Knitting on a Lace Edging Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to knit a lace edging onto the edge of a project. The example shown here is from the Penn Street Cuffs.

Work to the end of the round. In this case, work in ribbing up to the end of round marker. Remove the marker.

Work up to the end of round marker

Turn the work to prepare for working in the opposite direction. Note that this is necessary for this particular pattern because we want the cuff to fall over the right side of the ribbing. If you were knitting a shawl, you would not turn the work.

Turn the work around to prepare for knitting in the other direction

Using the Cable Cast-on, cast on 12 stitches.

Here the 12 new stitches have already been cast on, using the Cable Cast-on.

Begin working the chart, starting with Row 1. In this case, purl two stitches, then knit 10 stitches. On the left-hand needle there will now be a single stitch, a small gap, and the rest of the ribbing stitches. We are going to make a ssk using the single stitch and the first stitch after the gap. This will bind off the first stitch in the ribbing portion. The last stitch of all right-side rows is always this type of ssk.

Slipping the first stitch of the ssk.

Slipping the second stitch of the ssk.

Knitting the ssk.

The completed ssk. Notice that this has bound off the first stitch in the ribbed section.

Turn the work and follow the chart for Row 2. The first stitch on all wrong-side rows is always slipped purlwise, with the yarn in front.

The work has been turned and the first stitch is about to be slipped purlwise with yarn in front.

When you get to the end of the wrong-side row, turn the work and begin the next row.

The work has been turned and now we are ready to start the next right-side row.

Here’s what the cuff looks like after several rows have been worked. Notice the lovely braided effect that comes from working the ssks.

Note how the ssks line up to form a braided effect at the bind off line.