Have you tried knitting up yesterday’s lace swatch in Red Heart Super Saver Chunky? Check it out! The swatch would make a lovely cushion cover!
Today, I get to play with Red Heart Super Saver Ombre. I’ve always been prone to gradient yarns. With the advent of long color repeat gradients, I was never so happy. Having a gradient repeat every 2 or 3 yards is one thing, but having it gradually change over a much longer distance is just exhilarating for me.
I am so excited to design something with this gradual ombre yarn.
I’ve been playing around with brioche knitting lately, but the name of that technique itself seems to make so many knitters tremble with misgivings. So I thought I’d take the premise of brioche (using extra horizontal strands within knit stitches) and simplify it to create a different striking texture. I call this the bundle stitch…but it does really look like butterflies, too, if you let your imagination take you there.
Create exciting texture with the bundle stitch.
abbreviations
Sl = slip
K = knit
P = purl
Wyb = With yarn in back
Bundle st = with tip of right-hand needle lift 3 horizontal strands from lowest to top onto needle, knit next st on left-hand needle trapping the strands in the stitch.
This pattern uses a multiple of 9 stitches, plus 6 for symmetry and edge stitches.
This square measured 14″ x 14″, and it’s knit with 51 stitches, but you can make a baby blanket simply by adding a multiple of 9 sts and repeating the motif.
instructions
Cast on 51 sts.
Rows 1-3: Slip first st purlwise with yarn in back, knit across.
Row 4 (WS): Wyb sl1, [k4, p5] 5 times, k5—51 sts.
Row 5: Wyb sl 1, knit across.
Row 6: Wyb sl 1, k4, [p5, k4, wyb sl 5 purlwise, without tightening yarn across back, k4] twice, p5, k5.
Rows 7–10: Rep rows 5 & 6.
Row 11: Wyb sl 1, k15, bundle st, k17, bundle st, knit across.
Row 12: Wyb sl 1, k4, [wyb sl 5 purlwise, without tightening, k4, p5, k4] twice, wyb sl 5 purlwise, k4.
Row 13: Wyb sl 1, knit across.
Rows 14 & 15: Rep Rows 12 & 13.
Row 16: Rep Row 12.
Row 17: Wyb sl 1, k6, bundle st, [k17, bundle st] twice, k7.
Rep rows 6-17 until piece is approximately square, ending with either a Row 11 or Row 17.
Next Row: Rep Row 4.
Next 2 Rows: Wyb sl 1, knit across.
Bind off: *P2tog, sl st back to left-hand needle; rep from * across.
The gradual transition between ombre shades is visible from a butterfly’s eye view!
I hope you enjoyed all the diverse knit stitch patterns offered here all week using the variety of Red Heart Super Saver yarns. Please share your bundle stitch projects with us as soon as you knit them!
This is part 5 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 4: Twisted stitches and lace knit in Super Saver Chunky
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