We had an amazing hour with Natalie Warner in April, and the conversation really made me think about testing techniques before starting a new pattern. One of the relatively new knitters I know is interested in a ‘join as you go mitred’ garter stitch square blanket. This is me trying the techniques of joining the squares in miniature, so that I can demonstrate the technique. By only using 20 stitches for each square, they knit quickly AND practice the techniques used.
This feels like a great way to explain why a ‘tension’ square is about so much more than tension. Do you like the stitches? Does the pattern work for the type of knitting you want to do?, How does the fabric feel?, How is the tension looking? Do you like the colour?
Looking at the 4 squares I knitted, I can tell that the purple bottom right is the first square, and as I got more confident with the pattern and joins as I went.
Joining the squares involves 3 different techniques.
Pink square: picking up 10 stitches along one edge of a purple square, pm, and cast on 10 stitches and then follow the pattern
Light grey square: cast on 10 stitches, pm, and pick up 10 stitches along one edge of a purple square, and then follow the pattern,
Dark Grey square: picking up 10 stitches along one edge of a light grey square, pm pick up 10 stitches along one edge of a pink square and then follow the pattern,
If you want to expand this to create a blanket, the squares can be knitted with any even number of stitches cast on. By weighing your first square, you can work out how much yarn you’ll need – it feels like a stash buster!
I’m planning on tackling one new small scale sample a month – let me know if you’d like to join in.
Liz