The Solomon's Knot takes the basic features of simple crochet stitches and elevates them to create a unique design that is under-used in crochet patterns today. The stitch is a versatile openwork stitch that can range from extra-lacy to slightly open depending upon the height of your stitches. A Stitch By Any Other Name Before we begin, it's important to know that "Solomon's Knot" is only one name for this stitch. The exact same stitch goes by many other names including: Crochet Love Knot Hail Stone (or Hailstone) Knot Stitch Lovers Knot True Lovers Knot In crochet patterns, the Solomon's Knot is most commonly abbreviated SK or LK (for Lovers Knot). Additional abbreviations are discussed at the end of this article. How to Crochet Solomon's Knot: The Basics Crochet designer Carolyn Calderon does a great job of describing what this knot is all about in her pattern for Summer of Love Shawl, where she writes, "A Love knot is made from two stitches: a long chain and a single crochet worked into the back bar of the chain". Here is the most common method of making the crochet Solomon's Knot: Step 1 Chain 2, then single crochet in first chain, so that you have one loop on your hook. Step 2 Use your crochet hook to draw the loop up to a taller height. Your crochet pattern should tell you how to tall to make the loop; the height usually ranges from .5" -2" [1.25 cm -5 cm]. Step 3 Yarn over and draw through the loop on the hook. Step 4 Hold your work up and take a close look at what you see there. You should see a loop that has two strands in the front, closest to you, and another solo strand in the back. Insert your hook underneath that solo strand in the back of the work. Yarn over and draw through the first loop on your hook. There will be two more loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through both of these remaining loops. Step 5 You have completed a single Solomon's Knot stitch.To create a row of them, you will repeat steps 2-4. For step two, you will take the last stitch that you created at the end of step 4 and draw it up to the correct height. Try to perfectly match the height of the previous Solomon's knot for a consistent look. How to Crochet Solomon's Knot: Pattern Rows Summer of Love Shawl free crochet pattern The instructions above explain how to make a single row of Solomon's Knot crochet stitches. But then what? Here are instructions for making additional rows: Step 1 Single crochet into the single crochet between the 3rd and 4th loops from the hook. (The single crochet is the "knot" portion of the stitch, located between the taller loops.) This will be the 4th sc from the hook, counting the sc closest to the hook as the first one, of course. Step 2 Crochet two Solomon's Knot stitches. (This is sometimes called a Double Solomon's Knot and may be abbreviated DSK or a Double Love Knot, abbreviated DLK). Skip two loops. Single crochet into the next single crochet. Step 3 Repeat Step 2 across row, ending with a sc in the final sc of the row. Step 4 Turn work to begin next row. Crochet three Solomon's Knot stitches. Step 5 Sc into the sc between the 4th and 5th loops from your hook. This includes the three loops that you created above in Step 4. Step 6 Repeat step 3. Step 7 Repeat Steps 4-6 to continue growing the rows of your pattern. The instructions here are the ones most commonly used for making rows of Solomon's Knot Stitches. However, there are also some variations, especially in vintage patterns. ESK vs. MSK and Other Stitch Abbreviations Love Knots and Leaves Wrap free crochet pattern The Solomon's Knot crochet stitch has a variety of different stitch abbreviations. As discussed previously, it is often abbreviated SK (for Solomon's Knot) or LK (for Lovers Knot). Sometimes there are variations, for example, occasionally a designer will use Smk for Solomon's Knot. Some crochet patterns will also use abbreviations for the use of 2 or 3 Solomon's Knot stitches in a row. (This was described briefly in Step 2 of the "Pattern Row" instructions above.) You can see an example of this in the Love Knots and Leaves Wrap free crochet pattern by Susan Badgley. She uses the following abbreviations, choosing to use the name "Love Knot" rather than "Solomon's Knot": Love Knot (Lk) Double Love Knot (dLk) Triple Love Knot (trLk)/p> Double Crochet 2 Love Knots Together (Lk/dctog) Some Solomon's Knot patterns will have two different abbreviations: ESK and MSK. They refer to "edge" and "main" Solomon's Knot pattern. The basics of the stitch are the same but the "edge" stitches are shorter than the "main" stitches, often ~ 2/3 of the height of the main stitches. Crochet patterns that use these two terms will typically tell you the exact height of each type of stitch. In fact, when crochet designers use the Solomon's Knot in their patterns today, they are aware that this vintage stitch isn't well known by many crocheters, and therefore they typically provide very detailed instructions within the pattern for making the stitch in the way that they intend for the design. Pay close attention to your patterns when working with this stitch!
