Hi everybody! Do your blocks from clue #4 look like this?
Don’t worry if they don’t! There was a lot of discussion about the ‘floats’ of yarn across the slipped stitches in this pattern. All of the floats should be on the same side, the right side (RS) of your work, but don’t worry if they’re not! As long as you made the floats the same way consistently across the block and you are pleased with the results – who cares if it differs from the pattern? Many people also mentioned they prefer the ‘wrong side’ to the ‘right side’ of the pattern. Again, as long as you like the way it looks, why not flip the right and wrong sides? Sometimes we get too concerned with doing things ‘right’ and forget we’re supposed to be having fun with our knitting. Don’t forget you’re the boss of your yarn!
On that note, let’s show clue #5 who’s boss!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE OF CLUE #5
Don’t forget to check the the resources section above if you’re unsure how to work a stitch!
For clue #5 we’re shaking things up a bit and delving into lace knitting. While knitted lace can look very complex, the basic technique to create these fancy stitches is quite simple. Do you know how to work a yo (yarn-over)? Do you know how to ssk (slip, slip, knit), and k2tog (knit two together)? If the answer is yes, you’re totally qualified to knit some lace!
Lace knitting patterns are usually created by pairing yo increases (which create intentional holes in your work), with the same number of decreases. This buddy system of increases and decreases maintains your stitch count across a row. It’s totally simple! That said, like any kind of knitting, there’s always room for error. Here are a few tips to help your lace fly off the needles hassle free!
LACE KNITTING TIPS
- Mark it. If your lace pattern involves a repeated section, try placing stitch markers in between the repeats. It’s easy to forget a yo or k2tog and you’ll catch your error quicker if you can easily count your stitches.
- Counting counts. Accidentally adding or subtracting a stitch in plain stocking st can be easy to hide. While knitting a lace pattern, being one stitch off on any given row can throw off the look of the whole pattern. It might take a little extra time, but counting your stitches every few rows can save the even bigger headache of having to rip back!
- Throw me a lifeline! Ripping out a row of lace knitting can be a little trickier than simple stitch patterns like garter or stocking st. Try threading a length of smooth, contrasting yarn across across a row. If you need to rip back, you can pull out your needle and rip back to this “lifeline” thread knowing you won’t be missing any stitches. This is especially helpful if knitting very complex patterns with large stitch counts like in traditional lace shawls.
- Lost in translation. Sometimes pattern terminology just doesn’t work for us. Maybe the term ‘yarn over’ just doesn’t make sense to you and you want to call it a ‘loop-dee-loop’. Try re-writing the pattern your way if it makes it easier for you.
- Shh! Mommy’s knitting lace! Lace takes a certain amount of concentration. When you sit down to knit something lacy, try to cut out the distractions like television and those pesky family members! You can always have another, less mindful project on the go for your TV knitting, right?
- Hello charts! If you prefer written instructions to charted, try giving those charts another chance. Charts are especially helpful for lace knitting. Lace charts allow you to see how your yarn-over (yo) holes are arranged to create your a design.
- Master the chart. If the charted knitting instructions have won you over, it’s handy to make a photocopy of your chart to work from. With a copy you can enlarge it, color it or mark it up any way you like without fear of ruining your pattern. Lucky for us, these downloadable pdf patterns can be printed as many times as you like!
Have a lace knitting tip of your own? Share it with us in the comments! Clue #6 will be posted Wednesday, December 30th.
Happy knitting!
Julia.
ok so mine looks almost nothing like the picture above (really laughing) i only got through 1 of the squares for #4 because i’ve been side tracked with other stuff the past 2 weeks so it won’t be a big deal to rip it out and start over again. by the way that is a really cool looking square and i hope i can get mine to look that good. LOL. happy knitting everyone!!
Turned out fine. Just have to remember to S3 purlwise. Happy Knitting everyone.
With respect to Clue 4, I can tell that I’ve done the correct stitches. However, my right side looks somewhat sloppy in comparison to the sample shown. My slip stitch crossovers (especially those close to the edge) are not nearly as neat. In fact, the edge ones look somewhat pulled in spite of my tring to leave it as loose as possible.
My second issue deals with all the blocks in general. My side edges tend to look rather sloppy to me. Is there a way to prevent this?
Hi Pauline – In general, you can slip the first stitch of each row to get a ‘cleaner’ looking edge, but keep in mind since this is an afghan we’ll be seaming all the squares together so the edges won’t actually be showing.
