Once again, I am experimenting with doing lace absolutely not the way the Russians would do it. This sawtooth border is a common border in Orenburg lace. The Russian way of turning the corner, while clever, left me unsatisfied.
After a few weeks of experiments, here's where I ended up.
I used a basic sawtooth border pattern. You can find the chart in Galina Khmeleva The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, (Loveland CO: Interweave Press 2000) page 5. This particular sawtooth pattern starts with 8 stitches, widens to 12 stitches, and then narrows back to 8 stitches. When increasing, each yarn over causes the border to widen and the line of yarn overs to grow outward toward the right. When decreasing, it becomes trickier. You still need the yarn over to keep the pattern, but it needs a knit-2-together to prevent the fabric from widening and, since you want the overall border to narrow, it needs a second knit-2-together. Without those, the line of holes doesn't move inward to the left. To make the whole thing work, you need a yo, k2tog on the right-side and a k2tog on the wrong side.
I also realized I was probably going to need to use short rows. Because this fabric is garter stitch, I used wrap-and-turn for the short rows, rather than German short rows, Japanese short rows, or some other approach .
My original thought was to work a mitered corner. For that, stitch counts grow smaller and smaller, then larger and larger as you work short rows, almost like a heel turn.
As you might imagine, patterning and shaping start bumping into each other. I eventually realized the parallelogram part of that pattern worked well, even if my first handful of tries at the corner turn didn't.
All I really needed to figure was what goes in between the two parallelograms. That made the problem smaller and possibly more manageable. How to transition between one set of directions that work to another set of directions that work?
Parallelogram increasing into the corner:
After much swatching, I realized it was sometimes helpful to add a little more fabric in the corner. There's a couple very short short-rows that when added will make the next yarn-over hole bigger. These can be added to almost any of the directions I present here, whether in the corner holes or in other holes in the corner turn.
Optional short row refinement to enlarge the corner hole, add these rows after Row 06 and before Row 07:
Another way to enlarge the holes is to work yo2 when making the yarn over, then drop both loops together when working into the double yarn-over on the next row.
The tricky transition part goes here. That's what this post is about!
Parallelogram decreasing coming out of the corner:
The traditional mitered corner could be thought of like this:
In this case, the challenge would be to decrease at both edges of the little triangle, and then increase at both edges of the other little triangle, and keep the pattern going at the same time.
Mitered corner:
I worked many, many variants of this corner. I consistently had trouble making the corner loose enough to block nicely. And I had trouble getting the miter to look tidy where it changes from decreasing to increasing. It's no wonder the mitered corner solution is not used by the Orenburg knitters! It is tricky to figure out and not easy to remember.
Another approach is to work a triangle en pointe from one corner to the other. This approach involves having the line of work in three different directions — up, then a 45° turn, then another 45° turn. I found adding short rows for more fullness helped. Start with the increasing parallelogram including the extra short rows for fullness.
Triangle en pointe corner:
This method used quite a few short rows for fullness, but the result allows for a corner that naturally wants to be fairly square. Of all the solutions, I think this one might be my favorite.
If you want something simpler — or just a good starting point for experimentation — the rounded corner may be better.
The rounded corner is similar to the triangular corner. While it doesn't make a sharp sawtooth, it is easier to execute. Like the en pointe triangle, the total number of stitches on the needle doesn't change from row to row.
Rounded corner:
In a lot of situations, I think the round corner with extra fullness would work fine. Especially in a thin yarn and worked at an open gauge, it would be easy to block the corner square or round, as desired.
A final after the fact thought:
It wasn't until I started making schematics for this blog post that it even occurred to me to consider a square corner worked en pointe. For the sawtooth pattern, the square corner isn't what I want. But, if you are using these schematics to generate design solutions, it is helpful to include it as an option.
Patterns for knitted borders rarely include information about how to turn the corner. I hope this post has given you a framework for problem solving in your own knitting.
 |
| Traditional Orenburg corner |
After a few weeks of experiments, here's where I ended up.
