FROST FLOWERS

Stitch of the Month - January 2015

Frost Flowers is a beautiful lace pattern that can be found in numerous stitch dictionaries under an assortment of names including Spanish Lace and Shooting Star. According to Barbara Walker, Frost flowers is ...an old pattern, dating from at least the early nineteenth century. 

The lace looks quite intricate when worked as an all-over stitch pattern but looks equally stunning when featured as inset panel. The pattern looks complicated but is rather quite easy. It's worked over a four-row pattern repeated twice and then a second four-row pattern repeated twice.

I have a special fondness for this stitch pattern. When I was about 16 years old, I bought some beautiful turquoise yarn and I designed a knee-length pullover working Frost Flowers as an all-over lace pattern with a ribbed turtle-neck collar. That was the first time that I was commissioned to knit a garment for someone else after they had seen my sweater. I loved it and wore it constantly.

Frost Flowers Stitch Pattern

(Multiples of 34 stitches + 2)
Row 1 (RS)  K1, *k3, k2tog, k4, yo, p2, [k2, yo, skp] 3 times, p2, yo, k4, skp, k3; rep to last st; k1
Row 2 K1, *p2, p2tog-b, p4, yo, p1, k2 [p2, yo, p2tog] 3 times, k2, p1, yo, p4, p2tog, p2; rep from * to last st; k1
Row 3 K1, *k1, k2tog, k4, yo, k2, p2, [k2, yo, skp] 3 times, p2, k2, yo, k4, skp, k1; rep from * to last st; k1
Row 4 K1, *p2tog-b, p4, yo, p3, k2, [p2, yo, p2tog] 3 times, k2, p3, yo, p4, p2tog; rep from * to last st; k1
Rows 5 thru 12 Repeat row 1 to 4 twice more
Row 13 K1, *yo, skp, k2, yo, skp, p2, yo, k4, skp, k6, k2tog, k4, yo, p2, k2, yo, skp, k2; rep from  * to last st; k1
Row 14 K1, *yo, p2tog, p2, yo, p2tog, k2, p1, yo, p4, p2tog, p4, p2tog-b, p4, yo, p1, k2, p2, yo, p2tog, p2; rep from to last st; k1
Row 15 K1, *yo, skp, k2, yo, skp, p2, k2, yo, k4, skp, k2, k2tog, k4, yo, k2, p2, k2, yo, skp, k2; rep from * to last st; k1
Row 16 K1, *yo, p2tog, p2, yo, p2tog, k2, p3, yo, p4, p2tog, p2tog-b, p4, yo, p3, k2, p2, yo, p2tog, p2; rep from * to last st; k1
Row 17 thru 24 Repeat rows 13 to 16 twice more.
These 24 rows form the Frost Flowers stitch pattern.

Abbreviations

k2tog - knit 2 stitches together
p2tog - purl 2 stitches together

p2tog-b - purl 2 together through back loops
RS - right side
skp - slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over
yo - yarn over