Grafting lace?!

#1

Hi there can anyone help with how to graft shetland lace? I am knitting Rowan’s pattern Carolina from their latest magazine - Ive done loads of it but have been unhappy with the effect when grafting the lace using kitchener stitch. The live row has three series of cast-off stitches to create loops, so the grafting process causes the lace to bunch up.

I am grafting this row (previous row ends 46sts):

cast off 8, k until there are 2 sts on right needle, *cast of 6, k until there are 2 sts on right needle after last set of cast-off sts, rep from * once more, cast of next 6 sts, K to end - 20sts.

To a row of 20 cast on sts.

Is there a special technique, or am I right to assume the pattern means kitchener stitch when it says “graft”?

Thank you!!

#2

Whenever I see graft, I think kitchener, too.

#3

Ted (of Princess Diary fame) posted a FABULOUS tutorial on how to graft complicated lace here:

Scroll down to the entry titled “Cast on? What Cast on?” posted Janaury 21. Good luck!

#4

That is brilliant! Thanks so much. I confess that I actually finished the lace i was talking about and just did stockingette really loosely so that it lay flat. Imperfect, but the edging is so generous that you can’t really see it in the drape.

This article is really inspired though, so will definitely give it a whirl on my next project…

Thanks!