Beginner Lace Knitting with Lia
Learn how to knit lace in this hands-on workshop: discover the fundamentals of lace knitting stitches, how to read lace charts & patterns, the tips & tricks of experienced lace knitters & how to bring out the beauty of your finished lace
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Lovely Lace: A Beginner’s Guide to Lace Knitting
Have you been swooning over the delicate lace details in patterns like Ranunculus, Love Note, or Deschain—but feel unsure how to begin? This beginner-friendly class will help you unravel the mystery of lace knitting and show you just how achievable (and addictive!) this elegant technique can be.
In this relaxed and hands-on workshop, we’ll guide you through the foundational skills of lace knitting—how to combine increases and decreases to create beautiful, openwork fabric, how to read lace charts and written patterns, and the magic of blocking to bring your stitches to life.
You’ll also get to explore finished examples of popular lace projects in class, including yoke sweaters and summer tops, to help you imagine what you might like to knit next. Whether you’re eyeing a specific pattern or simply curious about lace, you’ll leave feeling inspired and confident.
What You’ll Learn:
• Fundamental lace stitches and combinations
• How to increase and decrease for lace shaping
• Reading lace charts and decoding pattern instructions
• Blocking your lace—why it matters and how to do it
• Tips and tricks to prevent frustration and keep your lace looking lovely
Class Highlights:
• A no-pressure introduction to the beauty of lace
• Explore real project samples in class, including Ranunculus, Love Note, and Deschain
• Hands-on guidance from experienced lace knitters
• Choose your own path—start a specific pattern or simply practice swatches
Skill Level:
Confident beginner. You should be comfortable with knit and purl stitches and working in rows before attending.
Above: Some of the most popular patterns on Ravelry such as Ranunculus by Midori Hirose and Love Note by tincanknits feature lace details on the yoke. Deschain by Leila Raven is a summery linen top with a front lace panel, which can be knitted with or without sleeves.
Important info for this class
Duration: 3 hours
Skills required: you should know how to knit, purl, and cast-on and off (advanced beginner level). Some experience with following basic knitting patterns is also recommended.
Materials
You will need to bring:
- Light, plain-coloured, smooth wool or wool blend 4ply yarn (so you can see what is going on). Peppin 4, Bellissimo 4 and lighter semi-solid colours of Fabulous Sock are great options.
- 3.5mm-4mm knitting needles: straight or circular
Preparation:
We will make a lace swatch during the class. Please make a start on your swatch at home by completing the following before the class:
- Loosely cast on 26 stitches
- R1-5: k all stitches
- R6: k1, p to last stitch, k1
- R7: k all stitches
- R8: k1, p to last stitch, k1
Do not break yarn or cast off as you'll keep knitting in the class - keep the stitches on your needles and bring your swatch with you.
There are so many ways you can use lace in knitting. Here are some of our faves:
- Memento Shawl by Jacqui Verbeek, knitted by Judy Soekov in Fabulous Sock colour Fruit Tingle.
- Lace neckband and yoke of Wild Roses by Knitting for Breakfast, knitted in Fabulous Sock.
- Deb wears Linho by Joji Locatelli, which features a beautiful lace detail in the middle front. Knitted in 4ply linen yarn.
- Donovan by Michele Wang has an all over lace design.
- Basilica Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska, knitted in Fabulous Sock colours Jasper, Red Rattler and Barn Owl.
- Lavender Fields Socks by Helen Stewart have a decorative lace design around the leg.
- Rosewater by Janino Kallio, knitted in Romance colour Mercurial.
- Section of Krisanteema Shawl by Inese Sang, knitted in Romance colours Olive You and Daydream. Image by Su Yan Tay (@thedragonknitter). Take a look at our yarn sets.
Your teacher Lia wears her cabled Winters Beach Cardi by Andrea Mowry
Your teacher: Lia Weitzel
Lia (she/her) lives on Wan land in Sydney’s Inner West. She started knitting in earnest at 18 years old, after her mum received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Lia’s mum spent many hours in the chemo chair teaching her all kinds of stitches and techniques.
Lia has continued the family tradition of crafting and 15 years (and ~30 kilometres of yarn) later, her favourite clothing items to knit are jumpers and cardigans. She gravitates most towards textured knitting – think cables, lace, baubles and ganseys.
Lia has spent several years working in local yarn stores in Sydney (Australia) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands). She is excited to share the joy of knitting with you and to help you expand your knitting skill set!
Terms and conditions
- Full payment is required prior to the start of the class to confirm your spot.
- Minimum numbers - All classes require a minimum of two people in order to go ahead and, depending on the class, a maximum of 6. If your class or workshop does not have the minimum number of students, the class will be postponed and you will be notified within three days of the class date if it has been cancelled or changed.
- We cannot be held liable for travel or any other costs in the event of a cancellation.
- If your class is postponed or cancelled you can use the amount paid to transfer to another event/activity, use it as a store credit, or be issued a full refund.
Cancelling a class
- Up to 7 days before the class - you are able to cancel, postpone or swap a class up to 7 days prior to the class date and can receive a full refund.
- 7 days-24 hours before the class - we are able to offer a credit but we cannot guarantee a full refund unless another booking fills your spot.
- Less than 24 hours before the class - no credit or refund available.
Please see our general Classes & Workshops page for our FAQ.
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