Stripes: Flanking Colors

After mapping out several patterns, and making several dishcloths, I came up with this three color pattern.  A variation of the Half and Half striping pattern is to use two separate strands for one of the colors.  This generates a look of two rows of the main color flanked on either side by a single row of a color, which varies between two colors. 

Here's how to do this:

Make your chain and work one row with color B.  At the end of the row, tie on color C, do not cut color B.  Finish the stitch by pulling both strands together through the loops.  Chain with both strands.

 

Release color B, and work row 2 with color C.  At the end of the row, tie on color A, and pull both colors through the loops, then work 2 rows with color A, pulling color B up the side after the first row.  For more detailed illustrations on how to do this, see my earlier striping posts.

Here's the pattern:
Chain 28
Row 1: dc in 4th chain from hook, dc across
Row 2-14: ch 3, turn, dc across
Border:
Round 1: sc around (3 sc in corner)
Round 2: sc around (3 sc in corner)

Rows 3-4, 7-8, 11-12 are in the red color.
Rows 1, 6, 9, 14 are in the green color.
Rows 2, 5, 10, 13 are in the yellow color.

I made this using Sugar and Cream Sage Green, Country Yellow, and Wine with a J hook.

Stripes: Featured Color

So, I decided to map out the color patterns that I've made to this point.  I developed a way of drawing them out that let me try out new patterns.  Here's what I came up with: 1 row Color A, 2 rows Color B, 1 row Color A, 2 rows Color C, repeated.  The end result is thick stripes of color flanked by Color A, the 'featured' color. If you make colors B and C the same, you get the Thick and Thin stripe pattern.

Here's how to do this:  make your chain, and work 2 rows in the same color (color B).  At the end of the second row, tie on color A, do not cut color B.  Pull both strands through the loops to complete the stitch.  Chain with both strands. 

 

Release color B and work row 3 with color A.  At the end of the row, tie on color C, do not cut color A.  Pull both strands through loops to complete stitch.  Chain with both colors.

 Release color A and work row 4 with color C.  At the end of the row, finish the stitch by pulling both colors B and C through the loops.  Chain with both colors.   Release color B and continue row 5 with color C.

Colors are drawn up on both sides.

Here's the pattern:
Chain 28
Row 1: dc in 4th chain from hook, dc across
Row 2-14: ch 3, turn, dc across
Border:
Round 1: sc around (3 sc in corner)
Round 2: sc around (3 sc in corner)

Rows 3, 6, 9, 12 are in the red color.
Rows 1-2, 7-8, 13-14 are in the green color.
Rows 4-5, 10-11 are in the yellow color.

I made this using Sugar and Cream Sage Green, Country Yellow, and Wine with a J hook.

Stripes: Thick and Thin

A variation of the Equal Thirds color pattern is to have two of the strands be the same color.  This makes it have the appearance of two rows of the main color, and then one color of the contrast color.  I used this color pattern for the Stitch 15 and Stitch 25 baby blankets.  It worked well for embedding the color of the variegated yarn into the work in the Stitch 15 blanket, and allowed the appearance of white triangles in a sea of maroon in the Stitch 25 blanket.

Here's how to do this:
Make your chain, and first row in color A.  At the last stitch, tie on another strand of color A, without cutting the first strand.  Pull both strands through the loops to finish the stitch.  Chain with both strands. 

Work row 2 with the new strand of color A, releasing the first strand.  At the last stitch of row 2, tie on color B, and finish the stitch by pulling both strands through the loops.  Chain with both strands.

Work row 3 with color B, releasing color A.  At the last stitch of row 3, grab both the color B strand you've been working with and the color A strand that is waiting there from row 1.  Finish the stitch with both strands.  Chain with both strands.

Release color B, and work row 4 with color A.  Repeat this pattern, changing strands every row, picking up the color that is available at the end of each row.  Colors will be carried along both sides, though a third of the time, this will be two strands of color A.

Here's the pattern for this dishcloth:
Chain 28
Row 1: dc in 4th chain from hook, dc across
Row 2-14: ch 3, turn, dc across
Border:
Round 1: sc around (3 sc in corner)
Round 2: sc around (3 sc in corner)

Rows 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-11, 13-14 are in the red color.
Rows 3, 6, 9, 12 are in the yellow color.

These are the Gryffindor like colors I used in the Half and Half stripe pattern.

I made this using Sugar and Cream Country Yellow and Wine with a J hook.

Stripes: Equal Thirds

The next color pattern I devised using this method has three colors, where you change color every row.  I used this color pattern the stitch 20 and stitch 21 baby blankets.  I also made my Easter egg blanket with this technique.  With this color pattern, you have three balls of yarn constantly attached to your project: one on each end and the one you are actually working with.

It begins similarly to the two color stripe.  Chain, and work row 1 with color A.  At the end of the row do not cut color A, and tie on color B.  Use both color A and color B to complete the stitch

 Chain with color A and color B together.

 Release color A and work row 2 with color B.  At the end of row 2, tie on color C, do not cut  color B.  Finish the stitch with color B and color C together..

 Chain with color B and color C together

 Release color B and work row 3 with color C.  At the end of row 3, do not cut color C, work last stitch with both color A and color C.

 Chain with color A and color C together.

 Work each row, switching colors to the color available at each end of the rows.

A suggestion for not tangling your yarn as you go:  keep each color in a specific place, rotating as you change colors.  The current color should be in the middle, with the color just used on the right and the next color on the left. 

 

Before a border is added, you can see the colors running up both sides of the project.

This is disguised by the border.

Here's the pattern:
Chain 28
Row 1: dc in 4th chain from hook, dc across
Row 2-14: ch 3, turn, dc across
Border:
Round 1: sc around (3 sc in corner)
Round 2: sc around (3 sc in corner)

Rows 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 are in the red color.
Rows 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 are in the yellow color.
Rows 3, 6, 9, 12 are in the green color

 I made this using Sugar and Cream Country Yellow, Wine, and Sage Green yarn with a J hook.