I used a basic sawtooth border pattern. You can find the chart in Galina Khmeleva The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, (Loveland CO: Interweave Press 2000) page 5. This particular sawtooth pattern starts with 8 stitches, widens to 12 stitches, and then narrows back to 8 stitches. When increasing, each yarn over causes the border to widen and the line of yarn overs to grow outward toward the right. When decreasing, it becomes trickier. You still need the yarn over to keep the pattern, but it needs a knit-2-together to prevent the fabric from widening and, since you want the overall border to narrow, it needs a second knit-2-together. Without those, the line of holes doesn't move inward to the left. To make the whole thing work, you need a yo, k2tog on the right-side and a k2tog on the wrong side.
I also realized I was probably going to need to use short rows. Because this fabric is garter stitch, I used wrap-and-turn for the short rows, rather than German short rows, Japanese short rows, or some other approach .
My original thought was to work a mitered corner. For that, stitch counts grow smaller and smaller, then larger and larger as you work short rows, almost like a heel turn.
 |
| Schematic for a mitered corner turn. Notice how it starts off as a parallelogram, but then decreases to a point before turning the corner and increasing. |
As you might imagine, patterning and shaping start bumping into each other. I eventually realized the parallelogram part of that pattern worked well, even if my first handful of tries at the corner turn didn't.
 |
| Basis for corner turn. Knitting a parallelogram into and out of the corner. The question is, "What goes in that big empty corner space?" |
All I really needed to figure was what goes in between the two parallelograms. That made the problem smaller and possibly more manageable. How to transition between one set of directions that work to another set of directions that work?
Parallelogram increasing into the corner:
- Row 01: slip 1-purlwise-with yarn in front, knit 2, yarn over, knit 4, wrap 1.
9 stitches total, 1 stitch plus 8 pattern stitches. - Row 02: leave the wrapped stitch on the right needle, knit 8.
9 stitches total, 8 stitches plus 1 stitch that wasn't worked this row. - Row 03: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k4, wrap 1, leave 1 unworked.
10 stitches total, 2 stitches unworked (the wrapped one from this row and the wrapped one from the previous row) plus 8 pattern stitches. - Row 04: leave the unworked stitch and the wrapped stitch alone, k8.
10 stitches total, 8 pattern stitches plus 2 left unworked this row. - Row 05: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k4, w1, lv2.
11 stitches total, 3 + 8. - Row 06: lv3, k8.
11 stitches total, 8 + 3. - Optional short row refinement for fullness (see below).
- Row 07: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k4, w1, lv3.
12 stitches total, 4 + 8. - Row 08: lv4, k8.
12 stitches total, 8 + 4.
After much swatching, I realized it was sometimes helpful to add a little more fabric in the corner. There's a couple very short short-rows that when added will make the next yarn-over hole bigger. These can be added to almost any of the directions I present here, whether in the corner holes or in other holes in the corner turn.
Optional short row refinement to enlarge the corner hole, add these rows after Row 06 and before Row 07:
- RS short row to enlarge hole: s1-pw-wyif, k1, w1, leave remainder of stitches.
- WS short row to enlarge hole: leave most stitches unworked, knit only the last 2.
Another way to enlarge the holes is to work yo2 when making the yarn over, then drop both loops together when working into the double yarn-over on the next row.
The tricky transition part goes here. That's what this post is about!
Parallelogram decreasing coming out of the corner:
- Row A: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv3.
12 stitches total, 4 + 8. - Row B: lv4, k6, k2tog.
11 stitches total, 7 + 4. - Row C: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv2.
11 stitches total, 3 + 8. - Row D: lv3, k6, k2tog.
10 stitches total, 7 + 3. - Row E: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv1.
10 stitches total, 2 + 8. - Row F: lv2, k6, k2tog.
9 stitches total, 7 + 2. - Row G: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo, k2tog, k2, w1.
9 stitches total, 1 + 8. - Row H: lv1, k6, k2tog.
8 stitches total, 7 + 1.
The traditional mitered corner could be thought of like this:
 |
| Schematic to think about a mitered corner. |
In this case, the challenge would be to decrease at both edges of the little triangle, and then increase at both edges of the other little triangle, and keep the pattern going at the same time.