Thank you, Pauline, for asking that question. I’m having the same issue, and I’m glad bernatyarns has responded that we don’t need to worry about the edges for this project. I was really wondering what I was going to do with those edges. Phew! Slipping the first stitch is something I’ve always read about, but there was never an explanation about why you would want to do that. Thanks bernatyarns for clarifying. It’ll come in handy when I knit a neck scarf, because I would like the edges to be straight and smooth.
My edge slipped stitches pull too. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
I haven’t done any of clue #4 & will start 4 & 5 after Christmas. I’m hurredly knitting a bunch of Christmas gifts. Hopefully it won’t take long to catch up. I’m glad I’m “cheating” by looking at what clue #4 should look like before I begin.
Oh, wow. Mine looks so bad. HAHA. Well, I was knitting so tight in the beginning of this blanket but now for some reason mine looks really loose. I will have to finish the blocks to see, but pretty sure mine isn’t gonna look that cool. Dang, hope my mom likes it anyways.
And then I looked at the clue for 5. I’m even more scared than facing a big ugly hairy spider in the face that I wasn’t expecting. YIKES.
My block turned out okay. Although the edge is rather messy. Hopefully when they are sewn together they won’t show. I still prefer the wrong side. I’m glad to see clue #5 is lace. I love knitting lace!! Happy knitting everyone.
I agree with Pauline I did the clue correctly but mine looks “pulled” too. Am wondering (ok hoping lol) if clue #4 was blocked for the picture and also if/when I block mine it will look less pulled.
Also am glad the next block is lace…love knitting lace.
Gina, my block turned out slightly pulled at the edges too even after knitting the first one a couple of times over. I suspect you’re right about the blocking – at least I’m hoping your right, lol.
Gina and Deb;
Sorry – no, the clue#4 wasn’t blocked before the photo!
Julia.
Re: Slipping the first stitch
I’m hoping NOT to get into a religious war on this, because I know that there are strong opinions on the subject.
But I spent the first few decades of my knitting life slipping the first stitch, as my mother taught me.
Then, when I was getting my certification as a Craft Yarn Council of America Certified Knitting Instructor, my interpretation of their instructions was that the first stitch should be worked as specified.
Since that time, I have always knitted or purled the first stitch on the row. And I really prefer the look – it is much neater, IN MY OPINION!
Also, I recently ran into a pattern where I had to pick up stitches along the edge – without having knitted each edge stitch, there would not have been enough places to pick up a stitch from.
After decades of slipping the first stitch, I no longer do so.
Judy
Can’t wait to start the lace pattern, but I first have to finish 2 more blocks of # 4. I know I am behind but I’ve been very busy at work and we are also doing some renovations on the house.(Yes, we are crazy to start just before Christmas.)
My blocks look like the picture *except* the floats are all on the other side and the outlines all resemble garter stitch. I’m happy with it!
Thank you for posting # 5 early!
Now I don’t feel so bad! My one partial block has been ripped out and restarted several times because I’m just not hapy with it. Then I thought, gee, maybe I should read the cheats. It’s looking much better know but the whole project is two weeks behind. I’m putting Clue 5 on the back burner until Clue 4 is done.
ok now I am confused…don’t know what I did but I finished 1 Clue4 square and the general pattern is there but my floats are all on the opposite side. I kept the yarn on the side it was but inserted needle purlwise to slip off. Should I have moved the working yarn always in front as if to purl? I love the looks of this square and want to get it right. Thanks. Looking at square #5 is a bit scarey too.
Hi Sue;
Yes, it sounds like you should have brought the yarn to the front (like for purling) before slipping those stitches. You can always flip the block over if you like the other side better!
Don’t be frightened of clue #5 – I think it’s even easier than #4!
Julia
With most of my Christmas preparations finished and the low temperatures and even lower wind chill here in WI I decided to spend part yesterday knitting Clue 5. It turned out to be an easy to remember sequence and fun to knit. A good start for lace knitting. A word of advice for it would be to cast on a little looser than you might normally so that the K2tog on the first row is a little easier to do. I finished 1 and a half blocks and the block took 3 full 16 row sequences or 48 rows.
Off topic: For last minute small gifts or gift tags/ornaments I have been knitting the star from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitters Almanac from glittery crochet cotton with a size 0 or 1. Short 5 row pattern for these small ones. Took some to a knitting group meeting and they all liked them.
I like the lace pattern knitting. I have finsised the first 16 rows and it looks good. As a beginning knitter, I am using stitch markers, as recommended, at the beginning of each pattern repeat and at the end of the last repeat. This really helps me make sure I did it correctly – ten stitches between the markers. Thanks for the tip, Julia.
