Dreieck - Triangular Garter Stitch Coasters

I seem to have lost my knitting mojo ... somehow all ideas for bigger items (such as scarfs) don't work the way I'd like. Plus, it's quite hot over here - too hot for holding a bigger project. So I decided to knit small geometric shapes from cotton yarn.
I started with an oblong rectangle ... and here's a free knitting pattern for an equilateral triangle - constructed with short rows and all in garter stitch.
The finished pieces can be used as coasters, doily or potholders.
As to the name, "Dreieck" is the German word for triangle.

Eine deutsche Version dieser Anleitung findet sich hier.
There is also a german version of this pattern - available here.



This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• yarn - for the small one I used about 8 grams, for the bigger one 13 grams of Schachenmayr yarn (Catania Color, if I remember correctly)
• appropriate knitting needles (I used 2.5 mm needles)
• scrap yarn and a crochet hook for the provisional cast on
• tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends

Techniques

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Picking up and knit stitches from the side: Insert the needle into the front leg of the edge stitch from back to front and draw your working yarn through. In case of this pattern you only need to pick up one stitch at a time.
• Grafting in Garter Stitch: A technique to get an invisible (knitted) seam - this technique is shown in this YouTube Video by knittinghelp.com.

Construction

When knitting this piece you start with a provisional CO. During the first part, the rows are getting shorter (1 stitch every 2nd rigde) - and getting longer again during part 2 (also by 1 stitch every 2nd row). This is repeated three times - and then the piece is finished by grafting in garter stitch.


Size
The pattern is written in a way that it can be adapted to different sizes. The length of your cast on is about one forth of the height of the triagle.

For the smaller one, I did a CO of 10 sts - its height is about 13 cm, each side measures about 16 cm.
For the bigger one, I CO 13 sts, its height measures a bit more than 16 cm and each side 19 cm.


Instructions

Do a provisional CO of the calculated number of stitches (e.g. 10 sts) and knit the first row.

Part 1
Ridge 1: k up to last st, w+t, k to end
Ridge 2: k up to last wrapped st, turn (without wrapping), sl1, k to end
Ridge 3: k up to 1 st before the last wrapped stitch, w+t, k to end
Repeat ridges 2 and 3 until the last knitted row consists of 1 st and the w+t.

Part 2
Ridge 1: k1, w+t, k1
Ridge 2: k up to and including first wrap, pick up one st from the side, turn (without wrapping), ssk, k to end
Ridge 3: k up to and including ssk from last row, w+t, k to end
Repeat ridges 2 and 3 until you've wrapped the last st of the row.

Inbetween Ridge: k to end, turn, sl1, k to end

Part 3 = Part 1
Part 4 = Part 2

Inbetween Ridge: k to end, turn, sl1, k to end

Part 5 = Part 1
Part 6 = Part 2

Finishing
Put the stitches from the provisional CO on the second needle - cut your yarn, but leave a tail long enough for grafting.
Graft in garter stitch.
If there is a small hole in the middle of the piece, use the end to sew it closed.
Weave in ends.