When knitting squares for the knit-a-square project, I discovered the delights of the reverse mitered square.
A mitered garter stitch square with stripes, shown from the right side.
Gauge, yarn and needle size aren’t important. You start with just 3 stitches, increase every second row until the square is the size you want, and then cast off loosely.
Play around with variations, switching colours when the mood strikes.
Here is my basic recipe for a simple reverse mitered square knitted with stripes of colour in garter stitch.
Materials:
- small amounts of DK (8-ply) yarn, preferably wool, in 2 or more colours
- 4 mm knitting needles
- larger needles (if needed) for loose bind-off
- 1 stitch marker
- blunt needle for sewing in ends
You can use any combination of yarn and needles that results in a fabric you like. If your squares are for knit-a-square, wool yarns are best for warmth and fire retardant properties, but other yarns are okay too.
Instructions:
Cast on 3 st.
Row 1 (right side): K1, YO, place marker, K1, YO, K1.
Row 2 (wrong side): K1, K1 tbl, K1, slip marker, K1 tbl, K1.
Row 3: K to marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to end.
Row 4: K to 2 st before marker, K1 tbl, K1, slip marker, K1 tbl, K to end.
(These two rows make up 1 ridge in garter stitch.)
Repeat rows 3 and 4 about 15 times, or until you feel like it’s time to change colours.
Bring in a new colour on a right-side (odd-numbered) row.
(To change colours, I normally just drop the previous yarn and start working with the new yarn, leaving the ends long enough to for easy sewing in later. The changeover stitches are floppy as you work them, but you can neaten them up when you weave in the ends. Alternatively you can loosely knot the new yarn to the old, at the end of a row, then undo the knot before you weave in the ends.)
The reverse side of the mitered square shown above.
If you make the garter-stitch stripes no more than 4 rows (2 ridges) wide, save yourself some weaving-in time by carrying the colour not being used up the side of the work — no need to cut the yarn and re-join.
When the square measures 8 inches (20.5 cm) on a side, cast off.
(I use a larger needle size so that the cast-off edge stays stretchy and the square doesn’t distort. For a square knitted with 4 mm needles, I cast off with 5 mm needles.)
Sew in ends and block if desired. My sample square is not yet blocked.
Thank you, thank you!
I shall re-double my Knitting Olympic efforts tomorrow. I only managed to get a couple of hours worth of my mitred square blanket knitted today, before housework intruded.
Tomorrow will be worse – due to work (plus three hours total driving time).
But I am ever so hopeful that your “recipe” will be a lot faster than the pattern I have been using!
Thank you again,
Janey
For a faster square, you could try knitting with 2 strands of DK held together, and 6 mm or 6.5 mm needles. The blanket would be thicker and cushier, but would also eat yarn at a more rapid rate.
I am going at a hell-for-leather pace (at least for me) with your reverse mitred square pattern.
Thank you again.
Have a question however.
My square and the square pictured above look different at the “V”. My square has holes in it (on either side of the marker) whereas yours does not seem to.
Is that merely a trick of the photograph, or did you pull a piece of yarn very tightly when knitting the front and back of the stitch? Or did you use some other of yarn hole prevention trick?
Janey
janeyknitting (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca
(Change bracketed caps to symbols and lose the spaces.)
Are you knitting through the back of the loops on the yarn-overs, when you come to them on the wrong side? That’s what tightens them up a little bit and they don’t look so much like holes.