Scrappy Summer: Slipped-Color Exploration

If you’re rich in leftover scraps and odd balls of yarn, then this stitch pattern can be your payoff. It’s a bit sneaky. Even a seasoned knitter might be fooled into thinking it is worked with a stranded-knitting technique, but it derives its punch from easy slip stitches alternating with plain rows.

The Original Pattern and the Game Changer

I found this pleasant-looking pattern in The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches, Volume 3, and I was curious to see how it was accomplished. The instructions revealed that the color change every four rows would allow me to try color combinations (top left swatch below).

But, as a color curious knitter, could I adapt the pattern and switch every two rows instead of every four? I was more than a little surprised at the result, and I saw that it presented a huge opportunity for color experiments.

Top row, left to right: Original four-row color pattern; adapted two-row color variation using light stripes. Bottom row, left to right: Adapted two-row color variation using dark stripes; adapted two-row color variation using neutrals.

My first rough swatch used light colors for the plain rows and dark colors for the slip-stitch rows. After that, I tried medium to dark colors for the plain rows and light colors for the slip-stitch rows. I even tried, boldly for me, all neutrals.

I expect to try other ideas such as using garter stitch for the plain rows or alternating two rows of thick with two rows of thin yarns. The versatility of this stitch makes it a great option for leftover yarns not only in a range of colors, but also texture, gauge, ply structure.

We hope you’ll give this motif a try! The pattern is included below as both a chart and row-instructions.

Tips and Tricks

All knitting stitch patterns have considerations when you apply them in different ways. This basic pattern can be adapted in so many ways to create sweaters, cowls, scarves, throws, and more.

Row Count Like all slip-stitch patterns, this pattern is row dense. For every complete pattern repeat (eight rows), only six rows are visible in the knitting. This is important to know when you are counting for your row gauge. The good thing is that the slip-stitch rows go a bit more quickly than the knit rows.