Help Translating Vintage Pattern

How-to Questions
1

I recently bought a lace pattern online and was very excited to start knitting it but when I opened the pattern up, I was completely lost. I have asked a few of my knitting friends to help me decipher it and even they didn’t understand. I am hoping maybe someone here can assist me in translating what I believe is a vintage code into modern terms. I also can’t tell when the first repeat ends since there isn’t a closing side to the parenthesis. This is the pattern:
PATTERN

  1. K. 2, o., k. 5 (a., n., k. 1, 11, o.SI. 1, k. 1, p. 1, n., k. ^^.K. 2, O- (k. 1, n… o. 3 times, si., n,and b., k. 1, o., 1, n… o. 3, si., n. and b., k. 1, o, n., k. 2, n., o. 2, k. 2.k, 5) twice, o, n., k. 3,n., o. 2, k. 2.si., n. and b., o.) twice,SI. i,k. 1, p. i,n.,k. 34.K. t, n.(o.,n.,k. 3,n„o., k. 3) twice,o.,n…k.3,n„o.k. 4, n., o. 2, k, 2.SI. i, k. t, p. i,n,. k. 33,K. 1, n. (o., n.,k, i.n… o., k. 5) 3 times, n,o. 2, k. 2.Si. i,k, f, p. 1, n.,k. 32.K. 1, n. 1 o. (sl.,n. and b., o., k. i, n., 0. 3, si. n. and b., k. t,o.) twice, 5!., n. and b. o,k, 6, n, o. 2, k. 2.SI. i,k. 1,p. i,n„k. 31.K. 2. o., k. 3 (p., n, k. 3, n., o.,k. 3) twice, o., n, k. 4,n., o. z, k. 2.12.SI. i,k. 1,p. t,n.,k,32.Repeat from 1st row.
2

K = knit
P = Purl
O = Over (i.e YO)
N = k2tog

More here…
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.vintagepurls.co.nz/abbreviations.html

3

That really is a tough one. The more I read your pattern row, the more unusual terms I saw. You’ve got to give those vintage knitters credit.
n is k2 together and f and b [I]might [/I]be front and back, but a, t, i, z not to mention ^ will take a bit more research.
Can you give us a picture of the lace pattern or a link to a page that shows it?

ETA There’s an aritcle in the Nov 2013-Jan 2014 Cast On magazine on vintage knitting. It shows that the abbreviations changed over the years. For example, in 1841, B meant back or purl and P meant plain or knit, at least for some pattern books. How’s that for confusing? So it might help to know the approximate year of your pattern.

4

Looking at it I think the parens might all be there. I’d print it out and then mark each set in a different color.

K. 2, o., k. 5 [B][COLOR=“Navy”]([/COLOR][/B]a., n., k. 1, 11, o.SI. 1, k. 1, p. 1, n., k. ^^.K. 2, O- [COLOR=“Red”]([/COLOR]k. 1, n… o. 3 times, si., n,and b., k. 1, o., 1, n… o. 3, si., n. and b., k. 1, o, n., k. 2, n., o. 2, k. 2.k, 5[COLOR=“Red”])[/COLOR] twice, o, n., k. 3,n., o. 2, k. 2.si., n. and b., o.[B][COLOR=“Navy”])[/COLOR][/B] twice

If I got it right ([I]if!!![/I]) I think that bit will show you what I mean.