Knitted Edgings: Your Complete Guide to Vintage Knitting Patterns That Never Go Out of Style
There is something quietly magical about the edge of a handknitted piece. Before the body of a shawl catches your eye, before you notice the color or the stitch pattern at the center, it is the edging that frames everything — a delicate border that tells the whole story of the maker’s skill and intention. Vintage knitted edgings, in particular, carry a kind of beauty that contemporary knitters are rediscovering with tremendous enthusiasm. These patterns, many of them passed down through generations or preserved in yellowed pamphlets and old needlework magazines, represent some of the most exquisite lace and decorative knitting ever conceived.
Whether you are a seasoned knitter looking to add a heritage touch to your work or a curious beginner who has just stumbled upon a box of old patterns at an estate sale, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about vintage knitted edgings — what they are, where they come from, how to read and adapt old patterns, which styles to try first, and how to use them in your modern knitting projects.
What Are Knitted Edgings?
Knitted edgings are decorative borders worked in knitting, traditionally used to finish or embellish household linens, garments, shawls, and accessories. Unlike crocheted edgings, which are often added after the main fabric is complete, knitted edgings can be worked simultaneously with the main piece, picked up along a finished edge, or made as a separate strip and sewn on.
The defining feature of a traditional knitted edging is the selvedge — one straight, tidy side that attaches to the main fabric, and one decorative side that forms the finished outer border. This outer edge is typically shaped into points, scallops, curves, leaves, or intricate lace formations. The play between the straight inner edge and the elaborately shaped outer edge is what gives vintage knitted edgings their characteristic look: structured yet fluid, simple on one side and breathtakingly detailed on the other.
Historically, knitted edgings were used on pillowcases, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, nightgowns, baby garments, petticoats, aprons, and towels. A well-kept household in the Victorian or Edwardian era would have had dozens of such pieces, each one edged with careful needlework. The patterns were shared between women, printed in ladies’ magazines, included in knitting booklets, and sold as leaflets at department stores and needlework shops. Today, those same patterns are considered collector’s items and are actively sought out by knitters who appreciate their artistry.
A Brief History of Lace Edgings in Knitting
The history of knitted lace edgings stretches back at least to the sixteenth century, though the art form flourished most visibly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By the Victorian era, lace of all kinds — bobbin lace, needle lace, tatting, and knitted lace — had become central to fashionable dress and home furnishing. Knitted lace was prized for being relatively accessible to a wider range of women, since it required only needles and thread rather than the specialized equipment and lengthy apprenticeship needed for bobbin or needle lace.
Shetland lace knitting, developed in the Shetland Islands of Scotland, became particularly famous during the nineteenth century after Queen Victoria received Shetland lace shawls as gifts and expressed admiration for them. Shetland laceknitters worked with extraordinarily fine single-ply wool spun from the fleece of native Shetland sheep, creating gossamer-light fabric through complex arrangements of yarn-overs and decreases. Many of the edging patterns developed in Shetland — fern lace, cat’s paw, print o’ the wave — remain beloved by knitters today and appear in countless vintage pattern collections.
At the same time, knitters throughout Europe and North America were developing their own regional traditions of decorative edging. Pattern books and magazines of the mid-to-late 1800s, such as those published by Weldon’s in England, presented page after page of edging patterns suited to different purposes, yarn weights, and skill levels. These publications are now digitized and accessible through various online archives, giving modern knitters direct access to the original source material.
The early twentieth century brought a more streamlined aesthetic in some areas, but decorative knitting for the home never disappeared entirely. Publications from the 1920s through the 1950s continued to feature knitted edgings for household linens, baby items, and feminine accessories. It is from this rich, layered history that today’s vintage knitting pattern revival draws its deepest inspiration.
Why Knitters Are Drawn to Vintage Edging Patterns
The revival of interest in vintage knitting patterns, including edgings, is not simply a matter of nostalgia. There are practical and aesthetic reasons why contemporary knitters return again and again to these old designs.
The first is quality. Vintage edging patterns were often designed for thread-weight cotton or fine wool, and the results are intricate in a way that heavier, quicker-to-knit projects simply cannot replicate. There is a precision to the best vintage edgings — a geometry of leaf shapes, diagonal lines, and repeating motifs — that rewards careful, patient work with something genuinely beautiful.
The second is uniqueness. Using a vintage edging pattern means that the finished piece will not look like anything currently available in craft stores or fast-fashion shops. It carries the mark of a specific time and place, and of a knitter who chose to invest hours in something meant to last.