Your welcome Bonny!
If I had known about stitch markers before I started my first lace project I would have had a lot less headaches!
Julia.
Well, I’m almost finished the first #5 block.
And I had to break down and use a stitch marker – not to delineate the lace pattern, but to remind me that at the end of the purl row there’s a K2!!! I always just kept right on purling to the end, at which point I realized that I had gone too far, and I had to undo the last couple of stitches and redo them!
Oh well, you do what it takes to succeed, right?!?
Judy
What a good idea! I forgot on some rows and have to remind myself severely on those purl rows now, about the end knit stitches, but it isn’t worth going back to correct. The garter st does frame the block nicely although the piece is so textured that a few knits missed at the border aren’t noticeable.
I seem to be having the same problem, but I didn’t catch myself doing it until I was halfway thrugh the first block and couldn’t figure out why my sides didn’t look the same. I’m not going back though. I figure when they are all sewn together none will notice 1/2 side on one block!!
One of the things that I have found interesting in this pattern is that the stitches form a bit of a mountain at the top of the K2 columns. I wonder about how the laws of physics apply here (grin).
I figure it will flatten out when blocked, but it is still somewhat curious!
Judy
Hi, fellow knitters,
I just finished the first #5 block. It sure is nice that there isn’t a lot of widthwise or lengthwise compression like the first four blocks had – this is basic stocking stitch, so it is easy to match the gauge and get a block the correct size. Thanks, Julia!
It took me 3 complete repeats of the pattern, but I did the cast off on Row 16, using the Row 16 pattern (K2, P a bunch, K2).
When I laid it out flat, the mountains I mentioned earlier flattened out a bit.
It’s kind of interesting that the K2/SSK column is just a bit thicker than the surrounding knitting – kind of like a fence post in the knitting.
Judy
I knit a row of purl stitch before starting the actual first row. It was easier to do the knit-togethers with some substance to the stitches already.
Then I would bind off after working one row of purl.
The pattern rows of this one are pleasant to work. I’m wanting to knit rather than purl the alternate rows but so far have managed to stay on course
I also tried a cheat, by knitting into the back of the two stitches instead of SSK, but there is a raised line, which doesn’t show in the SSK.
Thanks Julia – I think I will keep the square the way it turned out but I really wanted to be able to do it correctly for any future projects. Can’t wait to start next clue but I think Christmas will put me a little behind. No problem it is getting cold here in MI and I am sure I will have plenty of time after Christmas to catch up. Thanks again
Just a warning and I’m speaking from experience. lol I started the fifth clue and wondered why I had less stitches and the pattern looked wrong. Then I realized that I had forgotten one of my “yarn overs” in a previous row. So now I count the stitches at the end of each row to make sure I still have 46. If there are less, something was wrong. Maybe this will help someone. Otherwise, this is a pretty block.
Slipping stitches– There is definitely a place for slipped stitches in some of my work, not so much in others.
For this project I did NOT slip the first stitch because I wanted to retain maximum stretchability and because it will be seamed. However, on some projecyds (particularly with exposed edges) slipping the first stitch can be an outstanding choice because it keeps it from stretching out, or, like in top-down socks, it makes it easier to pick up stitches when turning a heel. I sometimes slip the first stitch on side seams of sweaters when the yarn is bulky. This makes the seams less bulky and quick too!
Slipping the first stitch is something you should have in your knitting skill kit. Try it on your next scarf and see how you like it.
Well, I’m not lovin’ SSK. The difficulty for me are the size 8 bamboo needles that I’m having to use. The tips are not pointy.
Santa, if you’re reading this blog, please bring me a pair of Size 8 sharp-pointed metal needles that will make SSK a breeze! 
My blocks look something like the pictures except for the edges, mine look all scrunched up. Oh well. I have to wait to start on clue #5 as our daughter’s baby will be born the 23rd and I am flying out to Texas tomorrow and will be gone for a couple of weeks. My hands will be busy holding that precious bundle!
Oh, right now we are covered with about 10 inches of snow!!
Happy Knitting everyone and Merry Christmas!
Should the 9th row of block number 5 end in a K2 not a K1? I keep coming out with K2 at the end.
It ends in just a K1. Actually, combined with the K4 at the end of the repeat, it becomes a K5, which matches the K5 at the beginning of the row.
The nice thing about this pattern is that it is symmetrical.
I found the transition rows (1 and 9) to required the most concentration. A couple of things that helped:
1. The K4 blobs in the repeats were right on top of the YO-K2-YO sections of 2 rows down.
2. The YO-K2-YO sections in the repeats were right in the middle of what sort of looks like a 6-stitch wide section of the previous rows.
