May you live a long life,
Full of gladness and health;
With pockets full of gold,
As the least of your wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true;
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you.

-Irish Blessing

If this doesn’t call to the Irish in you, (at least in spirit, if not in blood, haha!) I don’t know what will.  Delicate swirls and twists that form little four-pointed clovers make up this month’s stitch, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.  If it looks rather complicated to manage, no worries, because it’s actually a fairly easy stitch to do!  The cables are done by simply twisting two peg’s stitches at a time as you work through the rows.  🙂

In this monthly column we’re going to be working on some exciting new stitch patterns, as well as a few new techniques thrown in for good measure.  My intention for our yarn play is to provide all the know-how for you to be able to work the new stitch; any charts, photos, or videos you may need; as well as a pattern to create an 8” x 8” square.  As we go along in our looming journey, we should be able to create lovely pieced afghans with our squares, as I like to know that we’re going somewhere while swatching, don’t you?  You can think of it as our Stitch Sample Afghan—a stitch dictionary right at your fingertips, keeping your legs warm, lol. 😉  To find all the previous stitches in this column, simply click here.

Clover Columns Square

Items Needed

Loom: Authentic Knitting Board Adjustable Hat Loom: 2 rounded pieces + 3 peg connectors, with pegs in all holes for a 3/8” gauge.  The Sock Loom 2 or the All-n-One Loom could also be used.

Yarn: approx. 75 yards Worsted Weight (Sample uses Berroco Vintage in kiwi)

Notions: Loom tool, yarn needle, scissors.  (Also helpful: cable needle, peg markers, row counter, and blocking pins)

Pattern Notes:

To work this pattern in the round, such as for a hat, use the Repeating Pattern Rows chart, and make sure to read it from right to left for each row, rather than alternating sides each time.  Also, cast onto your loom in a clockwise direction, using a number of pegs that is divisible by 13—the number of stitches required for each pattern repeat.

For flat pieces of a greater size, simply increase the number of Repeating Pattern Rows inside the garter stitch edges for the length and width required, then complete with the Finishing Rows.

When the pattern uses the term “knit” or “k”, please use the true knit stitch or the u-stitch, not the e-wrap.

*For ease in reading the pattern’s directions below, the steps  involving twists and eyelets are placed inside brackets [ ] to let you know that they are all accomplished on just two or three pegs.

The cables in this pattern involve simply trading the loops of 2 pegs in the correct order. They consist of a Right Twist [rt2] (a twist with the sts running to the right), and a Left Twist [lt2] (a twist with the sts running to the left).  They are worked as follows:

[rt2]:  Worked over 2 pegs: Lift the loop from the peg on the right and either hold in your fingers, or place on a cable needle.  Lift the loop on the left and move it to the peg on the right.  Place the held loop onto the peg on the left.  With the working yarn, knit the 2 pegs.

[lt2]:  Worked over 2 pegs: Lift the loop from the peg on the left and either hold in your fingers, or place on a cable needle.  Lift the loop on the right and move it to the peg on the left.  Place the held loop onto the peg on the right.  With the working yarn, knit the 2 pegs.

*An easy way to remember which direction to go is to remember to hold the stitch on the side of the slant.  So…for a right twist, hold the loop on the right.  For a left twist, hold the loop on the left.

There are two ways of creating eyelets for this pattern: the Knit 2 Together (k2tog) for a right leaning eyelet worked as a knit, and the Slip, Slip, Knit (ssk) for a left leaning eyelet worked as a knit.  For this pattern, they are each incorporated into a cable twist, as seen in Row 12. The following dictates how to work these stitches as you will find them in the stitch pattern:

[yo, k2tog, rt2]:  Work over 3 pegs from left to right: Before working the k2tog peg, work a [rt2] as detailed above, but do not knit yet.  Move the loop from the k2tog peg to the left peg of the [rt2].  Using the working yarn, e-wrap the empty k2tog peg.  Knit the 2 twist pegs, working the 2 loops as one.

