Eyelet, Lace, and Yarnover Stitches: Stitch Library
Few things in knitting carry the same quiet magic as a well-placed hole. That might sound counterintuitive — after all, isn’t the whole point of knitting to create fabric? — but eyelets, lace, and yarnover stitches are proof that what you leave out can be just as beautiful as what you put in. These techniques form the foundation of some of the most breathtaking textiles in the history of fiber arts, from the gossamer shawls of Victorian England to the delicate lace edgings on modern handknit garments. Whether you are brand new to decorative openwork or looking to deepen your understanding of how these structures work, this stitch library entry will walk you through everything you need to know.
What Are Yarnover Stitches?
Before we can talk about eyelets and lace, we need to talk about the yarnover, because it is the single building block that makes all openwork possible in knitting.
A yarnover — abbreviated YO in most patterns — is simply the act of wrapping the working yarn around the right-hand needle before working the next stitch. This creates a new loop on the needle, which counts as an extra stitch. On its own, a yarnover increases your stitch count by one. It also leaves a small, deliberate hole in the fabric wherever it was placed.
If you use a yarnover without compensating for it, your stitch count will grow. That is perfectly fine in some contexts — increasing at the edge of a shawl, for instance. But when yarnover stitches are used to create pattern rather than to shape, they are almost always paired with a decrease to cancel out the added stitch and keep the total stitch count constant. This pairing of yarnover plus decrease is what gives lace its characteristic patterned openwork, where the holes appear in deliberate, structured arrangements rather than randomly across the fabric.
Understanding this relationship between the yarnover and its compensating decrease is probably the single most important concept in lace knitting. Once that clicks, the logic behind even complex lace charts becomes much more transparent.
How to Work a Basic Yarnover
On the knit side, bring the working yarn to the front between the needles (as if to purl), then take it over the top of the right needle to the back and work the next stitch as normal. The loop left on the needle is the yarnover.
On the purl side, the working yarn is already in front, so you simply bring it over the top of the right needle and around to the front again before purling the next stitch. This creates a yarnover in the purl row, which is used in some reversible lace patterns.
Between two knit stitches, this is simply abbreviated YO. Between a purl and a knit, or between a knit and a purl, the mechanics shift slightly to ensure the yarn wraps in the correct direction and leaves a true open hole rather than a twisted stitch. Learning these small adjustments is worth the effort, because a yarnover worked incorrectly can look pinched or twisted once the fabric is blocked, robbing the lace of its crispness.
Eyelet Stitches: The Simplest Form of Openwork
An eyelet is the most contained version of a yarnover-based hole. It is typically one isolated opening surrounded by plain fabric, used to add a decorative detail without committing to an all-over lace pattern. Eyelets appear in baby knitting, button bands, drawstring channels, and as delicate accents in otherwise solid garments.
Simple Eyelet
The most basic eyelet is worked as follows: knit to the position where you want the hole, work a yarnover, then work a k2tog (knit two together) to compensate. On the return row, purl across including the yarnover loop as a normal stitch. The result is a single, clean hole in the fabric.
This simple eyelet is the starting point for almost everything else in this library. It is small, tidy, and versatile. You can scatter them randomly for an organic look, place them in a vertical column for a delicate eyelet rib effect, or arrange them in diagonal lines or diamond shapes to build more complex visual effects without ever writing or reading a traditional lace chart.
Eyelet Row or Eyelet Round
When worked across an entire row or round at regular intervals — say, every fourth stitch — eyelets create a horizontal band of holes. This is commonly used to thread ribbon or elastic through the fabric, as in the waistband of a child’s skirt or the drawstring casing of a bag. It is also used purely decoratively in yokes, hems, and cuffs.
Working an eyelet round is a good introduction to yarnover techniques because it removes the complexity of a chart and replaces it with a simple, repetitive action. The rhythm of k2, yo, k2tog across a round is easy to maintain and gives the knitter immediate visual feedback as the holes appear in a tidy line.
Double Eyelet
A double eyelet is worked by wrapping the yarn twice around the needle (sometimes called a double yarnover or yarn over twice, abbreviated YO2). On the following row, the two loops are worked differently depending on the effect you want: often the first is knitted and the second is purled, or one is dropped to create a deliberately elongated stitch. The result is a taller, more pronounced opening in the fabric, which works beautifully in elongated stitch patterns and in ladder-based lace.
Understanding Lace Structure
Lace knitting is what happens when eyelets are no longer isolated but instead organized into a repeating motif that covers an area of fabric. The holes are part of a system, and they are surrounded by decreases that shape the fabric and direct the eye toward the pattern.
