Seashore Skirt Knitting Tutorial: Learn to Knit a Lace Skirt from Start to Finish

There is something undeniably magical about a hand-knitted lace skirt. The way the yarn moves and breathes, the delicate openwork panels that catch the light, the satisfaction of wearing something you built stitch by stitch — it is a project that rewards patience and curiosity in equal measure. The Seashore Skirt is designed to capture exactly that spirit. Inspired by the rhythm of ocean waves and the airy texture of sea foam, this lace skirt is a wearable piece of art you can knit at any skill level with a bit of guidance.

This tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know: the materials, the gauge, the cast-on, the lace pattern repeats, shaping techniques, and finishing touches. Whether you are knitting your very first lace project or adding another handmade garment to your wardrobe, this step-by-step guide will take you from a skein of yarn to a finished skirt you will reach for all spring and summer long.

What Makes This Skirt Special

Before we pick up the needles, it helps to understand what makes the Seashore Skirt worth your time. Unlike heavier knitted skirts that can feel bulky or stiff, this design uses a lightweight yarn and an open lace structure that creates movement and drape. The body of the skirt is worked in the round from the waist down, so there are no seams to sew and the fabric grows in one continuous spiral that is deeply satisfying to knit.

The lace pattern itself is a modified wave and eyelet repeat — a sequence of yarn-overs and decreases that creates a rippled, wavelike texture reminiscent of the shoreline. The pattern is six rows tall and repeats horizontally across the fabric, so once you have memorized the sequence, the knitting takes on a meditative, rhythmic quality.

The skirt features a simple rolled or folded waistband threaded with elastic or a drawstring, a gently flared A-line silhouette created through periodic increase rounds, and a delicate picot bind-off at the hem that mimics the scalloped edge of a seashell.

Materials You Will Need

Choosing the right materials makes a significant difference in how your finished skirt looks and feels. Here is what this project calls for.

Yarn: You will need approximately 800 to 1,200 yards of a fingering-weight or sport-weight yarn, depending on your gauge and the desired length of the skirt. A yarn with a silk or bamboo blend will give you beautiful drape, but a superwash merino fingering weight also works wonderfully and is more widely available. Look for something with a smooth twist that will show off the lace structure clearly. Avoid fuzzy or halo yarns for your first lace project, as the haze can obscure the openwork pattern. Colors that evoke the seaside — seafoam, soft coral, sandy ivory, or deep navy — all translate beautifully in lace.

Needles: US size 3 (3.25 mm) circular needles, 32 or 40 inches in length. The long cable is essential for working comfortably in the round with a large number of stitches. You may also want a set of US size 2 (2.75 mm) needles for the waistband if you prefer a slightly tighter, more structured edge there.

Notions: You will need a set of stitch markers — at least eight, plus one in a contrasting color for the beginning of round marker. A tapestry needle is essential for weaving in ends. A small amount of smooth waste yarn or a spare circular needle will serve as a stitch holder during waistband finishing. You will also need roughly one yard of elastic, either half-inch or three-quarter-inch width, or a length of coordinating ribbon or cord for a drawstring finish. A row counter, whether a physical clicker or a phone app, is genuinely helpful when tracking lace pattern rows.

Gauge and Sizing

Getting gauge right on a garment like this is important, particularly around the waist measurement, which determines fit. Before you begin the skirt body, knit a swatch of at least four inches by four inches in the lace pattern, block it under damp towels or with a wet blocking method, and measure carefully once dry.

The target gauge for this pattern is 28 stitches and 38 rows per four inches in the lace pattern after blocking. Lace opens up significantly when blocked, so always swatch and block before measuring.

The pattern is written in four sizes. A finished waist measurement of 28 to 30 inches (small), 32 to 34 inches (medium), 36 to 38 inches (large), and 40 to 42 inches (extra-large). The skirt length from waistband to hem is approximately 22 inches in all sizes, though you can easily adjust this by adding or subtracting lace pattern repeats before beginning the hem section.

If your gauge is slightly off, you can adjust needle size rather than stitch count, going up a needle size if your fabric is too tight and down a size if it is too loose. Lace is forgiving in many ways, but skipping the swatch almost always leads to regret on a garment project.

