Lace doesn't have to be complicated
When people hear "lace knitting" they often picture cobweb-weight shawls with intricate charts and hundreds of nupps. And yes, that exists. But the entry point to lace is much simpler than that — it's a single eyelet row inserted into otherwise plain fabric, and it takes about five minutes to learn.
An eyelet is a small, intentional hole in the fabric, created by combining a yarn over (which adds a stitch and opens a hole) with a decrease (which removes the stitch, keeping the stitch count the same). That's the whole structure of lace: holes balanced by decreases.
The basic eyelet: yo, k2tog
The simplest possible eyelet uses two movements:
- Yarn over (yo): Before knitting the next stitch, bring the working yarn to the front between the needle tips, then over the top of the right needle to the back. This wraps yarn around the needle, creating an extra stitch and a visible gap.
- Knit 2 together (k2tog): Insert the needle through the next two stitches at once and knit them as if they were one. This removes one stitch, returning the count to where it was before the yarn over.
Together: yo, k2tog. This pair is worked repeatedly across the row. Because the yarn over adds a stitch and the k2tog removes one, the total stitch count doesn't change — you finish the row with the same number of stitches you started with.
The row above and below the eyelet row is worked in whatever your background stitch is (knit or purl as appropriate). The eyelets appear as a horizontal band of small holes.
Ssk vs k2tog — does the direction matter?
Yes, slightly. K2tog leans to the right. Ssk (slip, slip, knit) leans to the left. In a simple all-over eyelet row (yo, k2tog repeated), the right-leaning k2tog looks clean and uniform. In a more structured lace pattern, a designer will pair yo with k2tog on the right side of a motif and yo with ssk on the left side to create a symmetrical, mirrored look.
For your first eyelet experiments, k2tog is simpler and perfectly fine.
Where to use a simple eyelet row
As a decorative stripe
Insert an eyelet row anywhere in a stocking stitch or garter stitch piece. Work the eyelet row on a right-side row, work a purl row (or knit row in garter) back across, then continue the main stitch. The resulting band of small holes adds texture and visual interest without changing the weight or structure of the fabric.
As a drawstring channel
Work an eyelet row at the top of a knitted bag, then fold the top down and seam it to create a casing. Thread a cord or ribbon through the eyelets. Because the holes are evenly spaced, they work perfectly as a drawstring channel — the same principle as eyelets in fabric bags, but knitted in place.
As a hem turning row
If you're knitting a folded hem (picot hem), an eyelet row is worked at the fold line. You fold the hem up along this line, and the eyelets create a decorative zigzag edge. Work the eyelet row with k2tog, yo instead of yo, k2tog (the order affects where the hole sits relative to the fold). Then fold and sew the hem to the inside.
As ribbon or button threading
Baby cardigans often use a row of eyelets at the yoke to thread a ribbon for tying. Work the eyelet row an inch or two below the neckline, and the ribbon ties the front closed decoratively without needing buttons or clasps.
Moving to an allover eyelet pattern
Once you're comfortable with a single eyelet row, an allover eyelet fabric is a small step further. Instead of one row of yo, k2tog with plain rows between, you work eyelet rows every 4th row (or 6th, or 8th — the spacing determines how dense the lace is). You can also offset alternate eyelet rows by one stitch to create a diagonal or diamond pattern.
A simple allover eyelet in a fingering weight yarn produces a beautiful, lightweight shawl fabric. In a worsted weight it creates an open, drapey texture that works well for summer tops.
Your first lace chart
Most lace patterns are written as charts once you move beyond simple eyelet rows. A chart is a grid where each square represents one stitch, and symbols indicate the action (knit, purl, yo, k2tog, ssk, and so on). Charts feel intimidating but they have a key advantage: you can see the lace pattern visually rather than trying to decode a long row of written abbreviations.
Start with a chart that uses only three symbols: knit, yo, and k2tog. Work a few rows and look at your fabric alongside the chart — you'll see how the holes correspond to the yo positions on the chart, and the lean of the decreases matches the diagonal lines. Within a few pattern repeats, reading the chart becomes intuitive.
Eyelets are where that journey begins. Start with one row, then two, then an allover pattern. Lace is less about complexity and more about confidence — and confidence comes row by row.