Ach, Argyle
By Knit-O-Rama Designs The arms of my sofa need some serious coverage. Inspired by the 2010 Block-aMonth group on Ravelry, I thought a couple of smart squares for antimacassars would fit the bill nicely. I matched my home decor with these colors, but clan colors (just in time for Tartan Day) or a
favorite sports team's colors would be a lot of fun, too. Could Mom or Dad use a pair of these for the favorite armchair?
Finished Size
9 inches square.\* Can easily be made larger by adding stitches equally above, below, and to the left and right of the argyle motif. Be sure to maintain the square shape by adding more rows than stitches according to your gauge ratio. Gauge 4.5 stitches and 6 rows to an inch.
Materials
Yarn: Aran weight, approximately one third of a skein each of two colors, plus 20 yards or so of a third color. Sample shown in Caron Simply Soft (7 oz., 366 yds) in Country Blue, Sage, and Sunshine. Yardage estimates are very generous. Needles: Size US 6 or size needed to obtain gauge, size US 2 needle or size G crochet hook for casting on, and one size US 8 for binding off; tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Mad Skillz
Intarsia: This is a fun color technique, with many helpful guides on line or in books if you don't already know it. It's not really hard, but you do need to know the simple trick to achieve good results, and takes just a little practice to get the hang of it. I like knittinghelp.com's excellent video demonstration. I would only add that keeping the bobbins manageable is much easier when as little as is comfortable is drawn from them at a time. Cnainea cast on: I usea tnis metnoa pecause, as a stand-alone square, I wanted the cast-on edge to match the bound-off edge. If this square will be joined to any others (or you're just not that fussy) then it won't matter, and you can go ahead and use your preferred method. Duplicate stitch: If desired, the third color (in my case, yellow) can be duplicate stitched afterward. This method means you're only wrangling two colors while you work the square, but it does add some bulk to the yellow stitches. My chart assumes you're intarsia-ing (you're welcome) along as you go.
Instructions
With size 2 needles and main color (blue in the chart), chain cast on 41 stitches. Change to size 6 needles and begin following chart with Row 1. Change colors where indicated, using intarsia technique. After last row of chart is worked, change right-hand needle to size 8 and bind off in purl to last 2 stitches. Purl last 2 stitches together, pass right-hand stitch over, cut yarn leaving enough of a tail for weaving in, and pullyarn through last remaining stitch. Weave in ends. Block. Enjoy!
