CQA, Tutorial continued, part 3

[I am fed up with Blogger. I've tried 6 times to get the corresponding photos to upload here and it just won't take them. I have uploaded them to flickr instead. All the photos for this tutorial are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35124842@N00/ and are labeled as to what they're showing.]

The two-miter rectangle or square...

For the two-miter square you will be working along three sides. Cast on your desired number of stitches for the height you want, place a marker, cast on an even number of stitches for the bottom of the square, place marker, and then cast on for the third side which will have the same number of stitches as your first side. Knit the first row even. Next row, a right side row, knit to two stitches before the first marker, slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, slip marker, k2tog. Knit to two stitches before the second marker, slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, slip marker, k2tog, knit to end. Knit next row (wrong side row) even. Continue in this manner until you have two stitches remaining in the bottom section of the square. Knit one last wrong side row Arrange stitches so that both needle points are pointing outward, where the live yarn end is hanging. Both needles should have the same number of stitches.

…and the three needle bind off

With wrong sides out and facing you, begin three needle bind off as follows: insert needle through the first stitch on the first needle, then through the first stitch on the second needle, pull yarn through, drop stitches. This is your first bound off stitch. Repeat, knitting a second stitch through the second stitch on both needles. Pull the first knit stich over the second knit stitch, as for regular bind off, continue across row until all stitches are bound off.

…using the two-miter idea to join two blocks together
( with a three-needle bind off)


You can use this method to avoid sewing blocks together, if you have made separate blocks – while traveling or while away from your main afghan section. With right sides facing you, pick up stitches along the shortest block edge, insert marker, cast on an even number of stitches for the bottom, place marker, then pick up the same number of stitches as in the first section along the edge of the second block. Continue as above. You have now knit two blocks together instead of sewing them.


…and an alternate method of joining two strips or filling in a gap (pick up perpendicularly or PUP).

Finally, there is a very simple but somewhat cumbersome method of knitting two blocks together or filling in a gap.


Let’s start with filling in a gap. In this case, you have a short side and a long side, you don’t want to do any mitering, you just want to do something simple. If the short side is on the left (or the same side as where you would start picking up stitches), pick up your first stitch as follows: insert needle through the first bar or stitch on the short side, then, without picking up your yarn, insert the needle through the first stitch or bar on the long side. Knit these as one stitch, continue across the long side as usual. Knit back across evenly. For the next right side row, repeat the above – i.e., pick up one bar or stitch from the short side and knit it together with the first stitch from the long side. Make sure your stitch count remains the same and does not increase.

If the short side is opposite the end on which you will begin picking up stitches, then you simply knit your last right side stitch together with the lowest bar or stitch from the short side. Next row is knit even. Repeat.

Now that you know how this is done in both directions, i.e. when picking up on the right side or the wrong side, you can see where this applies to knitting two strips or blocks together. You would simply join in the lowest bar or stitch from the block on each side, one at a time, one join per row (not ridge) until the blocks are completely joined by a strip of knitting running up the middle. The reason this is cumbersome, in my opinion, is because it takes a little longer. That’s all.