Lace Knitting Tips: Types of Openwork
Recently on the blog, we talked about techniques for blocking lace. Today we’re taking a closer look at the three main different types of openwork knitting, as defined by June Hemmons Hiatt in The Principles of Knitting: Eyelets, Mesh, and Lace.
WHAT IS OPENWORK KNITTING?
Openwork, or lace, is a knitting technique that creates delicate, weblike fabrics. Yarnovers are the foundation of openwork knits. Because a yarnover is a type of increase stitch, yarnovers in openwork patterns must always be paired with a corresponding decrease stitch in order to maintain an even stitch count. The way that these yarnovers and decrease stitches are arranged over a piece of knitted fabric creates the openwork pattern. We love using Joy, our baby alpaca lace weight yarn, for openwork and lace knits. Joy’s relaxed 2-ply construction creates crisp, even stitches that highlight the intricate details of these fabrics. All the swatches featured here were knitted on a US size 4 needle.
EYELETS
An eyelet is a small, round hole that is used to decorate fabric. In knitting, an eyelet is created by placing a yarnover stitch next to a decrease stitch. Because the yarnovers for eyelets are only worked on the right side rows, this is considered to be the most simple type of openwork. Cute and charming, eyelets are most often used as a decorative accent. They’re typically placed on a plain stockinette background, like the swatch shown at left, or they can be arranged to form geometric motifs, such as diamonds, or in rows to form eyelet bands. Eyelets can also be enhanced with knit/purl texture. The eyelet-banded swatch shown at right gets some added interest by working the rows before and after the yarnover row in garter stitch.
MESH
Mesh is a fine, net-like fabric. As Hiatt writes, “Mesh is an openwork fabric in which the eyelets are set so close together horizontally and vertically that there is no background to speak of” The stitch is created by working continuous yarnovers + decreases on every row or every other row. Though the stitch is very simple and repetitive, mesh can be very versatile depending how it’s used. The swatch at left features an allover garter mesh stitch, with yarnovers worked on both the right and wrong sides. This technique creates a delicate, gauzy fabric with an ethereal look. The swatch on the right features mesh panels worked in a check pattern, with yarnovers worked on the right side only. The effect here is much more graphic and sporty.
LACE
Lace is what most people think of when they think about openwork knitting. This timeless technique forms exquisite, beautiful fabrics with repeating pictorial motifs. The patterns are created by combining yarnover stitches with textured decorative decreases. The placement of these increases and decreases will “sculpt” the stitches around them so that they turn on a bias, which in turn shapes the motifs. The horseshoe lace swatch on the left features paired yarnovers that get closer on each successive row to the double decrease at the center of each motif. This arrangement creates the arched horseshoe shape. In the leaf-patterned lace swatch on the right, the paired yarnovers are stacked on top of one another, while right- and left-leaning traveling decreases create the outlines of the leaf motifs. Have you tried knitting eyelets, mesh, or lace? Be sure to tag your @yarnalia projects on Instagram so we can see what you’re working on!