PurlbedCables and lace › Thread lace
Thread lace / punch lace
Semi-sheer "windows" of fine thread set into areas of thicker yarn. In the windows only the fine thread knits, so stitches look large and see-through, while the thick yarn floats behind. Patterns are usually small with very short floats (1–2 sts).
- Single bed
- Needle selection
Machine types that can knit it
Demo swatch
Drawn for: Single bed, punch cardApproximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.The pale areas stand for the sheer windows where only the fine thread knits.
The full card
- What it looks like
- Semi-sheer "windows" of fine thread set into areas of thicker yarn. In the windows only the fine thread knits, so stitches look large and see-through, while the thick yarn floats behind. Patterns are usually small with very short floats (1–2 sts).
- How it behaves
- Light and drapey; the windows stretch more than the solid parts.
- Machines
- Brother models with 2 buttons at the MC position (e.g. KH-260 bulky per Knit It Now; later standard models) [model list unverified]. KH-820/821 have one MC button, so no thread lace. [inference] SR SK-280: yes (punch lace in manual TOC). SK-155: listed as capable of punch lace.
- Parameters
- Float ≤ 1–2 sts. Fine yarn may need extra tension wraps. Tension must suit both yarns knitted together. 1. Cancel end-needle selection (KC II on later models) or push selected end needles back to B. 2. Press both MC buttons. 3. Thread thick in A, fine in B; knit.
- Card design rules
- Short floats, small all-over motifs, many blanks.
- Charting
- ■ = punched = fine yarn only ("window"); □ = blank = both yarns.
- Limits and common problems
- Long floats destroy the lace effect. Edge needles knit thin if selected.
- Combines with
- double-bed thread lace (needs ribber).
Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.