This image shows four blocked individual small garter stitch motifs sewn together to make a design of concentric squares.
Left: A completed afghan made from the larger stocking stitch squares. Picture courtesy Adrienne Jones
I had to post this version of the afghan squares too as I love the way the garter st rows follow the stripes around the corners. And they don’t curl up either 8*)
The directions for the large square may look a little odd but I wanted to make the garter st versions match the stocking st versions so you can interchange them in the same afghan.
Abbreviations
SSK = Slip, Slip, Knit. Slip next st from left hand needle to right hand needle knitways. Slip next st the same way. Return both sts to left hand needle in their new twisted positions and k2tog.
Pattern
Small Square: Work stripes over 6 rows
Cast on 48 sts
1st row: K22, (K2tog) twice, K22
2nd and every alt row: K
3rd row: K21, (K2tog) twice, K21
5th row: K20, (K2tog) twice, K20
Cont dec in this manner on every RS row until 2 sts rem.
Slip 1, K1, PSSO Fasten off.
Large Square: Work stripes over 9 rows
Using long double pointed needles (or one circular needle) cast on 72sts
1st row: K34, (K2tog) twice, K34
2nd and every alt row: K
3rd row: K33, (K2tog) twice, K33
5th row: K32, (K2tog) twice, K32
7th row: K31, (K2tog) twice, K31
9th row: K30, (K2tog) twice, K30 do not turn
10th row: With RS facing join the 2nd colour at the beg of the row and K the row.
11th row: (WS) K29, (K2tog) twice, K29
13th row: K28, (K2tog) twice, K28
Cont dec in this manner, remembering to begin each stripe on a RS row (as above) Your first colour will have the dec rows on the RS of the work and the 2nd colour will have the dec rows on the WS.
Copyright © Sarah Bradberry December 1995. This pattern may not be sold, nor may the finished product be sold without prior permission of the author. Images copyright Sarah Bradberry and Adrienne Jones 1999 respectively.
Sarah (or anyone else!), I made the squares for your psychedelic squares afghan. Now it’s time to sew them together and it’s driving me crazy that the stitches show. I have searched the internet for invisible stitches and came up with two, neither of which is quite “invisible”. Yours looks absolutely beautiful and I’d love to know how you stitched it together so perfectly. Also, did you block your squares before you sewed them together?
Hi Jan,
I used an edge to edge mattress stitch to sew them together in my sample square (I didn’t make the full size blanket). Instead of sewing a whole stitch in from the edge, I worked only half a stitch in to reduce the bulk along the seam. Yes, I did block the squares before sewing them together.