Abbreviations and Pattern Notes

Throughout this tutorial, the following abbreviations will be used. CO: cast on. K: knit. P: purl. YO: yarn over. K2tog: knit two together (a right-leaning decrease). SSK: slip, slip, knit (a left-leaning decrease). PM: place marker. SM: slip marker. RM: remove marker. BOR: beginning of round. M1R: make one right. M1L: make one left. Rep: repeat.

A note on the lace pattern: the wave lace repeat used in this skirt is a multiple of 12 stitches. Your cast-on number must be a multiple of 12 for the pattern to work out correctly. The pattern is designed so that every RS (right-side, or odd-numbered) row is a pattern row and every WS (wrong-side, or even-numbered) row is a rest row — but because we are working in the round, every round is a right-side round. This means you will work the pattern row on every round, which is one of the reasons knitting lace in the round is so enjoyable.

The Cast-On

A stretchy cast-on is essential for the waistband. For this skirt, we recommend the long-tail cast-on worked with two strands held together, then separated, which gives beautiful elasticity. Alternatively, a twisted German cast-on (also called the old Norwegian cast-on) works beautifully for a waistband.

For size small: CO 192 stitches.
For size medium: CO 216 stitches.
For size large: CO 240 stitches.
For size extra-large: CO 264 stitches.

Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your cast-on. Place a contrasting stitch marker for the beginning of round.

The Waistband

Rounds 1 through 3: Knit every stitch.
Round 4: Purl every stitch (this creates the fold line for a turned waistband).
Rounds 5 through 7: Knit every stitch.

At this point, you have a small rolled cuff. Later, when finishing, you will fold this along the purl round and sew it down to create a casing for the elastic or drawstring. Set this section aside mentally and continue into the skirt body.

Placing Pattern Markers

Before beginning the lace pattern, divide your stitches into equal sections by placing stitch markers every 24 stitches (two full lace repeats per section). This helps you track your progress and catch mistakes early, because if you reach a marker and your stitch count within a section is off, you know immediately where to look for an error.

For size small you will have 8 sections of 24 stitches each. For medium, 9 sections of 24. For large, 10 sections of 24. For extra-large, 11 sections of 24.

The Wave Lace Pattern

The heart of the Seashore Skirt is a 12-stitch, 6-round wave lace repeat. Work it as follows, slipping markers as you encounter them throughout each round.

Round 1: K1, YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K2, YO; rep from to end.
Round 2: Knit all stitches.
Round 3: K2, YO, K1, SSK, K2tog, K1, YO, K2, YO, K1; rep from to end.
Round 4: Knit all stitches.
Round 5: K3, YO, SSK, K2tog, YO, K3, YO, K2; rep from to end.
Round 6: Knit all stitches.

This six-round sequence is your lace repeat. Work it continuously, round after round, and you will see the wave pattern emerge beautifully within the first two or three repeats. The yarn-overs create the eyelets — the small decorative holes — while the decreases on either side of them keep the stitch count consistent within each 12-stitch section.

Work the wave lace pattern for 12 full repeats (72 rounds total) before moving to the increase section. This brings you to approximately 7.5 inches of lace fabric below the waistband.

Shaping the A-Line Silhouette

To create the gentle flare that gives this skirt its graceful, flowing shape, you will work increase rounds at regular intervals. Increases are placed at the section markers rather than within the lace repeat, so they integrate cleanly without disrupting the wave pattern.

Increase Round: Work lace pattern to 1 stitch before marker, M1R, K1, SM, K1, M1L; rep from to end of round.

This adds two stitches per section marker per increase round. For size small with 8 sections, each increase round adds 16 stitches total.

Work an increase round every 18 rounds, for a total of 4 increase rounds. After all increases are complete, you will have the following stitch counts:

Size small: 256 stitches. Size medium: 288 stitches. Size large: 320 stitches. Size extra-large: 352 stitches.

After each increase round, you will have slightly more stitches between your section markers. Simply extend the lace repeat across the additional stitches, treating any partial 12-stitch sections at the marker positions as plain knit stitches until you have accumulated enough to start a new full repeat. This is a natural part of working increases into a patterned fabric, and the few extra knit stitches near the seam lines actually add subtle structure.

Continue working the wave lace pattern with no further increases until the skirt measures approximately 18 inches from the cast-on edge, or your desired length minus about 4 inches for the hem section.

