How to: Lotus Stitch

     The Lotus stitch is a really easy pattern to memorize and is absolutely beautiful! It is also ridiculously hard to make with wooden knitting needles, so I would recommend you use metal.

     To make this, you will need to know:
How to Purl
P5togm5- purl five stitches together and make five
P3togm3- purl three stitches together and make three

    If you already know how to make all of those stitches, scroll to the pattern. If you don't, I will explain the bottom two.

p5togm5:
     Knit up to the point that you wish to p5togm5. With your yarn in front, insert your right-hand needle purlwise into five stitches on your left-hand needle.

     Now you understand why I said this was hard! Yarn over and pull it through all five stitches.

     (1) Yarn over, and insert your needle back through all five stitches.

     (2) Yarn over again and pull it through the five stitches.

     Repeat (1) and (2) one more time and pull the five stitches off of your left-hand needle. You will have 5 stitches on your right-hand needle!

p3togm3:

     With your yarn in front, insert your right-hand needle into three stitches on your left-hand needle.

     Yarn over, and pull the yarn through all three stitches.

     Yarn over, and insert your needle into the three stitches again.

     Yarn over one last time and pull up a loop. Now pull the three stitches off of your left-hand needle. You will have three stitches on your right-hand needle.

Lotus Flower Pattern:

     Cast on a number divisible by six (plus one).

Row 1: Purl all stitches

Row 2: p1, *p5togm5, p1; rep. from * to end of row

Row 3: Purl all stitches

Row 4: p3togm3, p1, * p5togm5, p1; rep. from * to last three stitches, p3togm3

     Repeat these four rows until your project has reached your desired length.

     The front of your work will look like this;

     and the back will look like this!