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I recently participated in an all-volunteer project with the University of Glasgow that was aimed at the “knitability”- if that’s a word – of  a selection of Shetland lace knitting patterns from the mid-19th century.

Volunteers were provided the text of an original knitting pattern and a glossary of terms (and symbols), with the objective of knitting a sample of the stitch pattern.

In numerous cases it turned out that the directions were either too difficult to understand or actually had errors in them, so when possible we charted the patterns and made corrections without varying the intended look of the pattern: interesting and not always so simple!

It was a real  pleasure to take part in this and to see what pattern writers were producing back then, and the knitting terms and symbols in use at the time.

I produced 3 samples and 3 charts for the project: a Shetland leaf lace pattern, a scallop pattern, and a linked diamond pattern. Here are some photos.

Shetland Leaf Lace Pattern

Shetland Scallop Lace Pattern

Shetland Diamond Lace Pattern

 I’m using one of the stitch patterns in a new shawl/wrap design I’m working on now. That pattern – Dayflowers and Honeybees Wrap -will be the feature of next week’s blog.

Happy Knitting!
MikeH