Little Moons Lace Wrap. Photo © Purl Soho
Little Moons Lace Wrap, designed by Jake Canton for Purl Soho, is a free rectangular lace wrap knitting pattern featuring striking diagonal ridges and delicate crescent-shaped eyelets.
Although the finished lace looks intricate, the design is built around a repeating 10-row lace pattern using increases and decreases. The wrap is worked flat in one piece, making it an elegant project for knitters ready to explore lace knitting.
Little Moons Lace Wrap Pattern Details
- Designer: Jake Canton for Purl Soho
- Published: June 2019
- Craft: Knitting
- Category: Shawl / Wrap
- Pattern availability: Free on Purl Soho
- Shape: Rectangle
- Finished size: Approximately 18 × 78 inches (46 × 198 cm)
- Yarn weight: Fingering for the current Santolina version
- Current yarn requirement: Approximately 1,110 yards (1,015 m)
- Needles: US 6 (4 mm) straight or circular needles
- Gauge: 22 stitches × 34 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stitch pattern
- Construction: One piece, worked flat
- Lace repeat: 10 rows
- Instructions: Written and charted
- Language: English
A Beautiful Rectangular Lace Wrap
Little Moons is a long rectangular wrap with an airy lace fabric and strong diagonal movement.
Rows of small crescent-shaped openings appear between the diagonal ridges, creating the “little moons” that inspired the pattern's name. The result is delicate without losing the graphic structure of the stitch pattern.
Its simple rectangular shape also means the visual interest comes primarily from the lace rather than complicated garment construction.
A 10-Row Lace Repeat
The most important feature of this pattern is its 10-row lace repeat.
The flowing design is created through a sequence of basic increases, decreases and yarn overs. As the sequence repeats, the stitches form diagonal ridges separated by rows of lacy crescents.
This makes Little Moons a good example of how a relatively compact repeating sequence can produce a much more elaborate-looking finished fabric.
Written Instructions and a Lace Chart
Purl Soho provides the Little Moons stitch pattern in both written and charted formats.
If you prefer following lace line by line, you can use the written instructions. If you find it easier to visualize how the stitches move across the fabric, you can follow the chart instead.
Having both options is especially useful for knitters who are learning to read lace charts and want to compare the chart symbols with written directions.
Worked Flat in One Piece
Little Moons Lace Wrap is worked flat from one short end of the rectangle to the other.
There are no separate motifs to assemble and no garment pieces to seam together. You simply continue repeating the lace pattern until the wrap reaches the required length.
After the knitting is complete, the ends are woven in and the wrap is blocked to its finished dimensions.
Finished Size
The finished Little Moons Lace Wrap measures approximately 18 inches wide × 78 inches long (about 46 × 198 cm) after blocking.
This generous length gives you several styling options. It can be draped loosely over the shoulders as a wrap or worn more like a long, lightweight scarf.
The Current Santolina Version
Purl Soho revisited Little Moons in 2022 using Santolina, a fingering-weight yarn made from 70% organically grown cotton, 20% rayon from bamboo and 10% hemp.
The current Santolina sample requires approximately 1,110 yards (1,015 metres), or four skeins of the original Santolina put-up used for the project.
The plant-fiber blend creates a lightweight fabric with the drape and gentle sheen that work particularly well with this open lace design.
The Original Burnish Version
When Little Moons was first published in 2019, Purl Soho knitted the wrap in Burnish, a 100% rayon-from-bamboo yarn.
The original version used approximately 1,242 yards and the same US 6 (4 mm) needle size.
Purl Soho's later Santolina version gives knitters another useful reference for choosing a yarn with enough drape and stitch definition for the lace.
Choosing Yarn for Little Moons
The lace pattern benefits from a yarn that allows the diagonal ridges and crescent eyelets to remain clearly visible.
A smooth yarn with good stitch definition will generally show the pattern more clearly than a very fuzzy yarn.
Drape is also important for a long wrap. When substituting yarn, use the pattern gauge as your guide and consider how the finished fabric behaves after washing and blocking.
Needles and Gauge
The pattern calls for US 6 (4 mm) straight or circular knitting needles.
The specified gauge is: 22 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in the lace stitch pattern.
A circular needle can be convenient even though the wrap is worked flat, since the flexible cable can comfortably hold the width of the project.
Blocking Makes a Big Difference
Blocking is especially important for lace knitting.
Before blocking, the fabric may look narrower and the eyelets may not appear as open or defined as they do in the finished photographs. Blocking allows the lace to relax and helps reveal the repeating crescent shapes and diagonal lines.
Purl Soho's finished dimensions are measured after blocking, so keep this transformation in mind while you are knitting.
Skills Used in the Little Moons Lace Wrap
Useful techniques for this project include:
- Knitting and purling
- Working flat
- Yarn overs
- Knit-two-together decreases
- Purl-two-together decreases
- Lifted increases
- Purlwise increases
- Following a 10-row lace repeat
- Reading written lace instructions or a chart
- Blocking lace
Is Little Moons a Good First Lace Project?
The finished fabric may look complex, but the underlying structure is surprisingly approachable for a lace design.
Purl Soho describes the pattern as deceptively simple: the repeating design is created with increases and decreases over just ten rows.
You should still be comfortable keeping track of your row and stitch counts, particularly because increases, decreases and yarn overs need to remain correctly aligned for the pattern to develop.
Tips for Knitting the Lace Repeat
When working a repeating lace pattern, it can help to check your stitch count regularly rather than waiting until several rows later to discover a missed yarn over or decrease.
A row counter or simple written note can also help you keep track of where you are within the 10-row repeat.
If you are new to charted lace, Purl Soho also provides supporting tutorials alongside the original pattern.
An Elegant Three-Season Wrap
The open lace fabric and plant-fiber yarn used in the current version make Little Moons especially attractive as a lightweight accessory.
It can provide a little extra coverage without the bulk of a heavy winter shawl, making it suitable for transitional weather, cool summer evenings and special occasions.
The long rectangular shape also makes it easy to style in different ways depending on how much coverage you want.
Why Knit the Little Moons Lace Wrap?
Little Moons combines an uncomplicated rectangular construction with a lace pattern that looks much more intricate than its repeating structure suggests.
The combination of crescent eyelets, diagonal ridges, a 10-row repeat and generous 18 × 78-inch dimensions creates an elegant finished wrap while keeping the focus on the pleasure of knitting lace.
With both written and charted instructions available from the original designer, you can follow the format that works best for you.
Get the Free Little Moons Lace Wrap Pattern
The complete Little Moons Lace Wrap by Jake Canton for Purl Soho, including the written lace instructions and chart, is available free from Purl Soho.
Get the Free Little Moons Lace Wrap Knitting Pattern
Pattern availability was checked when this article was updated. Availability on external websites may change over time.