Hope this helps.
Judy
Are you doing K5 at the beginning of row 9? The repeat section is 10 stitches. In row 1 it’s K4 at the beg, and K2 and the end. In row 9, it’s K9 at the beg and K1 at the end.
Wow. Ignore my earlier post. I obviously cannot type. (K9?) How about K4!
It is the way it is written, it is started with K5 and should end with K5.
(K4 for the pattern + K1 to make up the last border K stitch)
Well DianeH your not the only one with scrunched up edges lol
Guess it will work out when seamed and blocked.
What a wonderful Holiday gift…a new baby! Congratulations and hope they are both healthy and happy!
Philly 53: you should have a K2 at the end. The pattern ends with knit 4 with one left over. You actually have a k5 at the end as the row also starts with knit 5.
Well, we have just been inundated with more and more snow
today in Fredericton, NB. The maritimes are lovely all seasons
but I especially like winter because I enjoy knitting in front
of the wood stove or fireplace. We do have modern heat too but nothing beats a roaring fire when it is cold outside. Just finished baking mincemeat cookies, banana muesli cookies, and some baklava. The fudge I made we are calling rock candy for
obvious reasons!
Anyhow, finished clue 5 in pink and I am working on it in purple.
My square was a little bit over 8 inches tall when I did 16 rows
times three. My lace is not overly exaggerated what about in your knitting?
Merry Christmas and all the best in 2010.
Knitting Mama
Thank you for that knitting picture from NB, Knitting Mama. Here in BC on the southwest coast it is typically green (dark roast coffee and ginger cookies in my kitchen!). Daylight is dim for craft work and I need the Ott light for knitting during the day, working on the darker of my colours. The ‘lace’ has a sort of bumpy texture, reminds me of raindrops.
I’m working 4 repeats of the pattern on my smaller needles.
I am doing four colors of each square for a larger blanket.
For #5, I am doing three repeats of the pattern and it is coming out about 1/2 ” too long, but that’s alright with me since we are seaming. Bess, I like your idea of starting with a purl row and wish I had read it before I began!
One thing I forgot about was keeping the squares organized from now til seaming. Have several thoughts, I could use stitch markers, or just stack neatly, or use a releasable knot with the tails. Mmmm.
Here is Texas it’s warm (low 70s), but the thunderstorms are on their way and it will be wet and freezing tomorrow! A good reason to stay indoors and finish the last block of #5!
I did three repeats and found it a bit long so went back to 2 and a half. Looked nice. Can get a small amount of stretch and that takes it to the 8 inches.
Have only finished one. Daughter brought home a house guest from England for Christmas and am hosting my husband’s family. Sunday school pagaent, gifts, kids, etc. a little busy, but hope to get a little time to knit when we go away to my mom’s house. Also finishing some knit doll items for my niece’s American girl dolls for a Christmas gift. Fun as all my girls are teenagers now.
I live about an hour east of Toronto, not much snow here. But my parents two hours north have about 4 feet. So we will find some snow for Christmas.
To organize I put each batch of squares in a large zip bag with the number on it. I reuse these for organizing different projects in my knitting bag all the time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Looking forward to knitting with you all in the new year.
I did 2 1/2 repeats and am measuring about 8 1/2 inches on my size 10 1/2 needles. Here in Iowa it has been raining all day and temperature hovers at freezing. So the trees are covered in ice. It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Won’t that be great on top of the 16 inches of snow on the ground. Then Christmas day it is supposed to change to snow and get up to and above another 12 inches. Sounds like good knitting weather. Sure am glad we made no plans to travel this holiday.
Hope everyone has a great holiday season and God Bless!
Having never done lace before, I had to get on a video site to understand what I was doing. I had a bit of trouble losing my place and finally “threaded” a row at each pattern repeat, hindsight is SO clear.
I’m really enjoying learning something new, and so far, have been able to follow along.
Seasons Greetings to all and a prosperous New Year !!
Weather is warming up here in Calgary, but we definitly will have a white Christmas. Just wanted to say that I love reading everyones comments and suggestions. They are all very helpful.
So happy knitting, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Well, I tore out my first few rows 3 or 4 times! I finally started doing it correctly, but had to stop to cook and clean for Christmas! I probably won’t finish before the next clue, but that’s OK – I don’t have to be anywhere next week!
