Knitted Lace Collar Pattern by B. Shaw: A Timeless Accessory You’ll Love to Make
There is something quietly magical about a lace collar. It frames the face, elevates the simplest outfit, and carries with it a sense of craftsmanship that feels both vintage and entirely fresh at the same time. Whether you are new to lace knitting or a seasoned knitter looking for a satisfying next project, this knitted lace collar pattern by B. Shaw is exactly the kind of design that rewards patience and delivers something genuinely beautiful.
In this post, we will walk through everything you need to know about this pattern — its history and charm, the materials you will need, how to read the lace chart, tips for getting the best results, and answers to the most common questions knitters have when tackling a collar like this for the first time. By the end, you will feel confident, inspired, and ready to cast on.
What Makes This Lace Collar Pattern Special
B. Shaw’s knitted lace collar pattern has become a favourite among knitters who appreciate elegant simplicity. The design sits comfortably in that sweet spot between beginner-accessible and genuinely impressive — it is the kind of piece that looks far more complex than it actually is to make. The pattern uses traditional lace techniques such as yarn overs, decreases, and simple repeat sequences to build a delicate, openwork fabric that drapes beautifully around the neckline.
What distinguishes B. Shaw’s approach is the attention to wearability. Many lace collar patterns are designed purely as decorative pieces, but this one is shaped to lie flat against the shoulders and stay in place throughout the day. The depth of the collar, the gentle shaping along the inner edge, and the thoughtful cast-off all contribute to a finished piece that you will actually want to wear, not just admire in a drawer.
The pattern is also versatile. It works beautifully in fine white cotton for a vintage aesthetic, in a soft neutral linen blend for something more contemporary, or even in a delicate hand-dyed fingering weight for a more artistic, one-of-a-kind result. The lace motifs are open enough to show off a beautifully toned yarn without being so busy that a semi-solid colour looks cluttered.
A Brief History of Knitted Lace Collars
Before we dive into the pattern itself, it is worth taking a moment to appreciate the tradition behind this kind of accessory. Knitted lace has been produced for centuries across Europe, with notable centres in Shetland, the Faroe Islands, Belgium, and Estonia. The art of working yarn overs and decreases to create openwork fabric was considered a mark of extraordinary skill, and fine lace shawls, collars, and cuffs were prized possessions.
Lace collars in particular have a long sartorial history. From the elaborate ruffled collars of Elizabethan fashion to the modest lace-trimmed collars of Victorian schoolteachers and the delicate Peter Pan collars of mid-twentieth century dresses, a collar has always been a way of adding refinement to an outfit with minimal effort. There is also a personal, almost intimate quality to a handmade collar — it is a small piece that takes real time and skill to produce, and wearing one is a quiet declaration that you value craft.
The revival of interest in vintage and handmade accessories has brought lace collars back into the mainstream in a significant way. Designers like B. Shaw have responded to that renewed appetite with patterns that honour the tradition while making it accessible to modern knitters with busy lives and varying skill levels.
Materials and Tools You Will Need
One of the things knitters love about collar patterns is that they require relatively little yarn — you are working on a small canvas, which means you can afford to treat yourself to a beautiful, high-quality fibre without breaking the budget. Here is what you will need to work this pattern.
Yarn: B. Shaw’s lace collar pattern is written for a fingering weight or lace weight yarn. A smooth, tightly plied yarn will allow the lace pattern to read most clearly, so look for something with good stitch definition. Traditional choices include mercerised cotton, which has a lovely sheen and holds its shape well, or a fine wool and silk blend, which gives the fabric a beautiful drape and a subtle lustre. If you want something very lightweight and airy, a true lace weight mohair blend can give stunning results, though it will be harder to frog if you make a mistake, so it is better suited to knitters with some lace experience. You will typically need between 200 and 400 metres depending on the size of the collar you are making.
