way to knit lace that looked like filet crochet lace. “Why?” Some might ask. Well, two things influenced this exploratory adventure. First, Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop Sock yarn looks amazing crocheted up…most cotton yarns have little springiness to them, but the PBT in this yarn I talked about on Monday is great for creating some elasticity in the crocheted fabric. Secondly, as I look at the free patterns I shared yesterday, I notice very little lacework, so I just had to see if I could push the limits a bit; it’s the rebel designer in me!
Bamboo Pop Sock works up great in knit lace as well as crochet lace (if you happen to be multi-crafty)
Most all-over knitted lace patterns have a bias to the eyelets and the fabric. Truly stacked eyelets that aren’t slightly off to the side are harder to achieve because to make the eyelet you work a right-left leaning decrease to create the space, the lean is right there! Filet crochet has a grid of eyelets with truly vertical and horizontal alignment. So, I explored my options and came up with a different way to create a gap, Bundle Stitch Lace.
Bundle Stitch Lace is a close cousin to filet crochet lace with almost vertically stacked eyelets.
It’s not a perfect solution. There’s still a bit of a brickwork aspect to the lace. In this photo above, you can see the filet crochet at the bottom, and the Bundle Stitch Lace in the middle of the design swatch. Do you see the staggered appearance of the eyelets in the knit version? I think it’s subtle enough. The other textured stitch at the top? I’ll get to that in a minute.
So where would you apply this type of lace pattern in a knit item? I happened to design a summer top using Bamboo Pop Sock, I’ll post it Friday. The entire upper bodice and sleeves are worked in Bundle Stitch lace for a sophisticated summer look. Please come back to check it out. Because not everyone likes text-only instructions to learn a new stitch, I thought I’d make a video to demonstrate how to make this lace stitch and the other textured stitch above it.
At the end of the video I describe how to make the re-knit stitch. I use this stitch in tomorrow’s free sock pattern. While Bamboo Pop Sock as an interesting texture all on its own, I wanted to add a little something to the visible ankle section on the summer sock I’ll introduce you to tomorrow.
This is moss stitch using the re-knit stitch to create a more open texture.
If you’ve read any of my blog posts about other yarns, you know that very often I explore texture or unusual stitches. Please look around for a few of my other yarn reviews here:
Making multiple increases in knitted lace
Knitting surface stitches as you go
Micro-eyelets make knitting lace possible on baby blankets
Bunny Ear decreases make this stitch pattern best for knitted baby blankie
Life imitating art? Knitting imitating Crochet? What do you think?
Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop Sock has become one of my go-to yarns because it’s very versatile at different gauges, with plenty of stitch motifs or textures, and in different types of projects, from socks to accessories, to garments.
Tomorrow I’ll share an ankle-length toe-up sock design and Friday, come back for a full summer top design in 6 sizes, all knit up using the very versatile Bamboo Pop Sock!