Intriguing Stitch Pattern with Lace and Cables

The stitch pattern described in this tutorial is not a simple one. It’s more of a crash course in lace and cables. But the intricate designs created by this stitch definitely make it worth a try.

What’s so interesting about this stitch pattern? 

It has a subtle scalloped edge that will look great at the bottom of a sweater or a cardigan. 

The wrong side of this stitch pattern is not “wrong” at all. Even though it does not look as sophisticated as the right side, it has its own lovely patterning. That means this stitch will make a beautiful scarf, shawl, cowl or blanket.

The designs that we see on the right side look a bit like wheat sheaves stacked one on top of another.

But when we turn the swatch upside down, the sheaves magically turn into butterflies.

The ‘intriguing” part of this stitch comes with a story. I’ve learned about this stitch pattern from a knitter in our online community (thank you, Dianne :-). She sent me an email a few weeks ago with a link to a pattern she found on Pinterest, but couldn’t figure out how to knit it even though there was a chart. 

I followed the link and found a photo of this stitch pattern and the chart. The chart didn’t have any description of the symbols, but it was fairly easy to see the yarn overs, cables and the types of decreases used to create the pretty mix of lace and cables.

But something was off. When I looked at the chart and tried to understand which part of the pattern is depicted, it didn’t seem right. The cables were there, the yarn overs were there, but they didn’t add up to the design shown in the photo. 

After comparing the photo and the chart row for row, it dawned on me that the photo of the pattern is upside down. I saw rows of butterflies instead of rows of wheat sheaves shown in the chart. And then all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and now I can share with you this beautiful “intriguing” stitch pattern.

If you are a visual learner, watch how to make this stitch pattern in a video tutorial. To watch how to work each row of the pattern, click the number of the row you’d like to see. 

All special terms are explained in the stitch key at the bottom of the tutorial.

Cast on a multiple of 26 stitches + 1 stitch.

Row 1 (right side): [purl 1, yarn over, knit 4, SSK decrease, 4 stitches right cable, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 1, yarn over, SSK decrease, 4 stitches left cable, knit 2 together, knit 4, yarn over], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 2 and every wrong side row (rows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16): work stitches as they present themselves. That means that we should knit the stitches that look like knits and purl the stitches that look like purls, and purl all yarn overs. Watch how to do it.

Row 3 (right side): [purl 2, yarn over, knit 4, SSK decrease, knit 2, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 3, yarn over, SSK decrease, knit 2, knit 2 together, knit 4, yarn over, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 5 (right side): [purl 2, knit 1, yarn over, 4 stitches left cable, SSK decrease, knit 2 together, yarn over, purl 5, yarn over, SSK decrease, knit 2 together, 4 stitches right cable, yarn over, knit 1, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 7 (right side): [purl 2, knit 2, yarn over, knit 4, SSK decrease, purl 7, knit 2 together, knit 4, yarn over, knit 2, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 9 (right side): [purl 2, knit 3, yarn over, 4 stitches left cable, SSK decrease, purl 5, knit 2 together, 4 stitches right cable, yarn over, knit 3, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 11 (right side): [purl 2, knit 4, yarn over, knit 4, SSK decrease, purl 3, knit 2 together, knit 4, yarn over, knit 4, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 13 (right side): [purl 2, knit 4, purl 1, yarn over, 4 stitches left cable, SSK decrease, purl 1, knit 2 together, 4 stitches right cable, yarn over, purl 1, knit 4, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Row 15 (right side): [purl 2, knit 4, purl 2, yarn over, knit 4, [double vertical decrease], knit 4, yarn over, purl2, knit 4, purl 1], work brackets to the last stitch, purl 1.

Repeat rows 1 – 16 to create a lovely wheat sheaves/butterflies designs.

Because the pattern has quite a few different elements, it’s usually easier to follow a chart. If you’ve never worked with charts, take a look at this tutorial.

Whether you prefer to follow written instructions or a chart, give this stitch pattern a try. It’s a great way to add a bit of a challenge to your knitting, even if you do it on a small swatch. You will definitely feel more confident once you conquer an intriguing stitch pattern like this one 🙂

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