There are two broad categories of knitted lace that every knitter should understand.
Knitted Lace vs. Lace Knitting
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe two distinct approaches.
Knitted lace means that the patterning — the yarnovers and decreases — occurs on both the right-side and wrong-side rows. The wrong-side rows are not simple purl-back rows; they contain their own set of instructions. This makes for a denser, more complex knitting experience but is often used in traditional lace traditions, including much of Estonian and Shetland lace.
Lace knitting, on the other hand, works the pattern rows only on the right side, with plain purl-back rows in between. This is generally considered more beginner-friendly because the wrong-side rows give the knitter a chance to rest and check their work. Much modern lace falls into this category.
If you are new to lace, starting with lace knitting — where only right-side rows are patterned — will make the learning curve much gentler. If you find lace charts intimidating, knowing which type you are dealing with before you start can help you set realistic expectations about the difficulty level.
The Role of Blocking in Lace
No discussion of lace stitches is complete without talking about blocking. Lace that has just come off the needles often looks like a crumpled, unintelligible mess. The holes are barely visible. The pattern is obscured by the natural elasticity of the yarn. It can be genuinely alarming if you have never seen it before.
Blocking is the process of wetting the fabric, stretching it to its finished dimensions, pinning it in place, and allowing it to dry. For lace, this process is transformative. The holes open up. The pattern emerges with clarity. The drape of the fabric improves dramatically. Blocking is not optional for lace — it is the step that reveals all the work you have done.
Wool and other protein fibers block most effectively because they respond to moisture by relaxing and holding their new shape as they dry. Superwash wools, cotton, and synthetic fibers also block, but may not hold their shape as dramatically. For true heirloom lace work, a non-superwash wool or a lace-weight wool-silk blend will give you the crispest, most lasting results.
Common Lace and Eyelet Stitch Patterns
Here is a selection of classic stitch patterns built from yarnover and eyelet techniques. Each is described in a way that lets you understand the structure before you cast on.
Feather and Fan (Old Shale)
Feather and Fan, also known as Old Shale, is one of the most beloved lace patterns in the knitting world. It creates a rippling, wave-like fabric through the combination of yarnovers, decreases grouped together, and runs of plain knitting. The decrease clusters pull the fabric in, the yarnover clusters push it out, and the result is the gentle scalloped edge and undulating surface that makes this stitch instantly recognizable.
It is traditionally worked in Shetland lace yarn and appears frequently in traditional christening shawls and baby blankets. The wave repeat is easy to memorize once you have worked it a few times, making it a satisfying pattern for knitters who prefer to work without constantly consulting a chart.
Yarn Over Lace Rib
A simple but elegant variation on the basic rib, the yarnover lace rib places a yarnover and a compensating decrease inside each knit rib column. The result is a series of vertical ladders of holes running up the fabric, which catches the light beautifully and adds a lightness to what would otherwise be a dense ribbed fabric. This stitch works wonderfully in cuffs, scarves, and the lower borders of sweaters.
Diamond Lace
Diamond lace arranges yarnovers and their decreases in a pattern that creates open diamonds across the fabric. The diagonals of decreases frame the diamond shapes, while the central yarn overs form the airy interior of each motif. Diamond lace is one of the most classically elegant patterns in the knitting canon and appears in everything from Victorian antimacassars to contemporary shawls and stoles.
The key to mastering diamond lace is understanding how the decreases are directional. A k2tog leans to the right, while an ssk (slip, slip, knit) leans to the left. By pairing the correct decrease with each yarnover, you create smooth, clean lines of diagonal stitches that outline each diamond shape. When this is done correctly, the fabric has a sculptural, three-dimensional quality that elevates it beyond simple openwork.
Vine Lace
Vine lace features a traveling yarnover that moves across the fabric over successive rows, creating the impression of a climbing vine or tendril. The yarnover shifts position in each pattern row while its compensating decrease anchors the design. The result is a flowing, organic motif that feels less geometric and more botanical than many lace patterns.
Vine lace is a wonderful choice for shawls and stoles where you want the lace to feel soft and natural rather than structured and architectural.
Print o’ the Wave
This traditional Shetland lace stitch is one of the great treasures of the British lace tradition. It captures the feeling of waves curling and crashing with an abstract arrangement of yarnovers and paired decreases that is surprisingly intuitive once you understand the construction. It is typically worked as a border or edging and pairs beautifully with other simple Shetland stitch patterns in the body of the fabric.
