By Maureen Mason-Jamieson
A brief introduction: My name is Maureen Mason-Jamieson and I h**e intarsia.
Well, perhaps h**e is too strong – let’s just say that after years of making
pictures of puppy dogs and cartoon figures on the front of children's
sweaters, I try, whenever possible, to avoid all but the most basic intarsia. So
why am I so keen on intarsia mitered squares? Because you can achieve
complex-looking intarsia using the most basic intarsia techniques and only 2
colors a row.
I first learned how to make these squares from Horst Schulz during one of his
workshops. I’ve been avidly making modular garments since then and teaching
his techniques to others. Mr. Schulz asked me to assist him during his recent
workshop in Toronto, Canada and has graciously given me his permission to teach
you some of his methods on the internet. His two books are now available in
English and are an invaluable reference for modular knitters. The titles are: Patchwork Knitting and New Patchwork Knitting, Fashion for Children.
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Lesson One Contents 
I made my pillow top using Shelridge Farm (www.shelridge.com) Soft Touch 100% Wool, a DK weight
yarn. I used 1 skein each of the following colors: Color A – White, Color B – Bluebell, Color C – Spring Green, Color D – Salmon, and Color E – Goldenrod. This is enough yarn to make 2 pillow fronts. For needles, I used 4 mm
(size 8 U.S.) in a 60 cm ( 24") circular for the border and 2
double-pointed (or short circular) for the basic modules. My finished pillow is
18-1/4" square; each basic square module is 2-1/2" across when joined
to its neighbors and I added a 1-5/8" border all around. I made largish
units to give you a chance to practice the technique and I made enough squares
for the pillow top to give you an idea of what these nifty little units can do.
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Lesson One Contents
As you knit the module you will be creating a chain stitch selvedge along
each side. This type of selvedge makes picking up stitches for the adjoining
unit a snap. At the beginning of EVERY row, k 1 tbl. This twists the stitch.
Knit the next stitch normally and tug on your yarn end. This "tug"
tightens the gap between the selvedge and the next stitch for a neater edge.
Work across the row following the instructions below until 1 stitch remains on
the left needle. Bring your yarn forward towards you. Insert the right needle
into the last stitch as if you were going to purl it and gently slip it onto the
right needle.
Why do you bring your yarn forward? So that it will be in position to knit
the first stitch of the next row when you turn the work. If you forget to bring
the yarn forward the first few times, don’t worry. All that happens is that
your selvedge isn’t as neat and it’s more difficult to see where to pick up
the stitches for the next square. It is so much easier to pick up stitches when
you do this step correctly that you’ll begin to remember before too long.
Stitches for the neighboring module are picked up by knitting into the hole
between the selvedge stitch and the main knitting stitch.
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I use a knit-on cast on for modular work. It creates a soft edge which will
curve as the corner develops and it is easy to pick up stitches from this edge.
It is loose and loopy-looking and therefore inappropriate for pieces where you
want to leave the raw edge unfinished. The cast on uses two needles.
1. Make a slip knot in your yarn leaving a tail of 3 – 4". Place the
knot on your left needle. Insert your right needle into this knot as if you were
going to knit it. In the photo, note the short yarn end is being held out of the
way in my left hand; the long yarn end is in my right hand.
2. Using the long yarn end, bring yarn around as if you were knitting the
stitch normally. Pull the yarn through making a loop on the right needle.
3. Place the loop on the left needle beside the slip knot. Insert the right
needle into this new stitch and continue as above. Repeat for as many stitches
as needed of your first color.
4. To join second color (navy), insert right needle into last loop on left
needle as before. Make a small loop of the second color and place it around the
right needle. Make sure the short end of the loop is on top.
5. Pull the new color loop through and place it on the left needle. Cross
yarns at back by holding old yarn (red) to the left and bringing new yarn (navy)
up from under the old. Insert right needle into the last stitch on left needle
as before. Repeat steps 2 and 3, using the new color, for as many stitches as
needed. The photo shows the yarns crossed, the right needle inserted into the
next loop, and the new color (navy) in position to bring it around the right
needle.
