missroyalcake - 07 May 2008 01:19 PM
How difficult is this pattern if you’ve never knit lace or used charts before?
I’d love to have a go, but I’m scared!
Don’t be scared of charts. I have only knit 3 items from lace charts and it’s surprisingly straight forward once you get going.
If you get it right first time then obviously that would be great. But if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world. Leave it for a while and come back to it another time. It’s great to learn something new, but not at the expense of your sanity or enjoyment.
The main thing is not to be intimidated. It does take a bit of practice to get into the habit of reading charts. I have the attention span of a gnat and I figure if I can do it anybody can!
When I take a fancy to a lace project I always knit a swatch in DK weight yarn to see the actual lace pattern evolve. If I can’t knit it in DK yarn I ain’t gonna be able to knit it in laceweight yarn! I also need to see and feel the lace with my own hands - I find it difficult to visualise what it should look like from the photos and from the charts.
To help reading the chart, here’s what I do:
- Print off one chart per page, enlarging it as big as I can.
- Write down or colour code each symbol and what it means. Make it nice and clear so that you can see it at a glance.
- It’s also worth noting whether whether the decreases lean to the left or the right. This makes it easier to check your knitting as you work.
- Use a ruler or post it note to keep track of each row as you work it.
- use a highlighter to mark off completed rows.
Whatever happens, I’m sure you’ll figure it out! There’s bound to be lots of great ideas and tips from other members on here regarding lace knitting.
Oh, BTW, you should definitely check out Eunny Jang’s lace knitting tutorials if you have the time. Here’s a link to the first one: http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/03/majoring_in_lace_introduction_1.html
Good luck!