The third reason is connection. Many knitters find deep satisfaction in using patterns that were used by their grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Choosing a vintage edging pattern is a way of participating in a long chain of making, of placing your own hands in a tradition that stretches back generations.
And finally, vintage edging patterns are often surprisingly versatile. A Victorian insertion pattern designed for a nightgown collar works just as well as a decorative element on a modern baby blanket or a cloth napkin. The motifs translate across contexts with grace.
Understanding and Reading Vintage Knitting Patterns
One of the most common barriers knitters face when approaching vintage patterns is the language. Older patterns, particularly those from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, use conventions and abbreviations that differ significantly from modern knitting notation.
Where a contemporary pattern might say “k2tog” (knit two together), a vintage pattern from the 1890s might say “knit 2 together through the back of the loops” or simply “decrease.” Yarn-overs might be described as “wool forward,” “thread over,” or “o” (over). A stitch described as “narrow” or “slip as if to purl” could require some detective work to decode correctly.
The best approach when tackling a vintage edging pattern is to read it through entirely before casting on, making note of any unfamiliar abbreviations or instructions. Many knitting communities and online forums have members with deep experience in deciphering old patterns, and resources like the book Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts or the archives at sites like Ravelry and the Antique Pattern Library can be invaluable reference points.
It also helps to swatch. Working a small sample before committing to a full edging will tell you whether you have correctly understood the pattern and whether your tension produces the kind of fabric the original designer intended. Vintage edgings worked in fine cotton or thread often benefit from blocking, which opens up the lace and allows each motif to display itself clearly. If you work a swatch and block it, you will get the most accurate preview possible of what the finished edging will look like.
Popular Vintage Edging Styles to Try
There are dozens of classic edging styles with long histories in the knitting tradition. Here is an overview of some of the most beloved, along with notes on their character and suitable uses.
Vandyke or Pointed Edgings
One of the most enduring vintage edging styles, Vandyke edgings feature sharply pointed teeth along the decorative outer edge. The name comes from the pointed lace collars fashionable in the seventeenth century and associated with the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, who frequently depicted them in his portraits. Knitted Vandyke edgings were enormously popular in Victorian pattern books and appear in countless variations, from simple three-stitch points to elaborate versions featuring yarn-over columns and twisted stitches. They work beautifully on linens, baby garments, and shawl borders.
Leaf and Fern Edgings
Nature-inspired motifs are central to many vintage edging traditions. Leaf edgings feature individual leaf shapes worked in raised or open-work knitting, often with a central spine defined by a line of yarn-overs. Fern patterns, associated particularly with Shetland lace, create a flowing, branched design that moves diagonally across the fabric. Both styles work best in fine yarn and reward patient, careful knitting with results that look genuinely botanical — as if real foliage has been pressed into fiber.
Shell and Fan Edgings
Shell and fan edgings create scalloped outer edges through strategic increases and decreases, often combined with groups of yarn-overs to form the open, airy structure of the fan. These edgings have a flowing, feminine quality and work particularly well on baby items, shawls, and lightweight scarves. Many simple fan edgings are also excellent projects for knitters who are new to lace, since the repeat is usually short and the pattern easy to memorize.
Bead and Knot Edgings
Some vintage edgings achieve their texture not through holes and openwork but through raised stitches — small bobbles, beads of knit-into-the-front-and-back stitches, or slip-stitch knots that create a tactile, dimensional surface. These edgings often have a more substantial, less delicate character than lace edgings and work well in heavier yarn. They can add interest to kitchen cloths, towels, and heavier cotton linens without the open structure that might seem too delicate for everyday use.
Feather and Wave Edgings
The feather and wave stitch, sometimes called Old Shale, is one of the most recognizable patterns in the Shetland tradition. As an edging, it creates a gently rippling border of soft waves that is both visually striking and relatively forgiving to knit. It is one of those patterns that can look complex from a distance but is actually built on a simple, rhythmic repeat that most knitters find very easy to maintain once they have learned it. Vintage patterns for feather and wave edgings appear in a wide range of weights, from fine thread to worsted-weight wool.
Eyelet and Ladder Edgings
Simple columns of eyelets — yarn-overs paired with decreases — arranged in ladders or diagonal lines create edgings that are graphic and clean in their geometry. These patterns lack the organic, flowing quality of leaf or fan edgings, but they have a satisfying order to them and work well on modern projects where a more structured, less fussy look is desired. Many Edwardian and early twentieth-century knitting publications featured these styles for household linens and men’s accessories.
How to Attach and Apply Vintage Edgings
Vintage edging patterns assume a few different methods of application, and understanding these will help you choose the right approach for your project.
