Modern Daily Knitting - Field Guide No. 15: Open

Modern lace. From the playful imagination of Jeanette Sloan come five patterns that let us explore the magical effects that come with simple lace techniques. The fun here is the variety of yarn weights and the gorgeous lace patterns—it all looks utterly fresh and clean. Scroll down to see all the designs.

We crave openness more than ever these days, and fortunately for us all, Jeanette Sloan has created a collection of designs that allow us the opportunity to explore one of knitting’s most spectacular effects: lace.

Mood Cardigan. 

Here it is, a brilliant design that allows you to wear this cocoon two ways. The Mood Cardigan is one of the most artful constructions we’ve seen. There are clever moments of adding cuffs and edging, but at its core, the Mood Cardigan is two rectangles that meet and hit it off famously. We’re in love with the simple lace pattern. We love it upside down or right side up. We love it, period.

Clerestory Shawl.

One design, two weights of yarn. When worked in worsted weight yarn, Jeanette’s pared-down lace patterns are bold and gutsy.

Look what happens when you change to a fingering weight yarn: a completely different effect.

Instructions for both weights of yarn are included in Field Guide No. 15.

Aperture Stole. 

As if by improvisation, two lace patterns come and go in this delightful design. Jeanette plays not only with lace patterns here but also the yarns and colors—the pattern lays it all out exactly for you. Or you can play with the colors, yarns, and stitch patterns. So much possibility here.

Tumbling Block Lace Scarf. 

This design is excellent if you’re new to knitting lace patterns. Again, we’re fascinated with what Jeanette’s lace patterns do when worked in yarns of differing weights. It’s delicate in fingering weight, and strikingly graphic in worsted weight yarn.

Rib Lace Scarf. 

Such a pretty, simple lace pattern—great for your first experiments with yarnovers and decreases. With the pattern written for both fingering and worsted weight yarn, you can explore these differing effects using all sorts of yarns. If you’d like a wider scarf, simply double the number of stitches at cast on and repeat the lace pattern.

Meet Jeanette Sloan. Jeanette Sloan is one of the knitting world’s most accomplished designers. With more than 170 designs in her Ravelry portfolio she has been working at a peak of imagination and skill for a very long time. Along with many contributions to The Knitter and Knitting magazines, she has recently co-edited a collection with Kate Davies, Warm Hands. External Link. Opens in new window., a delectable collection of 15 designs for gloves, mitts, and mittens.

She has also been a powerful voice in the ongoing conversation about diversity in the knitting world. In 2018, her article for Knitting magazine, “Black People Do Knit,”. External Link. Opens in new window. set her on a path to increase the visibility and promotion of BIPOC makers in the fiber world. She worked tirelessly to create BIPOC in Fiber. External Link. Opens in new window., a new website that celebrates a huge number of designers, yarn makers, and artists.