My name is Iris Schreier and I have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). I get distracted, multitask and therefore have at least 10 knitting projects going on at once. If you are at all like me, chances are you’ll enjoy my modular knitting designs. Here’s why:
1. Easy to memorize–there is order and consistency in my modular designs, which make them perfect for knitting while watching tv, or multitasking (as an ADD person I do that most of the time). I like to throw away markers and instructions once I establish the “system” and keep going by reading my work.
2. Capture the knitter’s interest–if I get bored knitting garter stitch (knit every row) then i turn my work, and voila, multidirectional knitting saves the day.
3. Startle others (in a good way, one hopes)–love to hear people ask me “how did you do that???”
4. Endless possibilities–I love the unpredictability of it all, the way adding a simple lace or cable pattern creates dramatic results, and seeing how different stitch patterns intersect.
5. No pooling–all yarns and colors look great in this. That said, you want to knit with the finest quality yarn you can afford, and the Artyarns brand is very reliable for its purity–no synthetic or poor imitation. Count on our yarn for zero Nylon filler.
How to begin?
Abbreviations used in this tutorial:
Kfb: Knit into the front and the back of the same stitch (making 2
stitches out of 1 stitch)
S1: Slip one stitch knit-wise
SKP: Slip one stitch knit-wise, knit next stitch, pass slipped stitch over
knit stitch (making 1 stitch out of 2 stitches)
TURN: Turn piece over to start knitting on other side
Live Stitches: Stitches that are being worked on and are part of short row
Unworked Stitches: Stitches that are not being worked on and not part of
short row
Here’s a brief lesson.
EXERCISE 1
Right Triangle (90 degree angle)
Cast on 10 stitches
Lesson 1–Exercise 1
Row 1: Kfb, k1; turn
Row 2 and all even-numbered rows: S1, k to end; turn
Row 3: Kfb, k3; turn
Row 5: Kfb, k5; turn
Row 7: Kfb, k7; turn
Row 9: Kfb, k9; turn
Row 11: Kfb, k11; turn
Row 13: Kfb, k13; turn
Row 15: Kfb, k15; turn
Row 17: Kfb, k17–at this point there should be no more Unworked Stitches on needle. You will have a perfect Right Triangle with 19 stitches.
EXERCISE 2
Equilateral Triangle (3 equal sides)
Continue to knit using the 19 Live Stitches on the needle created in the
above Exercise.
Row 1: Kfb into the first stitch, SKP, TURN
Row 2: S1, K to end
Row 3: Kfb, K1, SKP, TURN
Row 4: S1, K to end
Row 5: Kfb, K to last Live Stitch, SKP, TURN
Repeat rows 4-5 until there are no more Unworked Stitches on needle. You
should have a perfect Equilateral Triangle with 19 Live Stitches.
Want more?
Sign up for our newsletter and I’ll be sending out some free lessons on Multidirectional knitting in each newsletter issue: https://www.artyarns.com/fjngpu/newsletter/
Sign up to my up to my Craftsy class. Here’s a link to a $20 discount.
Or check out some of my multidirectional patterns on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/bundles/multidirectional