Horseshoe Lace
Horseshoe lace is defined by a symmetrical arrangement of yarnovers that radiate outward from a central decrease, creating an open horseshoe or arch shape in the fabric. It is a relatively simple but visually striking pattern that is well suited to beginners moving beyond basic eyelets, as it introduces the concept of mirror-image decreases — one leaning left and one leaning right — framing a central column of yarn overs.
Tips for Working Lace Successfully
Use a Lifeline
A lifeline is a length of smooth, contrasting thread run through all the live stitches at the end of a correctly worked repeat. If you make a mistake several rows later and need to rip back, the lifeline saves you from overshooting the mark and unraveling good work. Thread it through with a tapestry needle or use the small eyelet on your needle tip if your interchangeable needles have one. This single habit will save you enormous frustration.
Work with Markers
Placing stitch markers between lace repeats lets you check your stitch count at the end of each section rather than waiting until the end of the row. If a mistake has happened, you will know immediately which repeat contains the error and can address it before it compounds across subsequent rows.
Count, Count, Count
Lace requires attentive stitch counting, especially while you are learning a new pattern. The number of yarnovers must always equal the number of compensating decreases in a given row unless you are intentionally shaping the work. If your stitch count is off at the end of a row, finding the error immediately — before you work the next row — is always easier than trying to diagnose it later.
Choose Your Yarn Wisely
Lace and openwork show up best in smooth, plied yarns with good stitch definition. Fuzzy or hairy yarns (like mohair) obscure the holes and make the pattern difficult to read while you are working. That said, a mohair-and-silk blend worked at a loose gauge creates a beautiful halo effect that suits some lace designs wonderfully — just be aware that mistakes are very hard to rip out in a fuzzy yarn, so it is not ideal for learning new patterns.
For most lace projects, a smooth fingering-weight or lace-weight yarn in a light, clear color will give you the clearest view of what you are creating and make blocking results most satisfying.
Go Up a Needle Size
Many knitters find that lace looks better worked at a slightly larger needle size than the yarn label suggests. The looser gauge allows the holes to open more fully and gives the fabric a more fluid drape. When in doubt, swatch and block before committing to a full project.
Reading Lace Charts
Most lace patterns are presented in both written row-by-row instructions and as a visual chart. For many knitters, the chart is ultimately more intuitive because it shows the shape and flow of the design visually rather than translating it into a linear sequence of abbreviations.
On a lace chart, yarnovers are typically represented by an O symbol. Right-leaning decreases (k2tog) are usually shown as a forward slash, and left-leaning decreases (ssk or sl1-k1-psso) are shown as a backslash. No-stitch symbols, often shown as a gray or black square, appear in charts where the stitch count changes from row to row within a shaped piece.
Reading a chart from bottom to top (the direction in which you knit) and from right to left on right-side rows (unless you are knitting in the round, where you read every row right to left) takes some adjustment, but becomes second nature with practice. Many knitters find it helpful to photocopy the chart and use a magnetic board or sticky note to track which row they are on.
Building Your Lace Vocabulary
The language of lace knitting can seem dense at first, but it is built from a small set of repeating operations. Yarnovers create holes. Decreases close holes and direct the fabric. The pairing and placement of these two elements, repeated across rows and rounds, generates every pattern in this library and every lace design ever conceived.
Once you have worked a handful of different patterns, you will start to recognize the relationship between the symbols on a chart and the fabric that emerges from your needles. A diagonal line of decreases paired with a corresponding diagonal line of yarnovers will always create a traveling column of holes. A cluster of decreases at the center flanked by symmetrical yarnovers will always create a leaf or petal. These are not arbitrary arrangements — they are a visual logic that becomes more legible with every project.
That is the real reward of building a lace vocabulary. You stop following patterns blindly and start reading fabric. You can look at a finished shawl, trace the structure of its motifs, and understand exactly how it was made. And eventually, you can begin to design your own.
A Final Word on Eyelet, Lace, and Yarnover Stitches
Whether you are knitting a single eyelet column into a sock cuff, working an all-over diamond lace on a lightweight stole, or experimenting with a traditional Shetland pattern for the first time, these techniques reward patience and attention in equal measure. The yarnover is a humble gesture — a single wrap of yarn around a needle — but in the hands of a thoughtful knitter, it opens up a world of extraordinary textile possibility.
Start with an eyelet. Add a few rows of a simple lace repeat. Block your swatch and watch the pattern bloom. That moment, when the holes open up and the design reveals itself in full, is one of the great pleasures in all of knitting. And once you have experienced it, you will find reasons to put yarnovers into almost everything you make.
