KNITTING WITH COLOR

MITERED SQUARES

(also known as Modular Knitting, or Domino Knitting)            

Now the REAL fun begins!!!

Modular knitting has a few simple “rules” and then “the sky’s the limit”!!!
You can knit squares, rectangles, and other geometric shapes (motifs) and then sew them together, crochet them together, or pick up stitches along the sides of your shapes and add more motifs as you go along!
The color possibilities are endless!  You will see that they look really ‘cool’ in variegated yarns!
For this swatch you will make a few squares and learn how to join them on one side, or two sides. You can use a “main color” and as many contrasting colors as you want.

 

A MITERED HEXAGON!!

Here are a few of the basic “rules”:

• Geometric motifs can be made in stockinette stitch, but most of the time they are done in garter stitch because garter stitch is more equal -- as far as the number of rows being equal in size as the same number of stitches.
• Mitered motifs can be square, rectangle, or triangle.
• You always decrease 2 stitches at the center of your motif:
  • If your motif has an odd number of stitches, you will do a double decrease in the center.
  • If your motif has an even number of stitches, you will do two regular decreases at the center. 

• For the two decreases you can work a right slant, then left slant, or vice versa – you can even work just two “knit 2 tog.”s – it doesn’t seem to show, either way, in the garter stitch.
• You always decrease on a right side row, and you always change color on a right side row.
• You knit straight across on a wrong side row.
• The square motif forms from one diagonal corner of the square to the other then, when it is turned a bit, it is a square!
• Motifs are made with so few stitches they can be knitted using double-point needles (with a stopper on one end).
• When casting on stitches use the ‘knitted cast on” technique.
• You can slip the first stitch on each row to make picking up stitches easier.

FIRST SQUARE

For your first square you will need to cast on 20 stitches.  Use only your main color for this entire square.  Work one row if a wrong side row is facing you. You want to be on the right side and mark it as the right side, so that you know when to decrease and when to change color.

(Instead of putting a marker on, you can just remember what side your “tail” is on when you are beginning a right side row).
Row 1:  (right side) K 8, dec., dec., K8. Turn.
Row 2:  (wrong side – an all even numbered rows) Knit across – garter stitch.
Row 3:  (right side) K 7, dec., dec., K7. Turn.
Row 4:  (wrong side) Knit across.
Row 5:  (right side) K 6, dec., dec., K6. Turn.
Row 6: (wrong side) Knit across.

NOTE:  If you ever forget what row you are on, count all of your stitches and subtract 4 (your decrease stitches) then divide the remaining number by 2 to know how many stitches to work across before decreasing!

Continue in this manner until you have 4 stitches left ending with a wrong side row (knit four).

Next row: (right side) Decrease twice. Turn.  Last row:  Dec. the last 2 sts. together. Do not end off.

SECOND SQUARE

For the next square, use the left-over loop from the previous
square and turn along the left side of the motif with the right side
facing you. 

Pick up and knit 10 stitches (you now have 11).  

Cast on 11 stitches more.  You can use a regular “half-hitch”
cast-on or a “knitted” cast on. - 22 sts.  Turn.
(Wrong side): Decrease. Knit across decreasing one stitch at the
end of the row also.  – 20 sts. Turn.
Not all mitered square methods have you pick up 2 extra stitches  
decreasing them on the first wrong side row.  This is an
optional technique and one that we will use in this class.
Next row: (right side) K 8, dec., dec., K8. Turn.
Next row: (wrong side) Knit across.
Continue as for square 1, working 2 more rows in main color,
then 2 to 4 rows in a contrasting color, then 2 to 4 more rows in
the main color again.
Be creative, but ALWAYS CHANGE COLORS ON A RIGHT
SIDE ROW and twist your colors up the side of your motif like when you are knitting stripes.

You will end off the second square for our four-square swatch, but if you were to go on and knit more squares onto this strip, you would save your last stitch and add more squares just like square 2!

Square 2 in progress (above) and finished (righte).

THIRD SQUARE

For your third square you will be making a motif along
the right side of the first square you made.
Cast on 11 stitches with main color.  Pick up 11 more stitches
along the right edge of square one. (22 sts)
Next row: (wrong side) Dec., knit across to last 2 stitches, dec. (20 stitches). Turn.
Next row: (right side)  K 8, dec., dec., K8. Turn.
Next row: (wrong side) Knit across.
Finish just as you did square one.  Change colors as desired.

Do not end off.                                             

Third square finished!

FOURTH SQUARE

Keep the last stitch of square three on your needle and pick up 10 stitches along the left side of your third square.

Now turn the corner and pick up 11 stitches along the right side of your second square. – 22 sts. Turn.

Next row: (wrong side) Dec., knit across to last 2 stitches, dec.

(20 stitches). Turn.

Next row: (right side) K 8, dec., dec., K8. Turn.

Next row: (wrong side) Knit across.

Finish just as you did square one.  Change colors as desired.

You now have a four-square swatch!

Picking up stitches for the fourth square.

Fourth square in progress........and finished (righte)!

IN CONCLUSION ( BUT ONLY THE BEGINNING!!!!)

You can make long strips of square motifs and join more to the sides to make a diagonal fabric.
You can fill some of the corners with triangle motifs.

The possibilities are endless!

Use graph paper to plan your fabric and decide color and motif placement.  Make a few motifs to measure for gauge so that you will know how many motifs long and wide you want your fabric. Make potholders, hats, blankets, vests, and sweaters! 

Have fun!

Grannie Linda

Variegated yarns!

Planet Shoup
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