Queen of the Night

Queen of the Night Lace Wrap by Amy van de Laar

What is Being Made

Queen of the Night is a dramatic lace wrap featuring a sophisticated beaded design that transforms a knitted textile into a wearable star chart. The centerpiece of this advanced knitting project is a beaded star-chart mapping the zodiac and neighbouring constellations across the wrap's central panel. The design combines functional fashion with celestial artistry, creating a statement piece that celebrates the night sky through fiber and beadwork.

Design and Beadwork Details

The wrap showcases an intricate beading system where two sizes of silver beads represent the brightest stars visible in the night sky, while dark blue beads map out the lines connecting constellations, making the star patterns easy to recognize and follow. This beaded star-chart is complemented by a diamond mesh lace pattern that appears in the borders and ends of the wrap, creating a cohesive design that balances the detailed central motif with elegant surrounding lacework.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This project employs advanced lace knitting techniques suitable for experienced knitters. The pattern utilizes charted lace construction, allowing knitters to follow the design visually through a grid-based chart system. The diamond mesh lace pattern creates an open, airy fabric characteristic of lace-weight projects. To streamline the beading process, the pattern recommends using stitch markers corresponding to the chart's grid-lines, which helps with accurate bead placement throughout the knitting process.

For adding beads during knitting, Amy van de Laar recommends the crochet hook method, a popular technique where a small crochet hook is used to pick up beads and place them onto stitches as you knit. This method provides precision and control when working with the 80 size 6 and 150 size 8 silver seed beads, as well as the 950 size 8 dark blue beads required for the constellation mapping.

Materials and Specifications

• Yarn: Approximately 1,200 yards of lace-weight yarn. The designer used 1,180 yards of Skeinz Laceweight Merino in 'Indigo' (1,093 yards per 100g skein)
• Needles: 2.75mm needles, or the size that produces optimal fabric with your chosen yarn
• Beads: 80 size 6 clear silver-lined seed beads, 150 size 8 clear silver-lined seed beads, and 950 size 8 dark blue seed beads
• Additional Notions: Stitch markers for grid-line placement

Skill Level

Queen of the Night is classified as an advanced knitting project, appropriate for experienced knitters comfortable with charted lace patterns, bead placement techniques, and managing complex stitch sequences. The combination of fine lace-weight yarn, detailed chart reading, and precision beadwork makes this a challenging but rewarding project for skilled crafters.

Project Format

This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, providing knitters with a fully charted design that can be printed or viewed digitally while working on the wrap.