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The basic lace stitches are knit, purl, yarn over, knit 2 together and slip slip knit. Combinations of these stitches make up more than 90% of all lace knitting stitches.

- K: Knit
Step 1: Insert right needle through first stitch from left to right.
Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the right needle tip counter-clockwise.
Step 3: Pull through a loop.
Step 4: Slip the original stitch off the left hand needle.

- P: Purl
Step 1: Insert right needle through the front of the first stitch from right to left.
Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the right needle tip counter-clockwise. (If you were to look straight down at the tip of the needle, you would see that the yarn is wrapping counter-clockwise.)
Step 3: Keeping the yarn wrapped around the right needle tip, draw a loop through the stitch you first entered.
Step 4: Slip the original stitch off the left hand needle

- Yo: Yarn Over
Yarn Over is a way to increase stitch count. Rather than knitting or purling into another stitch, you simply wrap the yarn around your needle before working the next stitch in the pattern. This loop around the needle will make one more stitch to knit on the following row. But because it wasn’t worked into a stitch, it also makes a little gap or hole. When the knitting is blocked to open up the holes, all the yarn overs create the openwork in the lace knitting.

- K2tog: Knit two stitches together
Step 1: Insert your working needle into the front leg of the second stitch on your main needle, going knitwise, and through the first stitch. They should cross each other forming an “X” with the working needle on bottom
Step 2: With your non-dominant hand, pinch the main needle and working needle together to hold in place
Step 3: Wrap the working yarn over the working needle on bottom. Wrap by going under and around
Step 4: Pull the working yarn through with the working needle through both stitches on the main needle. Pull towards you
Step 5: Slip both stitches off the left needle.

- P2tog: Purl two stitches together
Step 1: Insert your working needle into the first two stitches on your main needle, purlwise.
Step 2: Wrap the working yarn over the working needle, going over the top and around the bottom.
Step 3: Push the working yarn through both stitches on the main needle.
Step 4: Pull both stitches off the left needle.

- SSK: Slip slip knit
Step 1: Slip the first stitch off the main needle onto your working needle.
Step 2: Slip the second stitch off the main needle onto your working needle.
Step 3: Insert your main needle knitwise into the two stitch that were slipped onto your working needle.
Step 4: Wrap your working yarn over your working needle (the needle on the bottom).
Step 5: Pull the yarn toward you through both stitches with your working needle.
Step 6: Slip both stitches off the left needle.

- SSP: Slip slip purl
Step 1: On the wrong side of your fabric, slip the first stitch of the decrease to the working needle knitwise.
Step 2: Slip the second stitch of the decrease to the working needle knitwise.
Step 3: Place both slipped stitches back onto the main needle.
Step 4: Purl both stitches together through the back loop.

- K2tog-tbl: Knit two stitches together through the back loop
Step 1: Insert your right needle into the back of the first two stitches on the left needle.
Step 2: Wrap the yarn around the needle as if to knit.
Step 3: Pull the loop through both stitches,
Step 4: slip both stitches off the left needle.

- K3tog: Knit three stitches together
Step 1: Insert your working needle into the front leg of the third stitch on your main needle, going knitwise, and through to the first stitch. They should cross each other forming an “X” with the working needle on bottom.
Step 2: Wrap the working yarn over the working needle on bottom and pull the working yarn through with the working needle through both stitches on the main needle. Pull towards you.
Step 3: Slip all the stitches off the left needle.

- S2KP:  Slip two, knit one, pass two over
Step 1: Slip two stitches together as if to knit,
Step 2: Knit the next stitch on the left needle,
Step 3: Pass the two slipped stitches over the stitch you just knit.
This results in a centered double decrease.

- SK2P: Slip one, knit two together, pass one over
Step 1: Slip one stitch as if to knit.
Step 2: Insert right needle through 2 stitches at once from left to right and complete knit stitch as usual.
Step 3: Pass your slipped stitch over the single stitch left after knitting the two stitches together.
This creates a left-slanting double decrease, decreasing from three stitches to one stitch.

- SSKPO
Step 1: Slip the 2 stitches on at a time as if to knit to the right needle.
Step 2: Purl them together through the back loops.
Step 3: Place the stitch back on the left-hand needle.
Step 4: Lift the second stitch on the left-hand needle over the ssk loop,
Step 5: Return the ssk loop to the right-hand needle.