The most traditional method involves knitting the edging as a separate strip and then sewing it onto the finished piece. The edging is worked back and forth in rows, building a strip of the desired length, and then grafted or slip-stitched onto the main fabric with the straight inner edge aligned to the fabric edge. This method gives you the most control, since you can adjust the length of the edging precisely before attaching it, and it works well for straight edges like the sides of a tablecloth or the hem of a skirt.
Alternatively, edgings can be worked simultaneously with the main fabric by picking up stitches along the edge of a finished piece and working the edging outward from there. This produces a seamless, integrated result and is particularly effective on shawls and blankets where you want the edging to feel like part of the whole rather than an addition.
A third method, used for insertions rather than outer edgings, involves knitting a strip and sewing it between two pieces of fabric, creating a decorative band that separates and joins at the same time. Vintage insertions were commonly used to join sections of fabric in pillowcases and sheets, adding width while also adding decoration.
Blocking is almost always essential when finishing a vintage knitted edging. Wet blocking — soaking the piece in cool water, pressing out excess moisture, and pinning it to shape while damp — opens up lace motifs and allows the edging to lie flat. For pointed edgings, each point should be pinned individually to encourage it to hold its shape as it dries.
Choosing Yarn and Needles for Vintage Edging Patterns
Most vintage edging patterns were designed for cotton thread or very fine wool, and replicating them in their original weight will give you the truest sense of the original design. However, many knitters today choose to scale edging patterns up into slightly heavier yarn, which makes the knitting faster and easier to see while still capturing the character of the pattern.
For traditional lace edgings, fine mercerized cotton thread — often sold as crochet thread or tatting thread — produces results very close to the originals. DMC, Coats, and similar brands offer this thread in both white and ecru, the colors most commonly used for vintage household linens. Fine lace-weight wool is another excellent choice, particularly for edgings inspired by Shetland traditions, and it blocks beautifully.
Needles for fine thread edgings are correspondingly small — US size 000 to 2 (1.5 to 3mm) is typical for true thread-weight work. For edgings worked in lace-weight or fingering-weight yarn, US size 1 to 4 (2.25 to 3.5mm) needles are generally appropriate, though it is always worth experimenting to find the combination that gives you a fabric you love.
Steel needles, which are finer and stiffer than aluminum or bamboo, are the traditional choice for thread-weight lace work. Many knitters who work regularly with vintage edging patterns find that steel needles give them more precise control over very small stitches.
Caring for Vintage Knitted Edgings
Whether you are finishing a new piece with a vintage edging or caring for an antique textile that already bears one, proper care will ensure that the edging lasts for decades to come.
Cotton thread edgings should be hand-washed in cool water with a mild, pH-neutral detergent. Never wring or twist them — press out excess water gently and roll the piece in a clean towel before laying it flat to dry. If the edging has yellowed with age, a gentle soak in a solution of oxygen-based whitener (not chlorine bleach, which degrades cotton fibers over time) can restore some brightness without causing damage.
Wool edgings should be washed with the same care as any fine wool — cool water, wool wash or baby shampoo, no agitation, and flat drying. Blocking after washing helps the edging maintain its shape and keeps lace motifs open and well-defined.
Store knitted edgings and pieces bearing them away from direct light, which fades and weakens fiber over time. Acid-free tissue paper is ideal for wrapping and storing fine textile pieces, and cedar blocks or lavender sachets can help deter moths without the harshness of chemical mothballs.
Where to Find Vintage Knitted Edging Patterns
The good news for anyone eager to begin exploring vintage edgings is that the patterns have never been more accessible. The Antique Pattern Library (antiquepatternlibrary.org) is a free digital archive containing hundreds of scanned needlework publications, many of them full of edging patterns. The Internet Archive (archive.org) is another treasure trove, with digitized copies of Weldon’s Practical Needlework, old issues of The Modern Priscilla, and many other period publications available to read or download for free.
Ravelry hosts thousands of vintage-inspired and vintage-sourced edging patterns, many of them available for free or at a very low cost. Searching for terms like “lace edging vintage,” “Victorian knitted border,” or “Shetland edging” will turn up a substantial collection to browse.
Physical vintage pattern booklets can often be found at estate sales, antique shops, library sales, and online marketplaces. Collecting original pamphlets has its own appeal — there is something special about knitting from a pattern that was printed eighty or a hundred years ago and handling paper that other knitters have held.
Making Vintage Edgings Your Own
One of the pleasures of working with vintage knitting patterns for edgings is that they invite creative interpretation. There is no reason to feel bound to the original intended use of a pattern. A border designed for a Victorian pillowcase can become the edging on a handmade greeting card insert, the finish