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Lesson One Contents
The basic modules are made using garter stitch. Not too fancy, but for the
first few you’ll have enough going on without worrying about patterning too. A
patterned version follows for the more ambitious at the end of this lesson.
Things you need to know : these modules use a basic intarsia crossing technique
when changing colors so as to avoid holes in the work. If you are new to
intarsia, you may wish to consult an instruction book such as Reader’s Digest
Knitter’s Handbook by Montse Stanley or Vogue Knitting by the editors of Vogue
Knitting Magazine. Also, remember to work your chain stitch selvedge on EVERY
row.
Row by row instructions are given below. However, the actual technique is
pretty simple: on the Right (public) side simply knit across the row crossing
the yarns when you change color in the middle of the row; on the Wrong (private)
side of the work make your decreases. Decrease by knitting across to the 4
center stitches of the row (2 stitches color B, 2 stitches color A); knit 2
color B stitches together, cross yarns, knit 2 color A stitches together through
the back loop. Finish the row. In the 3 photos below, color B is navy blue,
color A is red.
Knit two color B stitches together.
Bring color B forward towards you and drop yarn, pick up color A from under
color B, and move it back so it is in position to knit the next group of
stitches. (This is a regular intarsia-type crossing to avoid holes in the work).
In the photo, notice color B, navy, is moved towards the knitter; color A, red,
is coming up from under navy.
With color A, knit two stitches together through the back loop.
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Lesson One Contents
Abbreviations:
Row 1: Using 4 mm needles and using knit-on cast on, cast on 15 sts color A.
Drop yarn (but do not cut). Cast on 1 st with color B, cross color A over color
B at back (wrong side) of work, bring color B from under color A and cast on a
further 14 sts. (30 stitches total – 15 color A, 15 color B). This counts as
your first RS row.
Row 2: (WS) With color B, k 1 tbl, k 1 and tug yarn to tighten edge stitch, k
11. There are 13 color B sts on right needle; 2 color B sts remain on left
needle. Knit these 2 stitches together. Cross yarns as shown in Basic Techniques
section above. With color A, k 2 tog tbl, k 12, yfwd, sl 1 p. (28 stitches
remain).
Row 3: (RS) With color A, k 1 tbl, k 13, drop color A. Bring color B up from
under color A (crossing yarns), using color B, k 13, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 4: With color B, k 1 tbl, k 11, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns on WS, take
color A to back. With color A, k 2 tog tbl, k 11, yfwd, sl 1 p. (26 sts).
Row 5 and all further RS rows: With color A, k 1 tbl, k to center of row,
drop color A. Bring color B up from under color A, k across row until 1 st
remains, yfwd, sl 1 p. There are no decreases on RS rows.
Row 6: With color B, k 1 tbl, k 10, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A
to back, k 2 tog tbl, k 10, yfwd, sl 1 p. (24 sts). You will be decreasing 2
stitches (1 color B, 1 color A) each WS row.
Row 8: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 9, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 9, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 10: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 8, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 8, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 12: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 7, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 7, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 14: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 6, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 6, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 16: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 5, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 5, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 18: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 4, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 4, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 20: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 3, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 3, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 22: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 2, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 2, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 24: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 1, k 2 tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to
back, k 2 tog tbl, k 1, yfwd, sl 1 p.
Row 26: Color B, k 1 tbl, k 2tog, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to back, k
2 tog tbl, yfwd, sl 1 p. (4 sts).
Row 28: Color B, k 2 tog tbl, yfwd. Cross yarns, take color A to back, k 2
tog tbl, yfwd, sl 1 p. (2 sts). Turn, k 1 tbl using color A, sl 1 p. Turn, pass
slipped st over remaining st. Cut yarns A and B leaving 2-3" tails. Fasten
off loosely bringing both yarn ends through fasten off loop.
The photo below left shows the WS of the module (note the crossed stitches at
the center). The two ends of yarn are being brought through the fasten off loop.
The photo below right shows the RS of the module with the fasten off loop
tightened (but still loose enough to pick up a stitch from for a neighboring
square).
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WS of Module
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| RS of Module |
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Lesson One Contents
