The Hourglass Eyelet Loom Knit Stitch: A Complete Guide to This Stunning Textured Pattern

If you’ve been loom knitting for a while and you’re ready to move beyond basic knit and purl combinations, the Hourglass Eyelet stitch is exactly the kind of project that will reignite your passion for the craft. It’s one of those stitches that looks impossibly intricate when finished but is surprisingly approachable once you break it down row by row. Whether you’re making a delicate scarf, a breezy shawl, a lightweight baby blanket, or a decorative dishcloth, the Hourglass Eyelet delivers a level of elegance that makes people assume you’ve been knitting for decades.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about the Hourglass Eyelet loom knit stitch — what it is, why it’s worth learning, what materials you’ll need, how to read the pattern, and step-by-step instructions to get it right the first time.

What Is the Hourglass Eyelet Stitch?

The Hourglass Eyelet is a lace-inspired stitch pattern that creates a series of small decorative holes (the eyelets) arranged in a way that visually resembles an hourglass shape. The pairing of yarn overs and decreases creates a rhythmic texture that’s both airy and structured, giving your finished fabric a beautiful open weave without feeling flimsy or loose.

In needle knitting, this type of stitch is a staple of lace knitting patterns. On a loom, we adapt the technique to work with pegs, using yarn overs and e-wraps in combination with skip-stitch methods and double loops to mimic the same visual result. The loom version may look slightly different depending on the gauge of your loom, but the characteristic hourglass shape formed by the eyelets remains clearly visible and absolutely lovely.

This stitch is particularly popular for spring and summer projects because the openwork nature of the pattern allows air to pass through the fabric, making it ideal for lightweight wraps, market bags, and baby items. It also photographs beautifully, which makes it a favorite among crafters who sell their work on Etsy or Instagram.

Why Loom Knit the Hourglass Eyelet?

You might wonder why someone would choose a loom over traditional needles for a lace-style pattern like this. The honest answer is that loom knitting makes eyelet patterns far more accessible to beginners and to knitters who struggle with tension issues on needles.

On a loom, your stitches are held securely on pegs, which means you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping them when you’re managing yarn overs or transfers. The structure of the loom keeps everything in place while you work, which gives you more control and more confidence to try techniques that might otherwise feel overwhelming.

Loom knitting is also a wonderful option for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or other hand and wrist conditions that make needle knitting painful. The larger movements and reduced grip tension that come with loom work allow you to continue enjoying the craft without discomfort. And yet the results — especially with a stitch as pretty as the Hourglass Eyelet — are every bit as impressive as anything made on needles.

Materials You’ll Need

Before diving into the pattern itself, let’s make sure you have everything ready to go.

Loom: A rectangular or long rake loom works best for flat panel projects like scarves and blankets. You can also work this stitch in the round on a circular or oval loom if you’re making something like a cowl or hat. For this stitch to show its full beauty, you’ll want a loom with pegs that are spaced at a fine to medium gauge. A fine gauge loom (pegs spaced around 3/8 inch apart) will give you a more delicate, lacy result, while a medium gauge loom will produce something chunkier and more rustic looking.

Yarn: Choose a smooth, plied yarn for this stitch. The smooth surface of the yarn will help the eyelets stand out clearly. Fuzzy or hairy yarns like mohair can work if you want a soft, dreamy effect, but they will obscure some of the stitch definition. For beginners, a light-colored yarn is strongly recommended because the eyelets are easier to see and count on a pale background. A sport weight or DK weight yarn tends to work beautifully with this stitch on a fine gauge loom, while worsted weight pairs well with a medium gauge loom.

Hook tool: A standard loom knitting hook is essential for lifting loops over and moving stitches between pegs.

Stitch markers: These will help you keep track of your repeat sections, especially while you’re still learning the pattern.

Tapestry needle: For weaving in your ends when you’re finished.

Scissors: Always close at hand.

Understanding the Key Techniques

If you’re new to lace-style loom knitting, a few techniques are foundational to working the Hourglass Eyelet stitch. Take a few minutes to practice these before jumping into the full pattern.

Yarn Over (YO): A yarn over on a loom is typically worked by wrapping the yarn around an empty peg (or sometimes simply placing a loose loop of yarn on a peg). This creates the extra loop that will become the eyelet hole in your finished fabric. When you knit over that loop in the following row, the hole is preserved.

Knit Two Together (K2tog): This is a decrease where two pegs are worked together as one. The most common way to do this on a loom is to move the loop from one peg onto the adjacent peg so that you have two loops on that peg, then knit over both loops as one. This reduces your stitch count by one and creates the leaning decrease that pairs with the yarn over to form the eyelet.

Slip Stitch: A slip stitch means moving a loop from one peg to another without knitting it, keeping the original loop intact. This is used in combination with other moves to create the hourglass shaping.

E-Wrap: The standard wrapping method where yarn forms a figure-eight shape on the peg. This is the most common casting and knitting method on most looms.

Take your time with each of these before trying the full stitch. Even spending fifteen minutes practicing each technique individually will make the full pattern feel much more natural.

Reading the Pattern

Loom knitting patterns use a shorthand notation very similar to needle knitting. Here’s a quick reference for the abbreviations you’ll encounter in the Hourglass Eyelet pattern:

K — Knit stitch (e-wrap and knit over, or flat knit/u-wrap)
P — Purl stitch
YO — Yarn over (place an extra loop on the indicated peg)
K2tog — Knit two together (combine two pegs into one stitch)
SSK — Slip, slip, knit (a left-leaning decrease; on a loom, move the loop from the right peg to the left peg and knit both together)
Rep — Repeat
RS — Right side
WS — Wrong side

The Hourglass Eyelet is typically worked over a multiple of 6 stitches, plus 3 for balance. For example, you might cast on 15, 21, 27, or 33 pegs depending on how wide you want your project to be. For a practice swatch, 15 pegs is a great starting point.

