How to Knit an Entrelac Throw

Entrelac is shown to its best effect with contrasting yarns.

From a distance, an entrelac throw looks like it's been woven from knitted strips of fabric. But up close, you see that instead of woven strips, the knitting was turned and slanted to create small squares that stack up diagonally in opposite directions. An entrelac throw is a work of art that can keep you warm, and doesn't require special tools to create. As home decor, an entrelac throw can add subtle texture in a single color, and is the perfect motif for bold contrasts.

Things You'll Need

• Circular knitting needle, 32 inches long, size 7 to 9
• Worsted-weight yarn
• Scissors
• Yarn needle

Instructions

1. Cast on 160 stitches. Do not join. You will be knitting flat.

2. Knit each base triangle in stockinette stitch as follows: knit two stitches. Turn the work around. Purl the two stitches that you just knit. Turn the work. Knit three stitches, including the ones you just purled and one additional stitch. Turn the work. Purl the three stitches you just knit. Turn the work. Continue knitting and adding stitches, turning the work around, and purling the stitches you just knit until you have knit eight stitches in one row. Do not turn the work. Repeat this step until you have 20 triangles.

3. Knit the side triangle at the end of a wrong side row as follows: purl two stitches, turn the work. Knit one stitch, increase by one stitch, knit one stitch, turn the work. Purl two stitches, decrease by purling two stitches together, turn the work. Knit two stitches, increase one stitch, knit one stitch, turn the work. Continue the purling rows by purling one more stitch in each row and decreasing one stitch before the final stitch, and the knitting rows by knitting one more stitch in each row and increasing one stitch before the final stitch. When you have worked eight stitches on a wrong side row, do not turn the work.

4. Knit the entrelac squares. Pick up eight stitches from the side of the nearest base triangle and knit them. Turn the work. Purl the stitches. Decrease at the eighth stitch. Repeat this step eight times for the first entrelac block. Repeat for each base triangle for the first full row of entrelac blocks.

5. Pick up and knit from the nearest sides of the entrelac squares for subsequent rows, decreasing until you have eliminated all live stitches from the previous row. Knit side triangles at the ends when there is no room for another full block.

6. Knit the top triangles. Pick up seven stitches from the nearest side of the entrelac square, for a total of eight stitches. Purl all eight stitches and turn the work. Knit the same eight stitches, decreasing twice in each row. Turn the work. Alternate rows of plain purling with rows of knitting and decreasing twice until one stitch remains on the needle. Repeat the top triangles all the way across. Cast off the last stitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick up and knit a garter stitch or seed stitch border for a polished look.

• Entrelac can be knit in garter stitch, but make sure you don't lose track of which side of the knitting you are on.

• Make your throw larger or smaller by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches you cast on by a multiple of eight.

• Swatches of entrelac make excellent coasters to match the throw.

References

• Knitting Daily: Discover a New Technique: Entrelac!
• Simply Knitting; "Easy Entrelac"; Debbie Tomkies; Spring 2008
• Knitting-and: Oddball Sampler Afghan Square #6: Entrelac Square

Resources

• Wool Works: Entrelac information and references
• Interweave Knits; "Entrelac" ; Eunny Jang; Spring 2007