Needles: The pattern recommends using needles two to three sizes smaller than the yarn’s standard recommendation. This is common in lace knitting because you want the fabric to be firm enough to hold the pattern during blocking, even though it will open up considerably once blocked and pinned. A circular needle is highly recommended even though this collar is worked flat — the cable gives you room to spread the stitches out and see the pattern as you go, and it prevents the inevitable dropping of stitches that happens when you reach the ends of short straight needles while concentrating on a lace repeat.
Blocking materials: This is non-negotiable. Lace knitting looks almost nothing like the finished object until it has been blocked. You will need rust-proof blocking pins or wires, a blocking mat or a clean towel laid over a flat surface, and access to water — either by soaking the collar in cool water for ten to twenty minutes or by using a spray bottle and steam iron held just above the surface of the fabric. Blocking opens up the yarn overs, straightens the edges, and reveals the full glory of the lace pattern. It is genuinely transformative.
Notions: You will need a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, a row counter (either a physical one or a phone app), and stitch markers. Placing a marker between each repeat of the lace pattern is extremely helpful when you are learning the sequence and helps you catch mistakes before they cascade across several rows.
Reading the Pattern: Key Techniques Explained
If you have not worked a lace pattern before, or if it has been a while, a quick refresher on the core techniques will set you up for success.
Yarn Over (YO): A yarn over creates the characteristic holes in lace fabric. You simply bring the working yarn over the right needle before working the next stitch. On the following row, you work the yarn over as a stitch, which increases your stitch count by one. In lace knitting, yarn overs are almost always paired with a decrease somewhere in the same row so that your stitch count stays constant — unless you are working a section of intentional shaping.
Knit Two Together (K2tog): This is a right-leaning decrease. You insert the right needle through two stitches at once as if to knit, and knit them together. This is one of the most common paired decreases for yarn overs in lace.
Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK): This is a left-leaning decrease that mirrors K2tog. You slip two stitches knitwise, one at a time, then insert the left needle through the front of both slipped stitches and knit them together. Together, K2tog and SSK create the directional lean that gives lace motifs their characteristic shapes — chevrons, diamonds, leaves, and fans.
Working from a Chart: B. Shaw’s pattern includes both written row-by-row instructions and a lace chart. If you are comfortable reading charts, use them — they give you a visual map of what the fabric should look like as you go, which makes it much easier to spot errors. Charts are read from right to left on right-side rows and from left to right on wrong-side rows, unless otherwise indicated. Each symbol in the chart corresponds to a stitch or action, and the key is always provided in the pattern.
Step-by-Step Overview of the Knitting Process
While the full stitch-by-stitch instructions are contained within the pattern itself, here is a general overview of how the collar is constructed so you know what to expect at each stage.
The collar begins at the inner edge — the part that sits closest to your neck — with a simple cast-on. B. Shaw uses a long-tail cast-on, which creates a firm, elastic edge that will sit comfortably against a neckband or be sewn to a garment. The first few rows establish a border, typically in garter stitch or a simple rib, before the lace section begins.
The main body of the collar is worked in a lace repeat. Depending on the size of the collar, this repeat may be worked over ten to twenty stitches and is typically four to eight rows tall before it begins again. You will work the right-side rows with the lace pattern and the wrong-side rows in plain purl (or sometimes following a chart for both sides if the pattern is reversible — though most lace collars are worked with plain wrong-side rows for simplicity).
As the collar progresses outward from the neckline, shaping rows increase the stitch count to create the flare that allows the collar to lie flat over the shoulders. These increases are built into the lace pattern at regular intervals and are easy to follow once you understand the structure of the repeat.
The outer edge is typically finished with a decorative cast-off — either a picot bind-off, which creates tiny loops of yarn along the edge for a classic lace finish, or an applied i-cord, which gives a clean, stable border. Both methods are described in the pattern with clear instructions.
Tips for Success: Getting the Best Results from This Pattern
Swatch, and then swatch again. Even on a small project like a collar, gauge matters. A lace collar worked at too tight a gauge will be stiff and uncomfortable. One worked at too loose a gauge may not hold its shape after blocking. Work a small swatch in the lace pattern, block it, and measure before casting on.
