Knitted Lace and Lace Knitting—Techniques and Design

This is the first class in the Rosie's Summer School Series.

Classes start Tuesday, June 3rd. Session are: 6/3, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24, 7/1 and 7/8 from 5-8 pm.

The increased popularity of hand-knitting, and particularly lace knitting, is evident today everywhere we look: from the latest fashion lines to recent shows such as “Laced With History” at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and “Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting” at the Museum of Art and Design in New York. In this class students will learn the technical aspects of how to follow a lace knitting pattern and how to develop their own. We will study historical pieces and the long feminist tale of this delicate and time consuming art form from the “wedding ring” shawls of the Shetland Islands to the Russian Orenburg shawls still being produced for the tourist trade in the same way they were a hundred years ago.
This is an intermediate level class for students who are confident in their basic knitting ability. Students must know how to cast on, knit, purl, bind off, increase and decrease. Lace has such an interesting and varied history we ought to do it justice with the next generation of knitters, artists and historians. I am a heavy believer in learning solid technique. It always serves an artist, and their concept, to know context, history and technique. Successful execution of technique, steeped in an understanding of history and rhetoric is, I believe, essential to success. Once you have the foundation of the technique then you can truly restructure it to fit your purposes and vision.

Week One: Pins and Needles
Discussion:
This week the discussion will focus around the different tools of the lace knitter’s trade which vary from country to country depending on the local tradition. Students will be given handouts for Week one covering a basic history of the craft.
Slides illustrating the history from medieval paintings of the Madonna knitting to contemporary images of lace knitters, hopefully from the above mentioned shows.
Studio:
The first day I want to dive right in and get everyone cast on. Students will be introduced to their materials, smaller needles and wool than they are probably used to working with.
In class everyone will be given a pair of #0 needles and lace weight wool. Throughout the day students will work a simple eyelet pattern, go up a larger needle size every 2” of knitted fabric to view how tension (density of knitted fabric) changes the pattern definition and fabric drape. We will spend a great deal of time discussing the very important topic of gauge and tension! Once everyone has found a tension they are happy with we will cast on for their lace sampler.
Homework:
Students will be given a handout with an assortment of simple 2 row lace patterns.
Work at least two different simple lace patterns on sampler. Read handout on the history of lace.

Week Two: Stitches in Time
Discussion:
Technique is the theme of the day. We will spend the morning talking about the different stitches involved in lace knitting: Yarn over’s vs. yarn around needle, knitting through the back loops, decreases, paired decreases, increases, laces knitted vs. knitted lace (yes, there is a big distinction!) and how to use all of these things to obtain symmetry in your motif.
Studio:
Students will graduate to working more complex patterns in their samplers using the new techniques discussed earlier in the day. This is a work work work day! The most important outcome of the studio time today is the student’s ability to grasp visually what the pattern is telling them to do in words. This is the key to lace.
Homework:
Practice practice practice! Students will be given a handout with more challenging stitch patterns with 4 or more row repeats. Complete four repeats of at least two different patterns. I know it's a lot of sampling but the purpose is to get the student used to seeing the lace visually as opposed to blindly following written instructions.

Week Three: Chart Your Course
Discussion:
Charts are the lace knitter’s friend. Lace knitting is a visual even more than it is handwork. Charts give you the ability to lay out your pattern visually so you can a) get a feel for what the motif will work up to look like and b) you don’t have to keep reading through the words of your pattern to determine your place. One quick glance at your chart and you can tell if you’ve done that second yarn over or not. We will compare charts and their symbology from the Standard English, historical German and Japanese (the three main knitting chart producing countries from the turn of the 19th century to today).
Studio:
Unsurprisingly students will spend the day working on deciphering and knitting from charts.
Homework:
Using graph paper, chart a design of your own and knit it into your sampler. Bring your chart and sampler to class the following week. Begin preliminary work on final project.

Week Four: Who Said Math is Hard?
Discussion:
We will problem solve and troubleshoot any chart designing disasters. The importance of stitch and motif count will be discussed in depth to the point of elation for some and teary eyed boredom for others. Trust me though; all of this will keep you from making horrible disastrous mistakes that would make the less equipt knitter throw their project out of the window. Selvedge stitches, stitch count, stitch repeat, row repeat and the dreaded allowances for shaping.
Studio:
Students will design a more complex lace chart using resource materials (stitch pattern books) to take a handwritten lace pattern and transform it into a charted design. They will knit a test swatch of their pattern. They will create a charted triangle pattern, charting the stitch pattern from a cast on of 2-10 stitches to a total of 20-50 stitches (all numbers approximate given the number of motif stitches).
Homework:
Knit your triangle, slipping the first stitch of every row. Begin swatching for final project, if you haven’t already. This will probably not work out the way you think it will the first or even second time. Pay attention to material concept!

Week 5: Playing on the Edge
Discussion:
The long and glorious history of knitted edgings will be discussed, from your Grandmother’s tea towels to the tops of the Queen’s silk stockings. Layering of lace motifs to create a comprehensive design by the use of edgings will also be discussed.
Studio:
Students will swatch some edgings (all of which will be lace knit, i.e. patterning on both sides) and choose one to use as an edging to their triangle. Students will be shown how to “sew as you go” by attaching the edging to the work as it is knit.
Homework:
Design your dream. Design a proposal for a work of art, shawl or garment that would incorporate the techniques learned in this class. Sketches and written proposal with swatches to be turned in on the last day.

Week Six: Proposals
I’ll bring snacks and be prepared to see what ideas lace knitting has inspired in your classmates!