Two-Row Patterns

When I was pondering changing the four-row pattern to a stacked arrangement and before I started charting, I didn't really give much thought to the potential result. It turns into a two-row pattern. Also, now that the pattern elements are stacked again, we get the peaks and valleys of Old Shale. They are sharper than the original, though, because of the smaller number of intervening plain rows.

I decided to try two different decrease styles as you can see in the photos and charts. As always, lines of stitches lean towards the decreases and away from the increases but in the mixed decrease sample they are much softer. I did not work a sample where the mixed decreases lean away from the central stitches; if anyone tries it, please let us know how it looks!





Charts

The next logical step will be a pattern with no plain rows. The swatch for that is fighting me at every juncture, so it might be a little longer than usual. I also plan to add a page of chart symbols; that will eliminate the need to repeat the symbols on every post. Until then . . .

Stained Glass Stripe

This is the four-row offset lace pattern that evolved from the swatch in the previous post. I love it; it has the delicacy of lace but robust texture within the "stripes".

  Here is the chart. The chart symbols are here.

Now to the name of the stitch. My husband was looking at the swatch with me and we happened to have it backlit. We decided simultaneously that it resembled stained glass. (Why, yes, we have been married a very long time!)

While working on this swatch, I began to wonder what a four-row pattern would look like if I didn't offset the pattern units. That's for next time. Until then . . .

One off the "To Try" List

A couple of posts ago, I pondered how the Offset Pattern would look if all the decreases were sl2-k1-p2sso. As it turns out, not all that different. You can see from the closeups that the outer three stitches on each side of a group are pulled towards the central stitch no matter which decreases are used; the groups using the slanted decreases are ever so slightly rounder. The chart is very similar to the previous one given that only the decreases are changed.

While I was working on the above swatch, I got to wondering why I needed to do all those extra rows of Stockinette Stitch. I decided to reduce the pattern to four rows and convert the wrong side rows to purl. That pattern will be the subject of my next post.

Until then . . .