Flower lace and a reformed purl stitch on the LK150 knitting machine -

Here is a simple hand-manipulated lace stitch pattern that can be done on an LK150 knitting machine. There is no need for a punch card or electronic patterning device. This lace stitch looks like flowers and stems, so I call it the flower lace stitch. Feel free to modify and change the size and spacing for a new look.

Check out my previous tutorial for a hand-manipulated “butterfly lace” on an LK150. Click here for the video link.

The video tutorial of the flower lace stitch on a knitting machine

Click the video below to CreativeTien YouTube channel for the butterfly lace stitch machine knitting tutorial.

Combining the purl stitch and lace

Since we are doing hand-manipulated stitches, why not add in some reformed purl stitches for some contrast of texture? The purl stitch is generally difficult to knit on a knitting machine even if you use a punch card or computerized design device. It is actually a very simple process of dropping stitches and latching back up when hand-manipulated. It might be a little tedious, but it goes quickly with practice.

If you want really fancy, you can reform 2 columns of purl stitches and cross them as cable stitches at regular intervals. The possibility is endless.

Setting up

Knitting machine

You can knit this stitch on any knitting machine since you do not need a ribber, punch card, or any patterning device.

Yarn choice

A thinner yarn tends to work better with lace, but a slightly thicker yarn creates a stronger texture contrast. The pink yarn I use is a little thicker than the green yarn which is fingering weight. They look very different even though the technique is exactly the same.

Tension

I use the highest tension (9) on my LK150 carriage, and tension 7 on the mast. Knit a sample and adjust from there since every machine is slightly different.

Knit a few rows of plain stockinette stitches

It is easier to start with a few rows of plain stockinette stitches. Later, you can experiment with starting lace in the first few rows. That tends to create a curved edge.

Cast on with your preferred method, then knit a few rows, and hang some weight. In my sample, I cast on from left 30 to right 30 stitches.

The flower lace stitch

First, decide where you want the flower lace to happen. I space them every 10 stitches, so I can easily read the stitch number on the machine. So the center of the lace flower will be on stitch 0, 10, and 20 on both left and right sides.

The purl stitch reform will be in between the flowers, so those will happen on stitches 5, 15, and 25.

The above position is for the first tier of the flower pattern. For the second tier, we are going to offset them so the position will be reversed.

First Tier

Row 1 (center bottom of the lace flower):

Transfer the stitches 0, 10, and 20 (both left and right) to the left needle. Return the needles to the B position.

Row 2-3: Knit

Row 4:

Find the center of the flower (align with the first hole below), count the second stitch from the center on both sides, and transfer one stitch out to the third stitch from the center.

Return the needles to the B position. (So they will knit back in the next row).

Row 5, 6: Knit

Row 7: Repeat Row 4

Row 8, 9: Knit

Row 10: Repeat Row 1

Row 11, 12: Knit

Now we just completed the first-tier flower lace stitch. We can start to work on the purl stitches.

Purl stitch reform

Find the center stitch between any 2 flower stitches, drop the stitch 8 rows down (you can drop more or fewer rows).

After the first tier, the center (in between flowers) stitches include 5, 15, 25,… on both sides. After the second tier, the stitches will be 0, 10, 20,…

Use a latch tool to latch the stitches back up and hang them back to the needle. Now the purl stitch is reformed.

Tier 2 flower lace stitches

I knit 2 plain rows before starting the second-tier stitch pattern.

The second-tier flower lace is exactly like the first tier, except they are placed in between the flowers of the first tier. That means they are aligned with the purl stitches we just reformed.

After finishing the flower lace knitting for the second tier, we reform the purl stitches between the flowers again. That means the purl stitch column will align with the flower of the first tier.

Alternating tier 1 and 2 for continuous pattern

Keep alternating tiers 1 and 2 so the pattern is offset, until the length you like. It is really not difficult, right?

To finish off, you can knit a few rows of plain knitting at the end and just bind off any method you like. Make sure it is not too tight because lace stitch has a tendency to “grow” after blocking.

You can steam block or wet block your finished piece.