Heart Lace Cloth

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I had originally planned on posting this on February 14th, for Valentine's Day. But then it dawned on my that people might be interested in knitting this before V-day. lol. So I'm posting it now. I don't know what I was thinking before... I blame it on M, who is sucking away all my energy and brain cells. One thing I have always known, and have recently reconfirmed, is that I can't do lace knitting while watching TV. I tried to knit this while watching Cadfael and Prime Suspect 2 (yeah, catching up by watching them out of order), but got nowhere on both.

You've probably noticed that I tend to favor lacy designs for my wash cloths. There are three reasons for this: I'm not as talented as the gals who design "picture" cloths; I think they're pretty; I believe they tend to dry faster. Of course that last one might just be my imagination. This Heart Lace Cloth is a pretty easy & quick knit. The only trick is to mind your yarn overs. I cast on 39 stitches for the pink cloth using P&C. I cast on 37 stitches for the red cloth using S&C. I usually think S&C is a smidgen thicker than P&C, and I think this is probably why both cloths came out to be about the same size. The red cloth would have been wider visibly wider than the pink one had I cast on 39 stitches instead.

Stitches used in this cloth include:
Garter Stitch, BW1 pg10
Heart Motif, BW3 pg 180
Stockinette Stitch, BW1 pg10

Please email me if you would like your photo and a link to your blog (if you have one) to appear in My Readers' Gallery.



Heart Lace Cloth
© Designed by S.M. Kahn, Jan 2007
Smariek Knits -=<>=- http://smariek.blogspot.com

Please read "Notes" section at the bottom before starting, particularly the steps for the "M1" increase.

Directions are given for a wider cloth (pink one in photos), and a narrower cloth (red one in photos). It is narrower only by 2 stitches. Directions for the narrower cloth are given in parentheses. For example, cast on 39 sts for wider cloth, cast on 37 sts for narrow cloth. On row 12, K14 for wider cloth, K13 for narrower cloth.

Using WW kitchen cotton and US7 (4.5mm) needles, cast on 39(37) stitches.

Reminder again ... Please read "Notes" section at the bottom before starting. :-)

Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Knit across
Row 3: Knit across
Row 4: Knit across
Row 5 (& all other odd WS rows): B3, Purl across, B3
Row 6: B3, Knit across, B3
Row 7: B3, Purl across, B3
Row 8: B3, Knit across, B3
Row 10: B3, K16(15), YO, SSK, K15(14), B3
Row 12: B3, K14(13), K2Tog, YO, K1-b, YO, SSK, K14(13), B3
Row 14: B3, K13(12), K2Tog, YO, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x2, K13(12), B3
Row 16: B3, K12(11), (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x2, K12(11), B3
Row 18: B3, K11(10), (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x3, K11(10), B3
Row 20: B3, K10(9), (K2Tog, YO)x3, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x3, K10(9), B3
Row 22: B3, K9(8), (K2Tog, YO)x3, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x4, K9(8), B3
Row 24: B3, K8(7), (K2Tog, YO)x4, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x4, K8(7), B3
Row 26: B3, K7(6), (K2Tog, YO)x4, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x5, K7(6), B3
Row 28: B3, K6(5), (K2Tog, YO)x3, K1-b, YO, SSK, YO, SK2TP, YO, K2Tog, YO, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x3, K6(5), B3
Row 30: B3, K5(4), (K2Tog, YO)x3, K1-b, YO, SSK, YO, SK2TP, YO, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x3, K5(4), B3
Row 32: B3, K4(3), (K2Tog, YO)x3, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x2, YO, SK2TP, YO, (K2Tog, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, SSK)x3, K4(3), B3
Row 34: B3, K5(4), (YO, K2Tog)x2, YO, SK2TP, YO, (SSK, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, K2Tog)x2, YO, SK2TP, YO, (SSK, YO)x2, K5(4), B3
Row 36: B3, K4(3), (SSK, YO)x3, K1-b, (YO, K2Tog)x2, YO, SK2TP, YO, (SSK, YO)x2, K1-b, (YO, K2Tog)x3, K4(3), B3
Row 38: B3, K5(4), M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K1, M1, YO, SSK, YO, D4, YO, K2Tog, YO, M1, K5(4), B3
Row 40: B3, K7(6), M1, YO, D4, YO, M1, K5, M1, YO, D4, YO, M1, K7(6), B3
Row 42: B3, K9(8), Cluster 3, K9, Cluster 3, K9(8), B3
Row 43: B3, Purl across, B3
Row 44: B3, Knit across, B3
Row 45: B3, Purl across, B3
Row 46: Knit across
Row 47: Knit across
Row 48: Knit across
Row 49: Knit across

