Entrelac Tutorial:
This tutorial was written for an Entrelac class I did last week. To get the best effect I suggest using a varigated yarn with long color changes so that each row (or each block) is a different color. Yarns like Noro, Karaoke, and Teseo work well for this.
Entrelac uses a technique called short rows to work small pieces of a row at a time, creating a woven-looking fabric. It is comprised of 3 basic parts: base triangles, corner triangles (right and left), and rectangles (right and left-leaning).
Abbreviations used:
CO: cast on
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
K: knit,
P: purl,
S1: slip one stitch from the left needle to the right needle as if to purl, with yarn in back (RS); or as if to purl through the back loop, with yarn in front (WS)
P2tog: purl two stitches together as one (decrease)
K2tog: knit two stitches together as one (decrease)
SSK: slip two stitches as if to knit, re-insert the left needle through the front of the stitches, and knit them together (left leaning decrease)
PU: pick up stitches
M1: make one stitch by picking up and knitting through the back loop of the stitch from the row below
This tutorial will make a swatch with blocks that are 5 stitches across. Once you get the hang of it you can make your blocks are large or as small as you like.
Cast On 20 stitches. Your swatch will be 4 blocks wide, 5 stitches each.
Turn your work at the end of every row unless otherwise noted.
Base triangles: (only one set of base triangles are needed )
K2
S1, p1
S1, k2
S1, p2
S1, k3
S1, p3
Sl, k4
S, p4
Sl, k4, place marker, DO NOT TURN;
First base triangle finished. Repeat, beginning with the next two stitches. 4 triangles total.
Left corner:
Beginning with WS facing.
P1, m1 (lift stitch from row below and purl through the back), p2tog, turn
S1, k2
S1, m1, p1, p2tog
S1 k3
S1, m1, p2, p2tog
DO NOT TURN
Right-leaning rectangles:
PU and purl 5 stitches along the downhill slope of the base triangle.
[image of how to pick up and purl]
*S1, k4
S1, p3, p2tog with next live stitch from the next triangle, to join them.
Repeat from * until all the live stitches from the next base triangle are used.
[image of p2tog with next live stitch]
Repeat for the rest of the base triangles. You have now reached the end of the row.
Right Corner:
Beginning with RS facing
K1, m1, ssk, turn
Sl1, p2
Sl1, m1, k1, ssk
Sl1, p3
Sl1, m1, k2, ssk
DO NOT TURN
Left-leaning rectangles:
PU and knit 5 stitches along the downhill slope of the rectangle below.
*Sl1, p4
Sl1, k3, ssk with next live stitch
Repeat from *.
[image of how to pick up and knit]
Go back to Left Corner.
Continue with the corners and the rectangles until the desired length is reached, ending with right-leaning rectangles.
Bind off:
Do right corner as usual until 4 stitches are on the left needle. Then Sl1, m1, and bind off one, and continue binding off across the row until the last stitch of the triangle.
PU 5 stitches along the downhill edge as usual, you now have 6 stitches on the right needle.
S1, p4, turn. Slip 1, bind off
K3, ssk
S1, p3, turn. S1, bind off
k2, ssk
S1, p2, turn. S1, bind off
k1, ssk
S1, p1, turn, s1 bind off
ssk, bind off,
repeat until the last stitch of the last rectangle. Knit the last stitch and bind off.
10 comments:
works like a charm even for a beginner.
thanks for the help.
kg
thank you very much for this tutorial. i thought entrelac was way over my head, but i can do it! the only part that was confusing was the right corner. i have never seen entrelac so i was trying to make what i was doing match your picture exactly, and it doesn't. at least my right corner is where the far right yellow block is in the picture, but corner shaped instead.
but it all worked out once i just stopped looking at the photo obsessively and followed the directions.
thank you, a million times!
boo
Beautiful art work as well! For once someone finally, explained the layout of Entrelac. Seems I am alway missing one of the side triangles. You nailed it with simplpicity, "3 basic parts"
Thank You very much, now put out a DVD so we remember!!
Have question on Entrelac tutorial Bind Off. Regarding the 4 sts. "on Left needle" Here comes the dumb question, will those 4 sts. be on the Purl(WS) or the Knit(RS) ...? Like 4 sts. before going down the slope?
Sweet red threads u have untangled my mind entrelacwaise. Ta very much
Anu
hello over there in ellicott city! i'm down in glen burnie (whooo!), and i am fairly new to knitting (about a year). i am going to make my first attempt at entrelac using your tutorial. we shall see how it goes!
Thanks so much for your tutorial! Was beginning to feel a bit stupid because I couldn't make the ssk work.
You saved my project!
S
This looks fabulous but I am going to ask a stupid question-here goes. In what direction are you turning your needles when the term "turn"is used. If you can help me with this, guess I just have a mental block at the moment, I can be off and running,
Thanks sooooooooooo very much.
s
You're not turning your needles, you're turning your work around to the back. So, you'll always be knitting on the right side of the work and puring on the 'wrong' (back) side. You'll never knit straight across an entire row.
Hi, the photos don't seem to be available here anymore. I'd love to see them. Thanks for the tutorial!
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