[lt2, ssk, yo]: Work over 3 pegs from left to right: Work a [lt2] as detailed above, but do not knit yet.  Move the loop from the ssk peg to the right peg of the [lt2].  Using the working yarn, knit the 2 twist pegs, working the 2 loops as one.  E-wrap the empty ssk peg.

Repeating Pattern Rows

Here is the entire pattern chart for the 8” x 8” square:

Everything you need to know about knitting your square is included in the above chart.  Believe it or not, you can actually create your square without looking at another thing!  For help with reading charts, please see the Stitchology I post for a detailed explanation, and you’ll be ready to go!

But, don’t worry…I am also providing you with the step by step instructions below. 😉

Step by Step Instructions:

*Note: if you tend to be a loose knitter, you might wish to eliminate Rows 1 & 63 to help achieve your 8″ x 8″ square.

Cast onto your loom from left to right, using a total of 44 pegs. (Sample uses Chain Cast On)

Main Pattern Rows

Row 1:  p3, k1, *p2, k2, p2, k2, p2, k1, p1, k1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.

Row 2:  k2, p1, k1, *p2, k2, p2, k2, p2, k1, p1, k1, repeat * to last st, k1.

Row 3:  repeat Row 1.

Row 4:  k1, *k1, p1, k1, p2, k1, [rt2], [lt2], k1, p2, repeat from * to  last 4 sts, k1, p1, k2.

Row 5:  p3, *k1, p2, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.

Row 6:  k1, *k1, p1, k1, p2, k2, p1, [lt2], p1, k1, p2, repeat from * to  last 4 sts, k1, p1, k2

Rows 7:  repeat Row 5.

Row 8:  k1, *k1, p1, k1, p2, k1, [lt2], [rt2], k1, p2, repeat from * to  last 4 sts, k1, p1, k2.

Row 9:  repeat Row 1. *Tip: work this row a bit looser so that the next row’s twists will be easier to work.

Row 10:  k2, *p1, [rt2], [lt2], [rt2], [lt2], [rt2], [lt2], repeat from * to  last 3 sts, p1, k2.

Row 11:  p4, *k2, p2, k2, p2, k2, p3, repeat from * to last st, p1.

Row 12:  k2, p2, *work over 3 pegs: [lt2, ssk, yo], p1, [rt2], p1, work over 3 pegs: [yo, k2tog, rt2], p3, repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.

Row 13:  repeat Row 11.  *Tip: work this row a bit looser so that the next row’s twists will be easier to work.

Row 14:  k2, *p1, [lt2], [rt2], [lt2], [rt2], [lt2], [rt2], repeat from * to  last 3 sts, p1, k2.

Row 15:  repeat Row 9.

Row 16:  k1, *k1, p1, k1, p2, k1, [rt2], [lt2], k1, p2, repeat from * to  last 4 sts, k1, p1, k2.

Row 17:  repeat Row 5.

Row 18:  repeat Row 6.

Row 19:  repeat Row 5.

Row 20:  repeat Row 8.

Rows 21-60:  repeat Rows 1-20.

Finishing Rows

Rows 61-63:  repeat Rows 1-3.

Bind off all stitches loosely. (Sample uses the Basic Bind Off)  Weave in ends and trim close to work.

Block to an 8” x 8” measurement.

Afghan Notes:

If you are intending this square to be part of an afghan, you may wish to make up to 3 or 4 additional squares.  We will be sharing at least 12 of these patterns for you to use in your blanket.  Use the following general measurements to decide how many of each of the 8″ x 8″ squares you will need, rounding up as necessary:

• Baby Blanket: 30″ x 36″
• Children: 42″ x 48″
• Lapghan: 36″ x 48″
• Twin Bed Afghan: 60″ x 85″
• Queen Bed Afghan: 90″ x 95″