38+ Free Knitting Lace Stitches with Written Patterns

Lace knitting is one of those skills that looks impossibly delicate from a distance but becomes surprisingly approachable once you understand the rhythm of it. If you’ve ever admired a shawl draped across someone’s shoulders with those intricate holes and flowing lines, or a lightweight summer top with an airy, almost ethereal texture, you’ve been looking at the work of lace stitches. The good news is that you don’t need years of experience or expensive pattern books to start exploring this beautiful craft. This collection of 38+ free knitting lace stitches with written patterns will walk you through everything from the most beginner-friendly options to more complex, heirloom-quality designs.

Whether you knit Continental or English style, prefer circular or flat needles, or work with fingering weight or bulky yarn, there’s a lace stitch here for you. Each pattern is written out in full — no chart-reading required, though charts are a wonderful tool to add later once you’re comfortable with the language of lace.

What Makes a Lace Stitch Different from Regular Knitting

Before diving into the patterns themselves, it helps to understand what defines lace knitting. At its core, lace is created through a combination of yarn overs and decreases. A yarn over (abbreviated YO) adds a stitch by wrapping the working yarn around the needle, creating a deliberate hole called an eyelet. To keep your stitch count balanced, a decrease — either a k2tog (knit two together) or an ssk (slip, slip, knit) — removes a stitch nearby.

This pairing of increase and decrease is the engine that drives every lace pattern in existence. Once you internalize that logic, reading and even designing lace becomes far more intuitive. The direction of your decrease also matters aesthetically: k2tog leans to the right, while ssk leans to the left. Lace designers use this directional quality deliberately to create curves, chevrons, and flowing lines throughout their work.

Essential Abbreviations Used Throughout These Patterns

All patterns in this collection use standard abbreviations:

k — knit
p — purl
YO — yarn over
k2tog — knit two stitches together (right-leaning decrease)
ssk — slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease)
sk2p — slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over (double decrease)
k3tog — knit three stitches together
rep — repeat
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
st(s) — stitch(es)
pm — place marker
sl — slip

Beginner-Friendly Lace Stitches

1. Simple Eyelet Row

This is the most fundamental lace technique there is. It produces a clean row of evenly spaced holes and is perfect for adding a decorative touch to hems, yokes, or cuffs.

Cast on a multiple of 2 sts.

Row 1 (RS): K1, YO, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.

Repeat these two rows for pattern.

2. Diagonal Eyelet Stitch

The eyelets in this pattern travel diagonally across the fabric, giving it a subtle but interesting movement.

Cast on a multiple of 4 sts.

Row 1: K2, YO, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl across.
Row 3: K1, YO, k2tog, k1; rep from to end.
Row 5: YO, k2tog, k2; rep from to end.
Row 7: K3, YO, k2tog; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 8: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–8 for pattern.

3. Faggoting Stitch

Faggoting is an open, almost mesh-like lace that’s wonderful for lightweight scarves and shawls.

Cast on an odd number of sts.

Row 1: K1, YO, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 2: K1, YO, k2tog; rep from to end.

Repeat row 1 continuously. That’s it — faggoting is one of the most beautifully simple patterns in lace knitting.

4. Horseshoe Lace

Named for the shape it creates, horseshoe lace is a classic beginner panel stitch that looks impressive for the effort it requires.

Cast on a multiple of 10 sts plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): K1, YO, k3, sk2p, k3, YO, k1; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3: K1, k1, YO, k2, sk2p, k2, YO, k2; rep from to end.
Row 4: Purl across.
Row 5: K1, k2, YO, k1, sk2p, k1, YO, k3; rep from to end.
Row 6: Purl across.
Row 7: K1, k3, YO, sk2p, YO, k4; rep from to end.
Row 8: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–8 for pattern.

5. Candle Flame Lace

This stitch creates elongated flame shapes and works beautifully as a panel down the center of a simple garment.

Cast on a multiple of 12 sts plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): K1, ssk, k3, YO, k1, YO, k3, k2tog, k1; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3: K1, ssk, k2, YO, k3, YO, k2, k2tog, k1; rep from to end.
Row 4: Purl across.
Row 5: K1, ssk, k1, YO, k5, YO, k1, k2tog, k1; rep from to end.
Row 6: Purl across.
Row 7: K1, ssk, YO, k7, YO, k2tog, k1; rep from to end.
Row 8: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–8 for pattern.

Intermediate Lace Stitches

6. Old Shale (Feather and Fan)

Old Shale is one of the most beloved traditional lace stitches in knitting history. Its undulating waves have graced countless heirloom shawls and baby blankets.

Cast on a multiple of 18 sts.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across.
Row 2: Purl across.
Row 3: (K2tog) 3 times, (YO, k1) 6 times, (k2tog) 3 times; rep from to end.
Row 4: Knit across.

Repeat rows 1–4 for pattern.

7. Cat’s Paw Lace

Cat’s Paw creates a pattern of small, clustered eyelets that look like little paw prints scattered across your fabric.

Cast on a multiple of 12 sts plus 3.

