Braid Panel Afghan Square

Create a lattice effect with your knitting using this technique that differs slightly from cabling.

Filed under: Knitting, How To, Crafts

When you knit cables, you cross knit stitches over other knit stitches. The braid panel differs from the cable panels by requiring you to cross knit stitches over purl stitches. Try it in this project.

Steps:

Using Plymouth's Encore Worsted and size 7 (4.5 mm) 16" circular needles, cast on 60 sts. Work 5 rows garter stitch (knit every row), increasing 14 sts evenly across last row (74 sts).

Keeping first and last three sts of each row in garter stitch, work patt across center 68 sts as foll:

Row 1 (WS): K4, [p4, k4] eight times.
Row 2: P2, [2/2 RPC, 2/2 LPC] eight times, p2.
Row 3 and all WS rows: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 4: P2, k2, p4, [2/2 RC, p4] seven times, k2, p2.
Row 6: P2, [2/2 LPC, 2/2 RPC] eight times, p2.
Row 8: P4, [2/2 LC, p4] eight times.

Rep rows 1-8 a total of 9 times. Discontinue cable pattern and work 5 rows of garter stitch, decreasing 14 sts evenly across first row of garter stitch (60 sts). Bind off loosely.