It’s been a while since Knit Picks to put out an advanced lace collection and we’re quite excited to present this year’s offering, Luxurious Lace. We decided on the name because of the stunningly sophisticated stitches, the deliciously indulgent yarn, and because our graphic designer refused to create a logo for our working title: OMG THESE ARE SO PRETTY.

It’s probably good that we listened to her.

I don’t think I need to resort to hyperbole or boasting to say that the designers in this collection have really given us something spectacular. If you follow us across other media channels, you probably have already seen some of the more enthusiastically received patterns, such as In Perfect Harmony and Diamonds of Eos, both of which were mentioned in our newly resumed podcast and have already gotten plenty of attention on Facebook and Instagram. I thought I’d give a little more attention to the rest of the collection.

So Many Pretties!

With so many gorgeous knits, it’s hard to pick out just a few, but the Fuchsia Crescent Shawl is exactly the sort of pattern that made a lot of us want to start knitting in the first place, with its brilliant color and fascinating stitches. It has a very unique and innovative construction: individual “modules” are knit one at a time, but worked from the edges of the finished modules. The modular design makes it very adaptable, and the pattern includes ideas for how the modules can be worked to achieve different shapes. One commenter on Facebook even proposed making a blanket! If anyone tries that, we’d love to see the result.

One of my personal favorites is the Geraldine Shawl, because it combines so many different techniques in a way that brings out the best in all of them. The stockinette and lace patterning shows off the gorgeous heathering in the Alpaca Cloud colorway, but without overwhelming the delicate lace patterns. The beading gives the whole thing an undeniable glamour. If I weren’t already a devoted lace knitter, the deep, dramatic edging would make me want to start.

Intermediate Patterns

There are a few patterns I’d like to call out specifically. We specifically wanted this collection to be advanced lace, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that we’ve designated the majority of the patterns for advanced knitters, but there are a few that, while as beautiful and interesting as any of the others, we decided should be within the reach of an intermediate knitter looking to challenge themselves and start making lace.

All of these have pattern work only on the right side with generally smaller repeating charts and no individual stitches more complicated than some double decreases. With no complex shaping, three of the stoles, the Namib, Cascadian Stole, and Rosewood Stole, are particularly well suited to an established knitter looking to take the plunge into lace.

The Leaf Out Shawl is a great deal more fantastic looking than it is difficult; the applied lace edging will provide a bit of learning curve for anyone that hasn’t tried something like it before, but the result would be well worth the effort.

Everyone Starts Somewhere

With all of these amazing patterns around, I know for a fact that even some experienced knitters will look at the pictures and gush and swoon at the beautiful things that can be made with just a pair of needles and some spun fiber. . .and immediately say to themselves: “But I could never do that!”

If that’s your first thought when you see these amazing knits, I really want to remind you that every veteran lace knitter had to start somewhere. Every single one of the fantastic designers and test knitters that helped us put together this wonderful collection had that first lace pattern that made them stop saying “I can’t” and finally say “I must”. We all have to start somewhere, and I really hope that Luxurious Lace inspires you to find your own starting place with lace.