Mitered corner:
- Row 09: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo, k2tog, k1, w1, lv 4.
12 stitches total, 5 + 7. - Row 10: lv 5, k5, k2tog.
11 stitches total, 6 + 5. - Row 11: s1-pw-wyif, k3, yo2, k2tog, w1, lv4.
11 stitches total, 5 + 6. - Row 12: lv5, k4, k2tog.
Let both wraps of the yo2 drop so it is only one new stitch.
10 stitches total, 5 + 5. - Row 13: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2, w1, lv4.
11 stitches total, 5 + 6. - Row 14: lv5, k6.
11 stitches total, 6 + 5. - Row 15: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo2, k3, w1, lv4.
12 stitches total, 5 + 7. - Row 16: lv5, k7. Let both wraps of the yo2 drop so it is only one new stitch.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5.
 |
| Mitered corner |
I worked many, many variants of this corner. I consistently had trouble making the corner loose enough to block nicely. And I had trouble getting the miter to look tidy where it changes from decreasing to increasing. It's no wonder the mitered corner solution is not used by the Orenburg knitters! It is tricky to figure out and not easy to remember.
 |
| Schematic of a triangular corner worked en pointe. |
Triangle en pointe corner:
- Row 09: s1-pw-wyif, k1, w1, lv9.
12 stitches total, 10 + 2. - Row 10: lv10, k2.
12 stitches total, 2 + 10. - Row 11: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, w1, lv6.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5. - Row 12: lv7, k5.
12 stitches, 5 + 7. - Row 13: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, w1, lv5.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Row 14: lv6, k6.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Row 15: s1-pw-wyif, k1, w1, lv9.
12 stitches total, 10 + 2. - Row 16: lv10, k2.
12 stitches total, 2 + 10. - Row 17: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, w1, lv6.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5. - Row 18: lv7, k5.
12 stitches, 5 + 7. - Row 19: s1-pw-wyif, k1, w1, lv9.
12 stitches total, 10 + 2. - Row 20: lv10, k2.
12 stitches total, 2 + 10. - Row 21: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv4.
12 stitches total, 5 + 7. - Row 22: lv5, k7.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5.
 |
| Triangular corner turn |
This method used quite a few short rows for fullness, but the result allows for a corner that naturally wants to be fairly square. Of all the solutions, I think this one might be my favorite.
If you want something simpler — or just a good starting point for experimentation — the rounded corner may be better.
 |
| Schematic for a rounded corner. |
The rounded corner is similar to the triangular corner. While it doesn't make a sharp sawtooth, it is easier to execute. Like the en pointe triangle, the total number of stitches on the needle doesn't change from row to row.
Rounded corner:
- Row 09: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv4.
12 stitches total, 5 + 7. - Row 10: lv5, k7.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5. - Row 11: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, w1, lv5.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Row 12: lv6, k6.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Row 13: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k1, w1, lv5.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Row 14: lv6, k6.
12 stitches total, 6 + 6. - Optional refinement: add short rows here for more fullness through corner.
- Row 15: s1-pw-wyif, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, w1, lv4.
12 stitches total, 5 + 7. - Row 16: lv5, k7.
12 stitches total, 7 + 5.
 |
| Round corner |
 |
| Round corner with extra fullness: Add optional short row refinement before last hole on increasing parallelogram. Add optional short row refinement before last hole on round corner turn. |
In a lot of situations, I think the round corner with extra fullness would work fine. Especially in a thin yarn and worked at an open gauge, it would be easy to block the corner square or round, as desired.
A final after the fact thought:
 |
| Schematic for a square corner, worked en pointe. |
It wasn't until I started making schematics for this blog post that it even occurred to me to consider a square corner worked en pointe. For the sawtooth pattern, the square corner isn't what I want. But, if you are using these schematics to generate design solutions, it is helpful to include it as an option.
Patterns for knitted borders rarely include information about how to turn the corner. I hope this post has given you a framework for problem solving in your own knitting.
Comments