Barbara Walker Learn To Knit Afghan: Square 21

Square 21 is called Florentine Frieze.  It is really a very nice square and not very hard.  Yet again, one has to pay somewhat attention for a while to get the pattern down, but it is possible to do.

 

This square is knit with a multiple of 4 stitches plus 1. Techniques include the knit stitch, slipping stitches with yarn in back and slipping stitches with yarn in back, and purling.

Using two colors, one light, one dark, cast on 45 stitches.

There are twenty rows in the pattern repeat, well really, there are 10 rows in the pattern repeat but you reverse colors on Row 11, so...colors change on Row 1 and Row 11.  The sky is the limit as far as colors.  You could use up scrap yarns on this using any light and dark colors.

Florentine Frieze, Square 21.  Fewer glaring errors than on some of the squares!

The above picture is the square on the blocking board. It is remarkable at how much difference the blocking of a square makes.  I have said it before but every time I marvel at how much better the stitches look and how much closer to "square" each block is after a time on the blocking board.  I still feel so smart to have figured out using  0's, 1's, and 2's in 14-inch straight needles for the blocking wires.

Because there are 70 rows in the square you could have 14 different colors if you chose.  I bet you could make something very interesting.  If I had it to do again, I think I would change every ten rows!