Don’t throw the pa-ast away
You might need it some rainy day
Dreams can come true again
When everything old is new again
– Peter Allen, Everything Old is New Again lyrics

THE LO-DOWN

indian cross stitch is one of those stitches that we consider a minor miracle.  it’s the same on both sides, works up quickly and is quite a bit easier to execute once you get the hang of things than it may seem. we’ve provided a step-by-step tutorial to illustrate the tricky bit.

it also turns out an openwork pattern that manages to straddle the old and the new — looking both geometrically modern and intricately vintage.   hooray for indian cross stitch!

note: when knit in enough columns and rows, the garter stitch section of indian cross stitch will exhibit a slight wave effect, which can be more clearly seen in the Aurélie cocoon cardigan pictured in the related patterns section below.

THE LO-LO-DOWN

SPECIAL STITCH DEFINITIONS

3XK: insert needle as if to knit, then wrap yarn 3 times around needle, and finish the knit stitch

 

SWATCH CONSTRUCTION

CO 24 sts (an 8 sts repeat); knit flat.

Row 1(WS) – 4(RS): K all
Row 5: 3XK all
Row 6: *Sl8 sts, letting the extra loops drop to form 8 very long sts.  Insert left-hand needle into the 1st four sts on right-hand needle and pass them over the second set of long sts. Bring all 8 of these long sts onto left-hand needle and knit the 8 sts (the 2nd half of the original 4 and then the original ‑first 4). Repeat from * to end.
Row 7-10: K all
Row 11: 3XK all
Row 12: You are creating a staggered effect in this row. Begin by slipping 4 sts, letting the extra loops drop to form 4 very long sts. Cross 2 sts over 2 sts as in Row 6, and knit these 4. Next, *Sl8 sts, cross as in Row 6, knit as in Row 6, and repeat until the last 4 sts. For the last 4 sts, slip 4, cross 2 over 2 sts and then knit these last 4 sts.

Repeat rows 1-12 for the pattern. The swatch above was knit over 28 rows.

 

RELATED PATTERNS

Aurélie – a cocoon cardigan