The Hem Section: Transitioning to the Border

The hem of the Seashore Skirt features a denser lace border inspired by seafoam and scalloped shells. This section is knitted over the final 3 to 4 inches of the skirt and uses a different lace sequence that fans outward slightly, increasing fullness and visual drama at the hem.

Work the following border pattern for 24 rounds (4 full repeats of a 6-round sequence):

Round 1: YO, K2, SSK, K4, K2tog, K2, YO, K2; rep from to end.
Round 2: Knit all stitches.
Round 3: K1, YO, K2, SSK, K2, K2tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K1; rep from to end.
Round 4: Knit all stitches.
Round 5: K2, YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K2, YO, K2; rep from to end.
Round 6: Knit all stitches.

This border deepens the wave and adds a slight flare that makes the hem swing beautifully when you walk.

The Picot Bind-Off

The finishing touch that truly elevates this skirt is the picot bind-off, which creates a delicate, scalloped edge that mirrors the seashell motifs in the lace. It requires a bit more time than a standard bind-off, but the result is worth every stitch.

Work the picot bind-off as follows: Using a cable cast-on, CO 3 stitches onto the left needle. Bind off 5 stitches (the 3 new ones plus 2 from the skirt). Slip the remaining stitch on the right needle back to the left needle. Repeat from until all stitches have been bound off.

The little loops created by the cast-on-and-bind-off sequence form the picot points along the hem edge. When the skirt is blocked and laid flat, these points will stand out clearly, adding a refined, handmade detail that no machine-knitted garment can replicate.

Finishing the Waistband

Once your skirt body is complete and the bind-off is done, it is time to finish the waistband. Thread a tapestry needle with a length of matching yarn and fold the waistband along the purl ridge you knitted at the beginning. The raw cast-on edge should meet the back of the fabric just below the purl round. Sew it down with a whip stitch, leaving a one-inch gap at the beginning of round seam.

Before you close that gap entirely, thread your elastic through the casing using a safety pin to guide it. Try the skirt on and adjust the elastic to your comfort, overlapping the ends by about one inch and sewing them securely together with a needle and thread or a few hand stitches. Then close the gap in the waistband casing completely.

If you prefer a drawstring finish, substitute a length of ribbon, cord, or I-cord for the elastic, and leave two small eyelet gaps in the waistband casing on opposite sides to thread the drawstring through.

Blocking Your Finished Skirt

Blocking is not optional for a lace project. It is the step that transforms a slightly crumpled piece of knitting into a beautiful, open, draping fabric that shows off all your careful work.

Fill a basin with cool water and a small amount of wool wash or gentle dish soap. Submerge the skirt completely and gently press the air out, allowing it to soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not agitate or wring the fabric. Lift it out, supporting the full weight of the wet yarn, and gently press it between two dry towels to remove excess water.

Lay the skirt flat on a blocking mat or dry towels spread over a clean floor. Use blocking wires threaded through the hem eyelets to open up the picot edge, and pin the hem points out individually with rust-proof T-pins. Smooth the waistband and body of the skirt into shape. Allow it to dry completely before removing the pins — this usually takes 24 hours in a well-ventilated room.

The difference between a blocked and unblocked lace knit is truly remarkable. After blocking, the wave pattern will open up, the picot hem will lie flat and decorative, and the whole skirt will grow by an inch or two in both width and length as the yarn relaxes into its final form.

Tips for Success

A few practical notes that will make this project smoother from start to finish.

Work under good lighting. Lace knitting requires attention, and dim light makes it significantly harder to see your yarn-overs and count your stitches accurately.

Use lifelines generously. A lifeline is a thin, smooth thread (dental floss works perfectly) threaded through all live stitches at the end of a completed lace repeat. If you make a mistake a few rows later, you can rip back with confidence knowing you have a safe resting point. Thread a new lifeline every three to four repeats.

Count your stitches often. Check your stitch count at each section marker after every pattern round, especially while you are still learning the wave repeat. Catching an error one round back is far less frustrating than catching it ten rounds later.

Take your time with the bind-off. The picot bind-off can feel slow and fiddly, but working at a relaxed pace with a cup of tea beside you makes it genuinely enjoyable. Do not try to rush this step.

Caring for Your Seashore Skirt

Hand-knitted lace deserves thoughtful care.