Bind off. Weave in ends. Block.

Notes:

B3 = 3 stitch border of your choice (I used K3 for my border in the cloth above)

Cluster 3 = Slip 3 stitches to right needle with yarn in back. Pass yarn to the front. Slip the same 3 stitches from right needle to left needle. Pass yarn to the back. Knit 3.

D4 (Quadruple decrease: taking 5 stitches & reducing it down to 1 stitch) is done as follows:
1. Slip 3 stitches to the right needle.
2. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
3. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
4. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
5. Slip the center stitch back to the right needle.
6. Pass the 2nd stitch on the right needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
7. Slip the center stitch back to the left needle.
8. Pass the 2nd stitch on the left needle over the 1st (center) stitch.
9. Knit the center stitch.

D4 (Quadruple decrease: taking 5 stitches & reducing it down to 1 stitch), alternate version, is done as follows:
1. SSK.
2. K3Tog (knit 3 stitches together).
3. Pass the SSK stitch (from step #1) over the K3Tog stitch (from step #2).
Note: I'm adding this alternate version for doing D4 in case the original version above is too difficult.


K1-b = Insert needle into the back loop of the stitch and knit it.

K2TOG = Knit 2 stitches together

M1 (Increase 1 stitch: taking 1 stitch to create 1 more stitch, resulting in 2 stitches total) is done as follows:
1. Knit into the back of the stitch in the row below the 1st stitch on the left needle.
2. knit into the front of the 1st stitch on the left needle.

SSK = slip 1 stitch, slip 1 stitch, knit these two slipped stitches together

SK2TP = Slip 1 stitch, knit 2 stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over. (I think this is more commonly known as SK2P. I need that extra "T" as a visual reminder to myself that I'm knitting 2 stitches together. It's one of my beginner knitter quirks. You can see a video for how to do SK2P on this site here.)

YO = yarn over

Instructions in parentheses followed by x2 means you do what is in the paretheses the number of times indicated after "x". For example, (K2Tog, YO)x2 means you would do K2Tog, YO, K2Tog, YO.


Tips:

Mind your Yarn Overs ... :-)

When doing Cluster 3, give the yarn a good tug before knitting the 3 stitches.

D4 sounds confusing in words. You're taking the next 5 stitches on your left needle and reducing it down to 1 stitch. Let's number them from left to right as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So this means that #5 is on the far right nearest the tip of your left needle, and #1 is on the far left furthest from the tip of your left needle. What you are going to do is slip #3, #4, & #5 to your right needle. Then pass #4 over #3. Slip #3 back to your left needle. Pass #2 over #3. Slip #3 back to your right needle. Pass #5 over #3. Slip #3 back to your left needle. Pass #1 over #3. You're left with stitch #3 which you just knit. I hope this sounds clearer?

I also have a visual description of how to do the D4 decrease here:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/02/d4-quadruple-decrease.html


When doing D4, make sure you haven't "lost" your previous YO before you knit the center stitch.

I have added a walk through of row 38, for those of you who are having difficulties with stitch count on this row:
http://smariek.blogspot.com/2007/02/heart-lace-row-38-walk-through.html

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