The Hourglass Eyelet Loom Knit Pattern

Here is the full stitch pattern written out row by row. Work flat (back and forth) for a scarf or panel, or adapt to working in the round for a circular project.

Setup: Cast on a multiple of 6 pegs, plus 3. For a practice swatch, cast on 15 pegs. Work two rows of plain knit stitch to establish your base. This creates a small border that keeps the bottom edge from curling.

Row 1 (RS): Knit across all pegs.

Row 2 (WS): Purl across all pegs.

Row 3: K1, YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K1; rep from to end. (Note: If your stitch count doesn’t divide evenly into this exact repeat on your chosen loom, you may need to adjust the border stitches on each side. For a 15-peg cast on, you’ll have two full repeats with one stitch on either side as a border.)

Row 4: Purl across all pegs.

Row 5: Knit across all pegs.

Row 6: Purl across all pegs.

Row 7: K1, K2tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, SSK; rep from to end.

Row 8: Purl across all pegs.

Rows 1 through 8 make up one complete repeat of the Hourglass Eyelet pattern. Continue repeating these 8 rows until your project reaches the desired length. Finish with two rows of plain knit stitch to match the bottom border, then bind off.

Tips for Success

Count your stitches after every row. When you’re working yarn overs and decreases together, the stitch count should remain the same (each YO adds one stitch, and each decrease removes one). But it’s very easy to accidentally add an extra wrap or skip a decrease, especially when you’re learning. Count after every single row until you feel confident with the rhythm.

Use stitch markers generously. Place a stitch marker between each 6-peg repeat. This way, if something looks off, you can identify exactly which repeat went wrong and correct just that section rather than unknitting an entire row.

Work at your own pace. This is not a stitch you can work on while watching television until you know it by heart. The yarn overs and decreases require attention, particularly during Rows 3 and 7. Once you’ve worked five or six full repeats, the pattern will start to feel intuitive and you’ll be able to work more quickly.

Block your finished piece. Lace and eyelet patterns are dramatically transformed by blocking. Wet blocking, in which you wet the finished fabric, gently press out the excess water, and then pin it flat to dry, opens up the eyelets and evens out the tension across the whole piece. If you skip this step, your eyelets may look smaller and less defined than they should. Blocking makes an enormous difference in the finished appearance.

Swatch before you start your main project. A small swatch will tell you whether your yarn and loom combination is producing fabric you’re happy with. It also gives you a chance to practice the pattern rows without the pressure of working on a real project. Don’t skip the swatch — it saves a lot of heartache later.

Project Ideas for the Hourglass Eyelet Stitch

Once you’re comfortable with the stitch, the possibilities are really exciting. Here are some project ideas to inspire you.

A lightweight loom knit scarf in the Hourglass Eyelet is one of the most popular applications of this stitch. Choose a silky yarn in a soft neutral or a pretty pastel for something that feels timeless and elegant. Because the stitch has a natural drape, it lays beautifully when worn.

A baby blanket worked in the Hourglass Eyelet on a fine gauge loom with a soft cotton or bamboo blend yarn is an heirloom-quality gift. The texture is subtle enough to be gender neutral, and the open weave makes it breathable for little ones.

A market bag or reusable produce bag worked in the Hourglass Eyelet with a cotton yarn is both beautiful and practical. The eyelets in the stitch create a naturally stretchy fabric that expands to hold quite a bit.

A cowl or infinity scarf worked in the round adapts the Hourglass Eyelet nicely, though you’ll need to adjust the pattern so that you’re always working from the right side rather than alternating right and wrong sides.

A table runner or decorative placemat worked in a linen or cotton blend can become a beautiful home decor accent that people will think came from a boutique shop.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

My eyelets aren’t visible or they’re very small. This usually means your yarn overs are too tight. Try to keep your tension relaxed when wrapping the yarn over the peg. If the loop is very snug, the eyelet will close up when you knit over it. Practice keeping a consistent, relaxed tension throughout.

My stitch count keeps changing. This almost always means you’re either adding an extra yarn over without pairing it with a decrease, or you’re doing a decrease without adding a compensating yarn over. Work through Rows 3 and 7 very slowly, checking after each individual move that you’ve completed the full sequence.

My fabric is pulling or puckering in strange ways. Uneven tension across pegs is the most common culprit. Try using a U-wrap (flat knit) instead of an e-wrap, as many knitters find this produces more even tension. Also check that you’re purling consistently on all wrong-side rows.

My hourglass shapes look lopsided. This can happen if your SSK and K2tog leans aren’t consistent. On a loom, both of these decreases can end up leaning the same direction if you’re not deliberate about which loop goes on top of the other. When doing an SSK, the slipped stitch should sit on top of the working stitch. When doing a K2tog, the working stitch moves onto the slipped stitch. The difference may seem small, but it creates the mirror-image lean that gives the hourglass its symmetry.

Final Thoughts

The Hourglass Eyelet is one of those stitches that has a way of making you feel like a real craftsperson. There’s a particular satisfaction in watching a row of eyelets form into the hourglass shape, knowing that the structure emerged from nothing more than yarn wrapped deliberately around pegs. It’s the kind of pattern that reminds you why you fell in love with loom knitting in the first place.

Whether you’re a complete beginner who’s just finished your first plain knit scarf and is ready for something more adventurous, or an experienced loom knitter looking to expand your stitch library, the Hourglass Eyelet is well worth adding to your repertoire. The learning curve is real but short, and the payoff — in the form of gorgeous, lacy fabric — is absolutely worth every careful row.

Take your time, count your stitches, block your finished piece, and enjoy the process. That’s what loom knitting is all about.