Free Pattern – Ease on Down the Rows – Harmony Blanket Square #41

Ease on Down the Rows is pattern #41 in the 2018 Harmony Blanket Knit Along. This unique square combines intentionally dropped stitches with an embroidery technique to create the lacy, zig-zag columns. The pattern includes a video tutorial, and a chart for the knitting portion only.

The Harmony Blanket KAL is a knit-along event hosted by the Underground Crafter, Creative Crochet Workshop, and myself. Together with a great team of guest designers, we will be bringing you 48 blanket square patterns throughout the year. Each pattern will have the same, garter stitch border, so that they can easily be combined into a blanket!

Lion Brand has generously provided us with their lovely Vanna’s Choice yarn for free, to use for our designs. It’s a washable, worsted weight acrylic yarn that’s a great choice for blankets. For more information about the event and links to the patterns, be sure to visit the main #HarmonyBlanket post. I hope you’ll join in the fun!

Ease on Down the Rows

 
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Materials:

• Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn – 35 yds #146 Dusty Purple
• Size 8 (5mm) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge
• Yarn needle

Skill Level:

Intermediate – mostly garter stitch, with a few decreases and increases. Hem stitch embroidery.

Sizes:

6 inch square

Gauge:

17 sts x 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch. Use pattern as gauge swatch – finished square should be 6 inches.

Abbreviations used:

• k = knit
• p = purl
• sl = slip
• k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
• ssk = slip slip knit
• kfb = knit front and back
• yo = yarn over
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• RS = Right Side

Recommended Resources:

• The Knitted Cast On by Pattymac Knits
• The Slip Slip Knit Decrease by New Stitch a Day
• How to K2tog (Knit 2 together) by Pattymac Knits
• The Knit Front and Back Increase by New Stitch a Day
• Bind Off Your Knitting by Pattymac Knits

Instructions:

(scroll down for chart and video)

Cast on 26 stitches

Garter stitch bottom border:

Row 1 (RS): K 25, p 1.

Rows 2-4: Sl 1 knitwise, k 24, p 1.

Main section of square

Row 5 (RS): Sl 1, k 4, (k2tog, yo, ssk, k 2) 3 times, k 2, p 1 (23 sts)

Rows 6-44: K

Row 45: Sl 1, k 4, (kfb, drop next st, kfb, k 2) 3 times, k 2, p 1. (26 sts)

Garter stitch top border:

Rows 46-49: Sl 1 knitwise, k 23, p 1.

Bind off all stitches. Ease dropped stitches all the way down, forming “ladders” of loose threads.

Embroidery:

Position work with RS facing, so that the “ladders” run horizontally.

Cut a length of about 24 inches or whatever you can comfortably manage, and thread it onto your yarn needle. If you run out of thread while sewing, simply weave in the end and start a new thread.

Weave one end of your yarn in to secure it, and bring needle up in the stitch at the bottom right edge of a “ladder”.

You should have 40 loose strands in each ladder. If you have an extra one or two, add those to either the first or last “bundle” in the following instructions.

First side of ladder:

Starting 2-strand bundle: Insert needle, from right to left, under the first 2 strands and pull through. Insert needle from right to left under those same 2 strands again, but this time bring needle up in the stitch below and to the left of the bundle you just made.

4-strand Bundle: Insert needle, from right to left, under the next 4 strands and pull through. Insert needle from right to left under those same 4 strands again, but this time bring needle up in the stitch below and to the left of the bundle you just made.

Continue making 4-strand bundles across, until only 2 strands remain.

Ending 2-strand bundle: Repeat as for starting 2-strand bundle.

2nd side of ladder:

Rotate your work to work into the opposite side of the ladder. Sew your working yarn across to the bottom right corner of the ladder, hiding it in the stitches as you go.

Using the 2 strands from the first bundle, and the first 2 strands from the 2nd bundle, make a 4 strand bundle.

Continue making 4-strand bundles across, using 2 strands from the previous bundle, and 2 strands from the next bundle.

For the remaining 2 ladders:

Rotate your work to start the next ladder. If you have enough working yarn remaining on your needle, sew it across to bottom right corner of the next ladder. Otherwise, start a new length of yarn the same way as you did the first.

Repeat First and Second sides of ladder.

Weave in any remaining ends.

Chart:

Chart shows only knitting instructions, not embroidery. Click image to enlarge (opens in new tab or window)

Video Tutorial:

I hope you enjoy the pattern. Thanks to Lion Brand for providing the yarn!

A downloadable pdf of this pattern is also available in my Craftsy store or on Ravelry, for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format is to offset the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.