How to Knit Wheatear Stitch Pattern, A Textured Lace Stitch

Learn how to knit Wheatear stitch, a lovely lace knitting pattern, dainty enough for a little girl but also feminine for you.

The Wheatear stitch is striking and is ideal for your next knitting project.

There are loads of hand embroidery stitches with similar names as the wheatear or wheat ear stitch and the similarities are visible.

HOW TO KNIT WHEATEAR KNIT STITCH – AN EMBOSSED LACE PATTERN

The Wheatear knit stitch pattern has a purl stitch background that makes the Wheatears stand out, almost embossed. You will be surprised how easy this stitch is to master. The pattern is a 16-row repeat in multiples of 8 + 6.

MORE ABOUT WHEATEAR STITCH

• Wheatear stitch reminds me of the hand embroidery design for – you guessed it, wheatear stitch (hand embroidery).
• The pattern is not reversible.
• One knitting technique used is to yarn forward after a knit stitch and before a slip stitch.
• Another knit technique is to yarn round needles (better explained below).

MATERIALS NEEDED: 

• Any Yarn of your choice. There are so many different fibres to choose from, you need to consider what your finished product would be first.
• The sample was knit with Elle Gold DK weight yarn or Light worsted yarn
• Knitting needle size according to the thickness of your yarn (I used 4mm, 6 US size, 8 UK size)
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Measuring Tape
• The Pattern

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BASIC STITCHES USED:

• Casting on stitches
• Knit stitches
• Purl st
• P2tog
• Psso – pull slipped st over
• Yarn forward and yarn round needle (yf) (yrn)
• Casting off stitches

SIZE / DIMENSIONS (APPROXIMATE):

5″ wide (13.5 cm) x 4″ long (approximate 8 cm) – 30 sts knit over 28 rows

GAUGE:

With the materials as listed, my gauge is (to obtain a 4″ x 4″):

25 stitches knit over 28 rows.

SKILL LEVEL:

Intermediate Knitting experience is needed, especially if you need to frog!

ABBREVIATIONS 

*– * – repeat from *

co – cast on

k – knit

p – purl

p2 tog – purl 2 stitches together

RS – right side

st  – stitch

sts – stitches

yf – yarn forward

yrn – yarn round needle

SPECIAL KNIT TECHNIQUES (VIDEO TUTORIAL)

EXPLAINING YARN FORWARD (YFWD) (YF), YOR YARN ROUND NEEDLE (YRN)

Eyelets are

• openings created in your knitting project.
• by winding the yarn over your right needle (or round the needle);
• yarn over equals a new stitch and to compensate for the ‘new’ stitch, you’ll be knitting or purling 2 (or more) stitches together in preceding or following stitches.
• This is to maintain your stitch count.
• the golden rule of yarnovers is to always bring your working yarn from the back to the front and to continue with your knit or purl in the usual manner.

The method of the yarn over you’re going to be using depends on the following:

• your knit style (i.e continental or English);
• only because you’re handling your yarn differently.
• In Continental knitting, yarnovers are all the same.

In English knitting, yarnovers are created differently:

• yarnovers between knit stitches are referred to as ‘yarn forward’ (yfwd);
• between purl stitches, yarn round needle (yrn);
• yarn over between purl and knit stitches is named yarn over needle (yon) and
• yarn over between knit and purl stitches are called yarn forward, followed by yarn round needle (yfwd, yrn).

A knit pattern will not (usually) instruct you to yo between knit and purl stitches. Moving the yarn back and forth between knit and purl stitches is part of stitch creation and not the knitting technique used to create lace patterns.

LET’S LEARN HOW TO KNIT WHEAT EAR STITCH

KNITTING PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS

STITCH PATTERN FOR WHEAT EAR STITCH:

Assuming you knit with 2 straight needles:

Co in multiples of 8, plus 6.

Knit as follows:-

1st Row (RS) – p5, *k2, yf, sl1, k1, psso, p4, repeat from* to last st, p1.

2nd Row – k5, *p2, yrn, p2tog, k4*; repeat from* to last st, k1.

3rd Row – as row 1.

4th Row – as row 2.

5th Row – as row 1.

6th Row – as row 2.

7th Row – as row 1.

8th Row – as row 2.

9th Row – p1, *k2, yf, sl1, k1, psso, p4, repeat from* to last 5 sts, k2, yf, sl1, k1, psso, p1.

10th Row – k1, *p2, yrn, p2tog, k4*; repeat from* to last 5 sts, p2, yrn, p2tog, k1.

11th Row – as row 9.

12th Row – as row 10.

13th Row – as row 9.

14th Row – as row 10.

15th Row – as row 9.

16th Row – as row 10.

Repeat rows 1 – 16 until your work is the desired length.

Cast off and weave in ends.

There are other variations of the wheat stitch, like:

Wheat Stitch

3D Wheatear Stitch

Wheatsheaf Stitch

Wheat ear Cable Stitch

Wheatear Rib Stitch

Double Wheat Stitch

Wheat in the Wind Stitch

Wheat ear Loop Stitch

Dutch Wheat Stitch

Field of Wheat Stitch

IN CONCLUSION:

For more free knitting stitch patterns click on the ‘KNITTING STITCHES’ tab in the menu (top right).

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Whatever you do – 

HAPPY KNITTING!