Yesterday I showed you how Red Heart Pooling would turn out in a swatch knit up using the fleck stitch pattern. I used the fleck stitch and bunny ears decreases to manipulate the colors further.
Pre-dyed Red Heart Fair Isle yarn looks good when the number of stitches across the work and the tension are set just right for the pattern to knit up looking like a classic Fair Isle sweater yoke. But trying to achieve that exactness is not everyone’s cup of tea. I have more fun exploring how I can make the colors and textured stitches mingle, which is today’s topic!
A few well-placed shaping stitches and a combination of knits and purls, and you have a unique square motif that merges the Fair Isle stripes with textured diamonds.
The only thing I would do differently with this square would be to knit it with size US6 [4mm] needles instead of the US8 [5mm] I used. As you can see, the ‘twisted make one’ stitches are just a little too loose.
The flared diamonds are made with common decreases and a twisted make one increase.
How to knit the twisted make one increase.
- With yarn at back of work, bring over top of left-hand needle and back down between the needles.
- Slip the loop over to the right-hand needle.
Other abbreviations for this pattern include the following.
The abbreviations and stitch symbols used for the chart and text instructions.
While the pattern isn’t reversible, the diamonds are visible on either side.
The right-side of the Flared Diamonds block
Wrong side of the Flared Diamonds block
This pattern can be easily adapted to knit wider pieces. Simply add multiples of 44 stitches and work the first and last sets of 3 stitches the same for the edging as for the original block.
This chart is also available as a downloadable PDF that allows you to zoom in for a closer look.
If charts aren’t your thing, here are the text instructions.
Cast on 50 sts.
Row 1: P47, k3.
Row 2: S2 wyif, k1, p14, k16, p14, k3.
Row 3: S2 wyif, k1, TwM1, k12, p4, k2tog, k8, ssk, p4, k12, TwM1, k3.
Row 4: S2 wyif, k1, p2, [p10, k5] twice, p12, k3.
Row 5: S2 wyif, k1, TwM1, k10, p5, k2tog, k10, ssk, p5, k10, TwM1, k3.
Row 6: S2 wyif, k1, p10, k6, p4, TwM1, p7, k6, p10, k3.
Row 7: S2 wyif, k10, p6, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p1, k5, ssk, p6, k12.
Row 8: S2 wyif, k1, p8, k7, [p6, k2] twice, k5, p8, k3.
Row 9: S2 wyif, k8, p7, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p2, TwM1, k5, ssk, p7, k10.
Row 10: S2 wyif, [k1, p6, k8, p6, k3] twice.
Row 11: S2 wyif, k6, p8, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p4, TwM1, k5, ssk, p8, k8.
Row 12: S2 wyif, k1, p4, k9, [p6, k6] twice, k3, p4, k3.
Row 13: S2 wyif, k4, p9, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p6, TwM1, k5, ssk, p9, k6.
Row 14: S2 wyif, k1, p2, k2, [k8, p6] twice, k10, p2, k3.
Row 15: S2 wyif, k2, p10, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p8, TwM1, k5, ssk, p10, k4.
Row 16: S2 wyif, k2, [k10, p6] twice, k14.
Row 17: S2 wyif, k2, p10, TwM1, k5, ssk, p8, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p10, k4.
Row 18: S2 wyif, k1, p2, k2, [k8, p6] twice, k10, p2, k3.
Row 19: S2 wyif, k4, p9, TwM1, k5, ssk, p6, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p9, k6.
Row 20: S2 wyif, k1, p4, k9, [p6, k6] twice, k3, p4, k3.
Row 21: S2 wyif, k6, p8, TwM1, k5, ssk, p4, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p8, k8.
Row 22: S2 wyif, [k1, p6, k8, p6, k3] twice.
Row 23: S2 wyif, k8, p7, TwM1, k5, ssk, p2, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p7, k10.
Row 24: S2 wyif, k1, p8, k7, [p6, k2] twice, k5, p8, k3.
Row 25: S2 wyif, k10, p6, TwM1, k5, ssk, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p6, k12.
Row 26: S2 wyif, k1, [p10, k6, p2] twice, p8, k3.
Row 27: S2 wyif, TwM1, k12, p4, k2tog, k8, ssk, p4, k12, TwM1, k3.
Row 28: P2, k1, p2, [p10, k5] twice, p12, k3.
Row 29: S2 wyif, k1, TwM1, k10, p5, k2tog, k10, ssk, p5, k10, TwM1, k3.
Row 30: S2 wyif, k1, p10, k6, p4, TwM1, p7, k6, p10, k3.
Row 31: S2 wyif, k10, p6, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p1, k5, ssk, p6, k12.
Row 32: S2 wyif, k1, p8, k7, [p6, k2] twice, k5, p8, k3.
Row 33: S2 wyif, k8, p7, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p2, TwM1, k5, ssk, p7, k10.
Row 34: S2 wyif, [k1, p6, k8, p6, k3] twice.
Row 35: S2 wyif, k6, p8, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p4, TwM1, k5, ssk, p8, k8.
Row 36: S2 wyif, k1, p4, k9, [p6, k6] twice, k3, p4, k3.
Row 37: S2 wyif, k4, p9, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p6, TwM1, k5, ssk, p9, k6.
Row 38: S2 wyif, k1, p2, k2, [k8, p6] twice, k10, p2, k3.
Row 39: S2 wyif, k2, p10, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p8, TwM1, k5, ssk, p10, k4.
Row 40: S2 wyif, k2, [k10, p6] twice, k14.
Repeat Rows 17 – 40 as many times as you wish.
Row 41: S2 wyif, k2, p10, TwM1, k5, ssk, p8, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p10, k4.
Row 42: S2 wyif, k1, p2, k2, [k8, p6] twice, k10, p2, k3.
Row 43: S2 wyif, k4, p9, TwM1, k5, ssk, p6, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p9, k6.
Row 44: S2 wyif, k1, p4, k9, [p6, k6] twice, k3, p4, k3.
Row 45: S2 wyif, k6, p8, TwM1, k5, ssk, p4, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p8, k8.
Row 46: S2 wyif, [k1, p6, k8, p6, k3] twice.
Row 47: S2 wyif, k8, p7, TwM1, k5, ssk, p2, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p7, k10.
Row 48: S2 wyif, k1, p8, k7, [p6, k2] twice, k5, p8, k3.
Row 49: S2 wyif, k10, p6, TwM1, k5, ssk, k2tog, k5, TwM1, p6, k12.
Row 50: S2 wyif, k1, [p10, k6, p2] twice, p8, k3.
Row 51: S2 wyif, p45, k3.
Row 52: S2 wyif, k1, p44, k3.
This yarn looks amazing in any format, in the hand, wound into a cake, and knit into a subtly-textured stitch pattern.
I hope you’ll give this stitch pattern a try. I’d love to see one of the Red Heart Super Saver Fair Isle colorways used in a blanket. Join me tomorrow, for more knitting fun!
This is part 3 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 2: Fleck stitch knitted in Super Saver Pooling
Go to part 4: Twisted stitches and lace knit in Super Saver Chunky
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