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Welcome to the World of Japanese Knitting

The world of Japanese hand knitting draws more and more Western knitters every day, with good reason. Japanese designs are innovative and elegant, filled with fine stitch work and beautiful detail—a feast for any knitter. And yes, Japanese knitting can be challenging. As with any new method or technique, the differences take some getting used to. But you will find that the graphic format of Japanese patterns is quite accessible once you understand certain conventions. The results are extremely satisfying and well worth the effort. In time, this style of needle work will become second nature.

The gorgeous stitches in this book are the product of a single brain. Like so many who find their niche in unexpected places, Hitomi Shida didn’t set out to become a knitting designer, but during a period of recovery from illness she was introduced to machine knitting, and eventually qualified as an instructor. She later turned her attention to hand knitting. In 1990 she participated in a group show, which was her debut as a designer. She began taking on work for magazines and yarn companies, and published her first book of garment patterns in 1996. The next year, Shida began creating an annual Couture Knitting collection of fall and winter women’s garments. She added a spring/summer edition in 2009, as well as ongoing work for magazines and yarn companies. . She’s now one of Japan’s best-known and most respected hand knitting designers, and her work defines “Japanese knitting” for many knitters.

This lovely volume is her second collection of hand knitting stitch patterns, and the first to be made available in English. In this book, Shida offers insight into how stitches can be modified and varied to create new patterns. Every knitter is sure to find a new world of inspiration in these pages.

An abridged list of Hitomi Shida’s publications includes:

私のナチュラルニット (My Natural Knits) 978-4277112857, August 1997

春夏のクチュール・ニット―おしゃれに着こなす (Spring and Summer Couture Knits: Dressing Well Stylishly) 978-4529028820, March 1997 [Volumes 2-10 of the Couture Knits series were published between September 1997 and August 2005]

クチュール・ニット 模様編み250 (Couture Knitting Patterns 250) 978-4529041768, November 2005

Volumes 11-13 of the Couture Knits series were published between August 2006 and August 2008.

クチュール・ニット春夏―涼やかな大人のニット (Couture Knits Spring and Summer: Cool Adult Knits) 978-4529046831, February 2009

Volumes 2-7 of the Couture Knits Spring and Summer series were published in annually in February between 2010 and 2015.

Volumes 14-20 of the Couture Knits series were published between August 2009 and August 2015.

The book you hold in your hands was published in November 2015 as 棒針の模様編み集260 (Couture Knits: Hand Knitting Pattern Collection 260) 978-4529055024.

About Japanese stitch pattern charts in general

The stitch patterns in this book are presented in the form of charts, using symbols to describe each stitch.

Unlike other stitch pattern charts you may have seen, Japanese charts do not provide a key for how to work the symbols. The symbols are standardized, and every Japanese publisher uses the same symbol set. A Japanese knitter is expected to know them. Complex or unusual stitch combinations may, however, be illustrated with drawings or photos; you’ll find some in this collection.

For knitters who aren’t familiar with Japanese stitch symbols, the guide to symbols (found on pp. 7-17) defines how to work each of the symbol/symbol combinations. It may also refer you to photos or illustrations for some of the more complex maneuvers.

The single most important thing to remember is this: the chart shows the right side of the work. It’s a visual representation of what your knitting will look like when it’s done. Each symbol describes what the stitch will look like on the right side, not necessarily what you execute. For example, to create a knit stitch on the right side, you purl on the reverse side.

If you’re knitting back and forth:

• On the right side, read the chart from right to left, in the same sequence that you work the stitches.

• On the reverse (or “wrong”) side, read the chart from left to right, and reverse the stitches, so that your stitches will show up correctly on the right side.

• Aside from knits and purls, not many stitches have to be worked on the wrong side. The guide to symbols describes how to work symbols on reverse side rows. If only one definition is given, that particular symbol is only done on right side rows.

If you’re knitting in the round:

Read every row from right to left. There’s no need to reverse stitches.

In most charts, you’ll see a lot of blank boxes. If so, the chart provides a key to tell you how to read the blank. You’ll usually find this key at the bottom. For instance:

tells you that a blank box is worked as a knit stitch.

tells you that a blank box is worked as a purl.

