Name: Three-and-one tweed
Repeat numbers: 4+3 stitches, 4 rows.
This means that if you want the pattern to be symmetrical on both edges, you needs to work over a number of stitches that is a multiple of 4+3.
The height of the pattern is only 4 rows, so you will be repeating them over and over again.
Instructions:
Cast on a multiple of 4+3 stitches with color B and knit one row.
Row 1 (with color A): *K3, sl1 wyib*, repeat *-* to the last 3 stitches, K3
Row 2 (with color A): *K3, sl1 wyif*, repeat *-* to the last 3 stitches, K3
Row 3 (with color B): K1, sl1 wyib *K3, sl1 wyib*, repeat *-* to the last stitch, K1
Row 4 (with color B): K1, sl1 wyif *K3, sl1 wyif*, repeat *-* to the last stitch, K1
Repeat rows 1-4 to desired length.
sl1 wyib: slip 1 with yarn in back – you slip on stitch purlwise with the yarn behind the work (away from you)
sl1 wyif : slip 1 with yarn in front – you slip one stitch purlwise with the yarn in front of the work (towards you)
How it’s made – in plain words:
If you work flat, you knit 3 and slip one and do the same on the return row.
The only thing that changes is where you hold the yarn when you’re slipping the stitches. The floats are running on the wrong side of your work all the time.
On the next two rows you move the slipped stitch over, so that it falls between the slipped stitches from the previous rows.
What to knit with it
Flat non-curling borders on (almost) everything. Cowls (knitted flat and them seamed).
Pattern blocks in the middle of a sweater front, on the back of a pair of mittens.
Pros:
Lies flat with minimal blocking
Easy to execute and memorize
Integrates beautifully with garter stitch, both vertically and horizontally
Cons: The wrong side is not pretty
It takes a lot of rows to produce a few inches of finished fabric
Not very elastic
Variations:
Try knitting three-and-one tweed in three colors.
It makes a really intricate looking pattern made with very little effort.
Just be sure to carry the unused yarns loosely up the side of the work, and change colors in the same way every time to make a nice braided edge.
Try knitting it in only one color to really show off the cool texture – it doesn’t have to be seen as a color change pattern.
That variation actually has it’s own name and is known as just three-and-one.
If you wanted to go really crazy with three-and-one tweed, try knitting it in a large number of colors.
Every uneven number of colors will do – an even number of color will make the colors stack and form lines (as in the two-colored version) – and of course you can cut and reattach the yarns if you want to or if the tangling of yarn balls becomes too much for you along the way.
