An Education in Grafting Lace Edgings: Edging Pattern 3
Join us at Maker Festivals Pennsylvania, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Lancaster from July 31-August 3, 2024, and we will once again be bringing our fiber artists with us! Our festival lineup will have thousands of fiber artists, and jewelry makers!
The third edging in our series on grafting lace edgings is a leaf motif with a saw-toothed garter-stitch edging on the left-hand side and basic faggoting stitches at the right-hand side.
For the grafting, I used Rows 1 and 2 of the lace chart (Row 1 for the grafted row itself and Row 2 for the provisional cast-on row).
Quick refresher: Knitwise = point of tapestry needle faces away from you (tip of needle can point either to the right or to the left) Purlwise = point of tapestry needle faces toward you (tip of needle can point either to the right or to the left) The dotted lines on the grafting chart indicate the spaces between stitches on the upper piece. The yarnover symbols on the upper row of the grafting chart indicate the placement of the yarnovers that were worked on the provisional cast-on row.
THE GRAFTING SEQUENCES
Ten grafting sequences are used to graft this edging: Sequences B, C, D, F, G, H, M, P, Q, and R. This may seem like a lot for an edging that’s worked over just 17 stitches, but there are very few repeated stitches in Rows 1 and 2 of the lace pattern. As always, I recommend that you practice some of the sequences before using them on the edging. Sequences B, C, and D can be found in Practice Swatch 1 and Sequences F, G, and H can be found in Practice Swatch 2. (Sequences M, P, Q, and R aren’t included in the practice swatches.)
Sequence R looks very complex, but veteran lace knitters will immediately recognize the basic faggoting stitch that’s created by working a yarnover and a decrease on every row.
UPPER PIECE
The Provisional Cast-On Because the lace pattern is two-sided, it will be necessary to work yarnovers on the provisional cast-on row (which forms the base for Row 2 of the chart). No purl stitches are worked on the cast-on row because all knit and purl stitches will be created during the grafting. Here are three different methods for casting on provisionally for the edging: Crochet Chain Method 1. With crochet hook and cotton waste yarn, chain about 23 sts. Break yarn and pull tail through last st. 2. Turn chain over so the bumps in the back of the chain are visible. With knitting needle and working yarn, beginning in 3rd st from last st of chain, pick up and knit sts in the chain, placing the yarnovers from Row 2 of the chart as foll (reading chart Row 2 from left to right, counting each decrease symbol as one picked-up st): pick up and knit 12 sts, [yo and skip a chain, pick up and knit 1 st] 2 times, pick up and knit 1 st—17 sts. Alternate Crochet Chain Method 1. With crochet hook and cotton waste yarn, work 17 chain sts onto a knitting needle. 2. With knitting needle and working yarn, work as foll: k12, [yo, drop a chain st from needle, k1] 2 times, k1—17 sts. Waste Yarn Method 1. With cotton waste yarn, cast on 15 sts using any method. Work in St st for about 1″, ending with a RS row. Break waste yarn. 2. With WS facing and working yarn, k12, [yo, k1] 2 times, k1—17 sts. Working the Lace Chart Work Rows 3–10 of the Pattern 3 chart once, then work Rows 1–10 as many times as desired. Bind off.LOWER PIECE
Cast on 17 sts and work Rows 1–10 of the Pattern 3 chart as many times as desired, then break the yarn, leaving a long tail for grafting. Place these sts on a strand of waste yarn (make sure the waste yarn is sturdy enough that the stitches don’t sink down into the stitches in the row below.GRAFTING THE EDGING
Start by threading the cast-on tail onto a tapestry needle and running it through to the wrong side of the work to create an extra half loop at the edge. This half loop makes it possible to work all four steps of the last grafting sequence.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GRAFTING CHART
The grafting chart is worked from right to left and (unlike a regular stitch chart) both rows of the chart are worked at the same time. I print out the grafting chart so I can check off each sequence as it’s worked. That way, if I get interrupted mid-graft, I know that I have to start with the first unchecked sequence.
GRAFT THE STITCHES
Thread the working yarn onto a tapestry needle. Work Sequence C once: Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into first stitch on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch at very edge of upper piece. (Note: Sometimes this stitch is hidden behind the waste yarn, so make sure you are using the correct stitch or the sequences will be off.)
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on lower piece.
Completed Sequence C.
Work Sequence H once:
Note: Sequence H ends just before a yarnover on the provisional cast-on row.
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on upper piece (sharing a loop with Step 3 of Sequence C).
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece, ending just before yarnover on provisional cast-on row.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on lower piece.
First part of sequence completed.
Step 5: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on lower piece.
Step 6: Insert tapestry needle purlwise and knitwise into same two stitches on upper piece as for first part of sequence.
Step 7: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on lower piece.
Completed Sequence H. The next sequence (Sequence R) will be worked on the other side of the yarnover on the upper piece.
Work Sequence R once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on other side of yarnover on upper piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece.
First part of sequence is complete (same as Sequence F).
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into two stitches on lower piece. Make sure to keep grafting yarn to left side.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle purlwise and knitwise into same two stitches on upper piece as for first part of sequence.
Step 5: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into both stitches on lower piece.
Completed Sequence R. The next sequence (Sequence G) is worked on the other side of the yarnover on the upper piece.
Work Sequence G once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on other side of yarnover on upper piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Completed Sequence G.
Work Sequence Q once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into two stitches on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into both stitches on lower piece.
Completed Sequence Q. Notice how it aligns vertically with the similar stitches above and below it.
Work Sequence F once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Completed Sequence F.
Work Sequence P once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle into stitch on lower piece as if to p1tbl. The tip of the tapestry needle should be pointing to the right.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on lower piece.
Completed Sequence P. The stitch on the lower piece is twisted.
Work Sequence M once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into two stitches on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into both stitches on lower piece.
Completed Sequence M.
Work Sequence B once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on lower piece.
Completed Sequence B. Notice how it aligns with the purl stitches above it.
Work Sequence D once:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into second stitch on lower piece.
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into first stitch on lower piece.
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch on upper piece.
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into next stitch on upper piece.
Step 5: Insert tapestry needle knitwise into both stitches on lower piece.
Completed Sequence D.
Work Sequence P once:
Work Sequence F once:
Work Sequence C three times:
First Sequence C completed.
Last two Sequence C’s completed.
Remove the waste yarn. Block the swatch to even out the grafted stitches.
Haven’t started at the beginning of this series on grafting lace edgings?
We’ve only just begun! Click here to view all blogs in this series.
Featured Image: Rebecca Blair’s Woodland Lace Stole is part of the Knits Holiday 2017 Woodland Winter story. This stunning project is another great example of how grafting a lace edging can make a finished object stand out.
Join the Conversation!