Cat's Eye Stitch
Corrina FergusonReversible mesh lace patterns are versatile stitch patterns, perfect for projects like shawls and scarves. In this video, lace expert Corrina Ferguson demonstrates the Cat’s Eye Stitch, a reversible mesh stitch pattern.
Corrina begins by discussing how the stitch pattern is constructed. Most stitch patterns are worked over an even number of rows, making a Right Side and Wrong Side of the fabric. However, with this stitch pattern, the row repeat is 3 rows, making it truly reversible.
As Corrina works the stitch pattern, she notes that on Row 2 of the pattern, the overall stitch count is decreased. Increases are then worked on the next row to get the stitch count back to its original number. This is achieved with an (k1, p1, k1) into the yarn over increase on Row 3.
CAT’S EYE STITCH
This stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of 4 stitches and 3 rows as follows:
Row 1: Knit all sts.
Row 2: K2, *yo, sk3p; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 3: K2, *k1, (k1, p1, k1) into yo; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2.
Repeat Rows 1 – 3 for pattern.
Special Stitches
sk3p – slip 1 stitch, knit 3 stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over (triple decrease – 4 stitches decreased to a single stitch)
ABBREVIATIONS
k: knit
p: purl
rep: repeat
st(s): stitch(es)
yo: yarn over
Hi there, I'm Corrina Ferguson for The Knitting Circle. In this video, we are going to learn a lovely version of knit mesh lace called the cat's eye stitch. Grab your yarn and your needles, and let's get started. So in this video, we are going to learn how to do a reversible mesh lace knit stitch called the cat's eye stitch. And it's completely reversible.
And one of the ways that they make it reversible is it's a three row stitch repeat. So instead of right side, wrong side, right side, it just always switches. So it's three rows. There's a knit row. There's a yarn over decrease row.
And then there's a make those yarn overs into these nice big open lacey holes row. So let's learn the yarn over decrease row first. Now, when we're doing the yarn over decrease row, we start with a yarn over. So we just bring the yarn to the front of the work and then we hang it over the back in order to do the next thing. And the decrease that we're using is a triple decrease.
So it is a slip one, knit three together, pass, slip stitch over. So I'm gonna slip one knit wise over to my right hand needle. I'm going to finagle in here to knit three together, and knit those three together. And then I'm going to use my left hand needle tip to pass that stitch over and off. So let's look at that one more time.
Slip one. Do the yarn over first so it's not hanging out. Slip one, knit three together. And so we've got two stitches, and we pass it over. So we've taken four stitches, the slip, and then three together.
So slip, knit three together, and then that turns it into two. And then when we pass the slip stitch over, it takes it down to one, which is our triple decrease. So you might be thinking, well, we only did one yarn over for each decrease, which, of course, the math is bad there 'cause we took away three and we added one. Well, we're short two still. So let's add those two stitches back in.
So we're gonna take this one yarn over and we're gonna turn it into three stitches, adding two, by doing this. We're going to do knit one, purl one, knit one, all into the yarn over. And to do that, we go like this. We go to knit into the yarn over, but we leave it on the left-hand needle. Bring our yarn in between our needles to the front.
Purl it. And then bring it to the back, and then knit it. And that's turned that one stitch, that one yarn over, into three. So let's do it one more time. Here's our yarn over.
Knit one, leaving it on the needle, yarn different, purl one, leaving it on the needle, yarn back, knit one. And then that is what makes these nice big open holes that you see on our reversible cat's eyes stitch. Thank you so much for joining me to learn how to work the cat's eye stitch. Check out our website for more great videos.
Lovemaking shawls for family and friends. You failed to mention what would be the best sized needle and yarn for this project, as I didn't need to watch the video as I have been knitting for over 60 years. Looking at the pattern I would imagine that it would be best to use a size 5-7 needle and probably a DK weight yarn or to get a lacier look it could be a lighter weight yarn. I do not use any wool as we all live here in South Florida.& use them in restaurants.
As a newbie, I truly appreciate your teaching style. The way you slowed down and clearly demonstrated the stitches really helped me to understand what you were doing. I just wish the video was longer so I would know how to bind off. 😊. Thank you !