Row 1 (RS): K2, k5, YO, ssk, k1, k2tog, YO, k2; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl across.
Row 3: K2, k6, YO, sk2p, YO, k3; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 5: K2, k3, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, ssk, k2; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 7: K2, k2, k2tog, YO, k5, YO, ssk, k1; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 9: K2, k1, k2tog, YO, k7, YO, ssk; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 11: K2, YO, ssk, k9, k2tog, YO; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 12: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–12 for pattern.

8. Vine Lace

Vine lace has a beautiful organic quality. The eyelets trail diagonally like climbing vines and work especially well in plant-based fibers like cotton or linen.

Cast on a multiple of 9 sts.

Row 1 (RS): YO, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, YO, p1; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 2: P1, k1, p5, k1; rep from to last st, p1.
Row 3: K1, YO, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, YO; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 4: P1, k1, p5, k1; rep from to last st, p1.

Repeat rows 1–4 for pattern.

9. Lily of the Valley

This romantic pattern creates a delicate floral motif and is a favorite for wedding shawls and christening garments.

Cast on a multiple of 8 sts plus 7.

Row 1 (RS): K1, k5, k2tog, YO, k1; rep from to last 6 sts, k6.
Row 2: Purl across.
Row 3: K1, k4, k2tog, YO, k2; rep from to last 6 sts, k6.
Row 4: Purl across.
Row 5: K1, k3, k2tog, YO, k3; rep from to last 6 sts, k6.
Row 6: Purl across.
Row 7: K1, k2, k2tog, YO, k4; rep from to last 6 sts, k6.
Row 8: Purl across.
Row 9: K1, k1, k2tog, YO, k5; rep from to last 6 sts, k6.
Row 10: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–10 for pattern.

10. Diamond Lace

Diamond shapes are enduringly popular in lace knitting because they pair geometric structure with the softness of open eyelets.

Cast on a multiple of 8 sts plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): K4, YO, ssk, k6; rep from to last 5 sts, YO, ssk, k3.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl across.
Row 3: K3, k2tog, YO, k1, YO, ssk, k3; rep from to end.
Row 5: K2, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, ssk, k1; rep from to last 7 sts, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, ssk, k2.
Row 7: K1, k2tog, YO, k5, YO, ssk; rep from to end, k1.
Row 9: Same as Row 5.
Row 11: Same as Row 3.
Row 12: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–12 for pattern.

11. Traveling Vine

Traveling Vine is a classic English lace design where a leafy vine motif moves diagonally across stockinette fabric.

Cast on a multiple of 8 sts.

Row 1 (RS): YO, k1tbl, YO, ssk, k5; rep from to end.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Purl across.
Row 3: K1, YO, k1tbl, YO, ssk, k3, k2tog; rep from to end. (Note: Work row 3 over 10 sts by shifting starting point accordingly.)
Row 5: K2, YO, k1tbl, YO, ssk, k2, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 7: K3, YO, k1tbl, YO, ssk, k1, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 9: K4, YO, k1tbl, YO, ssk, k2tog; rep from to end.
Row 10: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–10 for pattern.

12. Fountain Lace

Fountain lace mimics water falling downward in graceful arcs. It’s a beautiful all-over pattern for shawls and lightweight tops.

Cast on a multiple of 12 sts plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): K1, YO, k4, k3tog, k4, YO, k1; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3: K2, YO, k3, k3tog, k3, YO, k3; rep from to last 11 sts, YO, k3, k3tog, k3, YO, k2.
Row 4: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–4 for pattern.

13. Print o’ the Wave

This Scottish lace stitch from the Shetland tradition captures the motion of ocean waves in a graceful, flowing repeat.

Cast on a multiple of 13 sts.

Row 1 (RS): K2tog, k4, YO, k1, YO, k4, ssk; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3: K2tog, k3, YO, k3, YO, k3, ssk; rep from to end.
Row 4: Purl across.
Row 5: K2tog, k2, YO, k5, YO, k2, ssk; rep from to end.
Row 6: Purl across.
Row 7: K2tog, k1, YO, k7, YO, k1, ssk; rep from to end.
Row 8: Purl across.
Row 9: K2tog, YO, k9, YO, ssk; rep from to end.
Row 10: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–10 for pattern.

14. Bead Stitch Lace

Small beads of texture alternate with open eyelets to create a unique mix of density and airiness.

Cast on a multiple of 6 sts plus 3.

Row 1 (RS): K2, YO, ssk, k1, k2tog, YO, k1; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 2: P2, p2, k1, p3; rep from to last st, p1.
Row 3: K2, k1, YO, sk2p, YO, k2; rep from to last st, k1.
Row 4: Purl across.

Repeat rows 1–4 for pattern.

15. Razor Shell Lace

Razor Shell creates elegant elongated shells pointing upward. It’s a favorite for summer tops and beach cover-ups.

Cast on a multiple of 10 sts plus 1.

Row 1 (RS): K1, YO, k3, sk2p, k3, YO, k1; rep from to end.
Row 2 (WS): Purl across.
Row 3: P1, *k1, YO, k2, sk2p, k2, YO, k1, p1; rep from