This pattern is inspired by a classic paper lamp/paper lantern. I had to try to make one for my house, and I was so happy with the result that I decided to write down the pattern. The lamp is made with a cross stitch pattern, and it has standard techniques for decreasing and increasing. There is an opening at the bottom, and an opening at the top to place the bulb. It is VERY important that you use an LED bulb when using this. LED bulbs do not produce much heat and are safe to use in a lamp like this. When the knitting is done, it is stiffened with the help of a balloon and sugar syrup or another form of starch. The lamp can be placed as a table lamp with a foot suited for that, or as a hanging lamp as my prototype.

The lamp is knitted from the bottom up, and you have to followed the chart all the way. The structure consists of a cross pattern to create the same effect as on a paper lamp/paper lantern. It is knitted with one strand of fingering weight merino and one strand of mohair to create a halo in the fabric. If you choose to change to a different yarn I recommend choosing a yarn with a little fluff to create this halo in the lamp. The gauge is relatively loose, and you can use other yarn types and tensions. If you change to a thicker yarn, it will be larger, if you change to a thinner yarn, it will be smaller. Once again - use a bulb that does not produce a lot of heat when you are using this. LED bulbs are the best choice for this lamp.

Difficulty - this has only a few techniques but is knitted on magic loop and you have to follow a chart. If you are used to follow a chart it’s easy, if you are new to following a chart it is a bit more difficult.

Techniques used in the pattern

Long tail cast on
Regular bind off
Cross structure left and right
Increase left and right
Decrease left and right

Very important pattern information - this pattern is not written by a big business or a professional writer. It is written with my own words driven by a passion for knitting, crafting and writing. If you have any questions, please just ask. I check my messages and emails several times every week.

I have tested one glue solution for stiffening it, and sugar syrup. The result with the syrup became the best solution. It will not be perfectly round, but more like a chunky egg. If you can find a rounder balloon it might become a bit rounder than the one in the picture.

The pattern has been tested by two knitting friends and corrected after testing. It originally was made without the opening at the top, but it became very tight to place on a bulb, so I changed the final pattern to have an opening at the top instead of a very loose bind off that can be tightened.

This is all the information I can share here. I hope you like the design and will make your own knitted paper lamp.

Happy knitting!