Around my neck of the woods, seeing acres upon acres of neatly lined rows of tall stalks of corn is not a unique thing.  I thought it would be wonderful to recreate those quintessential scenes of fall onto this month’s Stitchology square.  Utilizing a combination of cables and ribbing, this stitch is full of texture as well as stretch, and the resulting fabric is almost identical from the front to the back!

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.

Corn Stalks 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 mellow)

Notions: Loom tool, cable needle, yarn needle, scissors.  (Also helpful: 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 6—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.  The border edges may need to also be increased to coordinate with the number of increased Repeating Pattern Rows.

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

The cables in this pattern involve trading the loops of 4 pegs in the correct order. They are all worked exactly the same—as right cross cables (a twist with the sts running to the right) with both knit and purl stitches combined.  They are worked as follows:

*Note: It helps to knit the row before the cable row just a tad looser than normal to aid the cable stitches in stretching to their new places.

[4st-rc/pk]:  Worked over 4 pegs, from right to left (4, 3, 2, 1):

• Lift the loops from the first 2 pegs of the cable (1 & 2) and place them on the cable needle.
• Bring your working yarn behind pegs 1 & 2 and purl the stitch on peg 3.
• Move this stitch (peg 3) over to peg 1 of the cable pegs.  Pull out any slack in the yarn.
• Bring your working yarn behind pegs 2 & 3 and purl the stitch on peg 4.
• Move this stitch (peg 4) over to peg 2 of the cable pegs.  Pull out any slack in the yarn.
• Lift the first stitch from the cable needle that was previously on peg 1 and move it to peg 3.  Knit this stitch.
• Lift the second stitch from the cable needle that was previously on peg 2 and move it to peg 4.  Knit this stitch.
• Pull out any slack that may be left in the 4 cable stitches.

Repeating Pattern Rows

Here are the Repeating Pattern Rows for the stitch itself, based on the chart above:

Rows 1-4: repeat the following two row pattern:

a: p3, k3.
b: k3, p3.

Row 5: p1, 4st-rc/pk, k1.

Row 6: k3, p3.

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:

Cast onto your loom from left to right, using a total of 40 pegs. (Sample uses Chain Cast On)

Set Up Rows

Row 1: p40.

Row 2: k40.

Row 3: p40.

Main Pattern Rows

Row 4-8:  repeat the following two row pattern:

a: k2, *p3, k3, repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2.
b: p2, *k3, p3, repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.

Row 9: p2, *p1, 4st-rc/pk, k1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.

Rows 10-57:  Repeat Rows 4-9.

Finishing Rows

Row 58: p40.

Row 59: k40.

Row 60: p40.

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 24 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″

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a note for Bethany Dailey below in the comments! 🙂