Two days ago it was 75 degrees here (Texas). Yesterday, the temperature dropped and it snowed all day!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t laugh, but we got 1-2 inches! We were SO excited! It doesn’t snow around here very often (usually just an ice storm – and usually after Christmas), and the snow is usually gone almost immediately. There was still a lovely blanket on the lawn this morning, and there is still snow in the shady areas. (It’s about 5:00 pm now.) I love watching the snow.
Well, everyone has left, the food is packed away, and the dishes are done. My husband is taking his mother home and will be gone about 3 hours. I already put on my pajamas and all I have to do is decide if I want to knit or eat pie. Hmmmmmmmm?
Hi Everyone,
Share some of the Christmas treats with neighbours and a few
elderly people that I knew. They were delighted with the
homemade treats and impressed that they were made by me.
I just enjoyed sharing them!
Just finished the second square of clue five. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the third square gets done but I just
learned my nephew is flying in from Toronto. Not sure if it will be done before clue #6.
Can’t wait to see him. Wishing all of you the best in the
New Year.
Knitting Mama
Started clue 5 a couple of times and somehow I ended up with an extra stitch along way. We are visiting out daughter in NC and maybe I am just too distracted to work this right now. I may have to just put it aside for now till we get home. So that is going to get me behind. But I’ll catch up again sooner or later! Tomorrow we travel again more south to visit more relatives. I will be glad to get home and get in a normal routine again.
This is my favorite square so far!
Pepper
Hello,
Does anyone remember when the sixth clue is coming out?
Knitting Mama
Hi Knitting Mama -
The next clue comes out this Wednesday, 12/30.
Hope everyone had a good holiday!!
I started first block of clue # 5 yesterday…holidays have me a bit behind lol
I used stitch markers to help, when I got to the second half of the pattern, I had to move the stitch markers to fit the pattern. Am I doing something wrong or did anyone else have to move thier markers?
Gina, you are not doing anything wrong!
Remember that stitch markers are there to help YOU do the project correctly. YOU place the stitch markers where they help YOU the most – and if that means changing their position according to the change in the pattern, so be it. There are no stitch marker police!
Personally, as I noted above, I only needed a stitch marker to tell me where to switch to the K2 on the purl rows. You’d think that this would be an easy thing to do without stitch markers, but in my case, I was just so happily sailing along purling, that I kept going right to the end. So that is where the stitch marker helped ME the most. Others may not have that problem.
Judy
Hi, fellow knitters.
I notice that others are getting anxious about Clue #6.
I was looking for it LAST Wednesday – all day long, in fact – I was so frustrated that I was about to write a post about it when I read to the end of what Julia wrote for Clue 5, and realized that I was a week early. Sigh!!!!
Christmas this year ended up being very calm – a flu was flying through the whole extended family, so we have delayed Christmas dinner until next weekend. Our Christmas day plan was revised to be snowshoeing in the mountains west of Calgary, but that was put on hold when my husband found himself with said flu right on Christmas day. So I’ve been doing a lot of knitting and sewing and quilting and crochet – it’s been so peaceful and quiet!
I am definitely looking forward to the next clue.
Judy
Hi Gina. I have had to move the stitch markers on Row 9, and again on the repeat of Row 1. Works well. I have finished two squares with no problems. I really like using the stitich markers, they make it easy for me to double-check each pattern repeat in a row. Ten stitiches between the markers and all is well.
Thanks..just hit me reading the posts that no one mentioned moving them so thought I would ask.
I use the markers because it makes thing easier and also to better find where I made a error. Have a tendancy to forget to knit or purl the YO’s. I sooo get that Bonny lol sometimes when I think I “have” the pattern I zoom along and find out too late I messed up somewhere…and its usually an easy part of a pattern
hi everyone!! hope you all had a nice holiday! wanted to peek my head in so you all know i’m still with you. have been following along with the clue 5 comments but i am still working on my clue 4 squares. i was able to get the pattern down and really like the way they are coming out but finding some knitting time has been a real challenge lately. i’ve got to admit i’m a little worried about #5 but am totally willing to give it a shot!! also hoping to get some quality knitting time in over the new years holiday. happy knitting everyone!!!
Hi, Jodi.
Don’t be scared of #5. I pulled it out a few times, but I finally got it. (Remember – I am just learning to knit by doing this KAL!)
I finished my first block of #5 last night, and am really hoping to get the other two blocks done today. (I am home all day today – just have to do my Bible reading first!)
I am sure that a LOT of us are a little behind on this one because of Christmas – you’ll catch up soon.
OK, so I am late so I will have to work hard to catch up. Finally finished the last #4 piece this afternoon – got behind with gifts, etc. Need to at least start my first #5 piece before #6 appears tomorrow…