This convention keeps the chart cleaner and easier to read—your eye can focus on what you have to do, without a lot of visual “noise” from the background stitches. Compare stitch patterns 1 and 2, for instance. Pattern 1 has a reverse stockinette stitch background, while pattern 2 is stockinette-based.

Symbol definitions

In most cases, the guide to symbols explains one way to accomplish a stitch.

Experienced knitters may find that they know another way to achieve the same result.

One-over-one crossing stitches, for instance, can be done in several ways: with a cable needle, by switching the positions of the stitches, or by knitting the second stitch first. As long as you achieve the correct result (the top stitch slants in the correct direction), any method is fine.

For consistency, I’ve used the symbol definitions from Nihon Vogue, the original publisher, as found in Knitting Symbol Book (ISBN 978-4-529-05559-8).

The Guide to the Symbols is organized by type of stitch (such as cables) and number of stitches involved. Each symbol is cross-referenced to the stitch patterns in which it is used. The explanations that include photos or line drawings appeared in the original Japanese version of this book; the other explanations have been added.

About these charts in particular

• Notice that row numbers are shown on the right hand side, and stitch numbers at the bottom. The rightmost column and the bottommost row are not stitches, but holders for the numbers.

• Each chart provides the pattern repeat at the bottom. For instance, the repeat for pattern #1 is 30 stitches and 20 rows.

• The repeat doesn’t always begin in the lower right-hand corner. Row 1 of the pattern repeat isn’t necessarily the first row, and stitch 1 may not be the first stitch. In pattern #1, for instance, there are two setup rows before the stitch pattern begins.

• To use a stitch pattern in an overall fabric, repeat the numbered rows and stitches. The rows and stitches are numbered only as far as the pattern repeat, so it’s not hard to spot. Some charts show more than a single repeat, to make the charts similar in size and to fit on the page.

• An important clarification! Some stitch patterns, such as #40, don’t show balanced increases and decreases after the first repeat. This is not an error, but a feature of this chart format. Pay particular attention to the stitch and row repeat. In #40, the repeat is 12 stitches and 40 rows. At the right edge, you see a half-pattern (with a single decrease), but the chart continues as established, to maintain the uniformity of charts on a given page. You wouldn’t repeat the chart exactly as shown, because it includes an extra partial repeat. To make a design symmetrical, you’d do X repeats, then mirror-image the first half-pattern.

• In the charts for round yokes (patterns 174 to 187), you’ll see some stitch symbols in bold type. Bold symbols show “uncompensated” increases or decreases—meaning that a decrease, for instance, doesn’t have an increase next to it, and the stitch count changes. Bold symbols may also be elongated. In the chart for pattern 182, for instance, the symbols for k2tog and ssk have long “legs” to extend over the gaps created by decreases.

“Knot” stitches

Shida uses many “knot” stitches, as she terms them. A “knot” stitch creates something that looks like a wrap around a couple of stitches. The book includes two types:

• Lifted-over knot stitches like this one:

in which you lift stitch 3 over stitches 1 and 2 and off the needle, then k, yo, k the next 2 stitches. You can tell it’s a lifted-over knot because there’s a yo to make up for the lifted-over stitch.

• Wrapped knot stitches like this one:

in which you knit the stitches (4 in this case), place them on a DPN or cable needle, and wrap the working yarn counterclockwise around them, as many times as the small number indicates (2 in this case). You can tell it’s a wrapped knot because there’s a number to tell you how many wraps to make. Look carefully, because a few also have yarnovers, but they’re wrapped rather than lifted-over.

Other notations

Some symbols are explained in footnotes, line drawings or photo tutorials. Footnoted explanations appear below the charts. Line drawings and photo tutorials are referenced with a page number, which is also shown in the Guide to the Symbols. These may also include “abbreviated” symbols—simplified in the main chart, illustrated in more detail below (see pattern 119, for instance).

A heavy black dot usually indicates a bobble of some kind, so look for a footnote to tell you which type of bobble. Shida’s bobbles are mostly done with a crochet hook. Crocheted bobbles tend to be smoother and rounder than knitted bobbles, so you may want to give them a try.