Use stitch markers generously. Place one between every single repeat when you begin. Once you are confident in the pattern sequence and can read your knitting — meaning you can look at the stitches already on the needle and understand what comes next — you can remove some of them. But in the early rows, they are your best insurance against mistakes multiplying.
Work in good light. Lace patterns on dark yarn in poor lighting is a recipe for frustration. Use a daylight lamp if you work in the evenings, and take breaks when your eyes begin to tire. Fatigue is when mistakes happen.
Tink, don’t frog. “Tinking” means undoing stitches one at a time (tink is knit spelled backwards). When you discover a mistake in a lace pattern, carefully tinking back stitch by stitch preserves the yarn overs, which disappear easily when you try to pull back several rows at once. Frogging — pulling the needle out and ripping back — is sometimes necessary, but try to avoid it on lace unless you are placing the stitches back on a lifeline.
Use a lifeline. Thread a piece of smooth, contrasting yarn through all the live stitches at the end of a successfully completed pattern repeat. If you need to frog, you can rip back only to the lifeline, reinsert your needle, and pick up from there without losing all your work.
Finishing and Wearing Your Lace Collar
Once you have completed the knitting and bound off, the finishing process is where the magic truly happens.
Weave in your ends securely but not too tightly. In lace fabric, overly tight ends can pucker the fabric and resist blocking. Leave a tail of at least fifteen centimetres and weave it in a diagonal direction through several stitches to secure it.
Soak the finished collar in cool water with a small amount of wool wash or gentle shampoo for about fifteen to twenty minutes, squeeze — do not wring — out the excess water, and roll it in a clean towel. Then lay it flat on your blocking mat and use pins or wires to open out the lace, stretching gently to the dimensions given in the pattern. Allow it to dry completely before unpinning — this usually takes at least twelve hours, sometimes longer.
Once blocked, the collar can be attached to a garment using small, invisible whip stitches, or worn as a standalone accessory fastened at the back with a button, a hook and bar, or a small ribbon tie. The inner edge is typically designed to sit against a crew neck or scoop neck, and the collar lies beautifully over both knitwear and woven fabrics.
Who This Pattern Is For
B. Shaw’s knitted lace collar pattern is a good match for knitters who have mastered basic knitting and purling and are comfortable with simple increases and decreases. If you have made a hat or a simple garment and are looking for your first lace project, a collar is genuinely one of the best places to start — it is small enough to finish relatively quickly, requires minimal shaping knowledge, and the result is something you will use and treasure.
More experienced lace knitters will find the pattern satisfying because of its elegant structure and the quality of the finished object. It also makes an exceptional gift. A handmade lace collar, properly blocked and presented, is the kind of thing that becomes a keepsake.
Where to Find the Pattern
B. Shaw’s knitted lace collar pattern is available through independent pattern platforms such as Ravelry and Etsy, where you can often find the designer’s full catalogue of work. When you purchase the pattern, you will receive a downloadable PDF that includes the full written instructions, the lace chart with key, sizing information, and finishing notes. Always check the pattern page for any errata — corrections that the designer has noted after publication — as these are sometimes important for getting the best result.
If you have questions about the pattern after purchase, most independent designers offer customer support through Ravelry messaging or their own websites, and the knitting community on Ravelry is an extraordinarily helpful resource for troubleshooting specific rows or techniques.
Final Thoughts
A knitted lace collar is not just an accessory. It is a meditation on patience, a small act of creativity, and a connection to a long tradition of fibre artistry. B. Shaw’s pattern distils all of that into something achievable for a wide range of knitters while remaining genuinely beautiful as a finished object.
Cast on with good yarn, work in good light, and give yourself permission to go slowly. The rhythm of the lace repeat will settle into your hands before long, and before you know it you will be pinning your finished collar to a blocking mat and watching it transform under your fingertips. That moment, when the lace opens up and the pattern becomes fully visible for the first time, is one of the quiet joys of the craft — and it never gets old.
