purlJam

<pattern>

# MACHINE-KNIT GRANNY SQUARE BLANKET
## DK Weight with Moss Stitch Border and Center Flower Motif

---

## DIFFICULTY LEVEL
**Beginner** – Suitable for machine knitters comfortable with basic stockinette, waste yarn cast-on, and simple colorwork. Moss stitch border requires manual needle manipulation or hand finishing.

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## FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
- **Individual Square**: 8" × 8" (20cm × 20cm) blocked
- **Blanket Size**: Customizable – make as many squares as desired
  - Lap blanket: 5 × 6 squares = 40" × 48" (102cm × 122cm)
  - Throw: 6 × 7 squares = 48" × 56" (122cm × 142cm)
  - Twin: 8 × 11 squares = 64" × 88" (163cm × 224cm)

---

## MATERIALS

### Yarn
**Weight**: DK (Light Worsted, 8-ply)  
**Recommended**: Any DK weight yarn, 100% wool, wool blend, or acrylic

**Yardage per Square**:
- **Main Color (MC)**: 35 yards (32m) – background
- **Contrast Color 1 (CC1)**: 8 yards (7m) – flower center
- **Contrast Color 2 (CC2)**: 12 yards (11m) – flower petals

**Total Yardage** (for example 5×6 = 30 squares lap blanket):
- **MC**: 1,050 yards (960m)
- **CC1**: 240 yards (220m)
- **CC2**: 360 yards (330m)

### Machine & Accessories
- **Knitting Machine**: Standard gauge (4.5mm needle spacing), single bed
- **Carriage**: Standard carriage with fairisle/intarsia capability (or yarn changer)
- **Tools Required**:
  - Transfer tools (single and 3-prong)
  - Latch tool for bind-off
  - Cast-on comb and weights (minimum 3-4 weights)
  - Ravel cord for waste yarn cast-on
  - Row counter
  - Tapestry needle for seaming and moss stitch finishing
  - Blocking mat and T-pins
  - Steam iron or garment steamer

---

## GAUGE
**22 stitches × 30 rows = 4" × 4" (10cm × 10cm)**  
in stockinette stitch at **Tension Dial 5-6**

**Critical**: Always knit a gauge swatch before beginning. Adjust tension dial to achieve correct gauge.

**Gauge Swatch Instructions**:
1. Cast on 30 sts using waste yarn method
2. Set tension dial to 5
3. Knit 40 rows stockinette in MC
4. Remove from machine and block
5. Measure center 4" square
6. Adjust tension if needed (higher number = looser; lower = tighter)

---

## PATTERN NOTES

### Colorwork Method
This pattern uses **intarsia/fairisle technique** for the center flower motif. The motif spans 17 stitches, which is manageable for fairisle stranding. Keep floats loose (no longer than 5 stitches without catching).

### Moss Stitch Border
Moss stitch (seed stitch) creates a textured border that prevents curling. On a knitting machine, this is achieved by:
- **Option 1**: Manual manipulation – bring needles to hold position and hand-knit the border stitches in moss pattern
- **Option 2**: Hand-finishing – knit the square entirely in stockinette, then duplicate stitch or crochet moss stitch border afterward
- **This pattern uses Option 1** with clear instructions

### Reading Charts
- Charts are read from **bottom to top**
- **Right-side (RS) rows** (odd numbers): read right to left
- **Wrong-side (WS) rows** (even numbers): read left to right
- Each square represents one stitch
- Follow color key for each symbol

### Machine Setup
- **Needle Position**: Standard gauge, single bed
- **Tension Dial**: Start at 5, adjust for gauge
- **Carriage Settings**: 
  - Part buttons: Both at I (needles knit)
  - Tension dial: 5-6
  - For colorwork rows: Use MC in Feeder A, CC in Feeder B (or manual yarn changes)

---

## COLORWORK CHARTS

### CHART A: Five-Petal Flower Motif
**Size**: 17 sts × 17 rows  
**Placement**: Centered in square (starts at stitch 14, row 22)

```
Row 17: □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Row 16: □□□□●●●□□□●●●□□□□
Row 15: □□□●●●●●□●●●●●□□□
Row 14: □□●●●●●●●●●●●●●□□
Row 13: □□●●●●■■■■■●●●●□□
Row 12: □●●●●■■■■■■■●●●●□
Row 11: □●●●■■■■■■■■■●●●□
Row 10: □●●●■■■■■■■■■●●●□
Row 9:  □●●●■■■■■■■■■●●●□
Row 8:  □●●●●■■■■■■■●●●●□
Row 7:  □□●●●●■■■■■●●●●□□
Row 6:  □□●●●●●●●●●●●●●□□
Row 5:  □□□●●●●●□●●●●●□□□
Row 4:  □□□□●●●□□□●●●□□□□
Row 3:  □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Row 2:  □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
Row 1:  □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
```

**Color Key**:
- **□ = MC** (Main Color – background)
- **● = CC2** (Contrast Color 2 – flower petals)
- **■ = CC1** (Contrast Color 1 – flower center)

**Chart Reading Notes**:
- Row 1 is the first row of the motif (corresponds to RC 22 of the full square)
- Start motif at stitch 14 (counted from right edge)
- Each row is knitted as one pass of the carriage
- For RS rows (odd): read chart right to left, carriage moves COL to COR
- For WS rows (even): read chart left to right, carriage moves COR to COL

---

## INSTRUCTIONS

### INDIVIDUAL SQUARE (Make as many as desired)

#### MACHINE SETUP
1. **Thread machine**: Place MC in feeder A
2. **Needle setup**: Push needles 1-44 (22 left, 22 right of center 0) to B position
3. **Set row counter**: RC 000/000
4. **Tension dial**: Set to 5 (adjust if needed for gauge)
5. **Carriage position**: Park at right (COR)
6. **Carriage settings**: Both part buttons at I

#### CAST-ON (Waste Yarn Method)
1. With ravel cord, cast on using waste yarn (any scrap yarn)
2. Knit 8-10 rows waste yarn at tension 10
3. Carriage at COR, RC 000
4. Change to MC
5. Set tension dial to 5
6. Knit 1 row MC (this is your cast-on row)
7. Hang cast-on comb with 3-4 weights evenly distributed
8. Reset row counter: RC 000/000

**Verification**: 44 needles in B position, carriage at COL, RC 000

---

#### SECTION 1: MOSS STITCH BORDER – LOWER EDGE (Rows 1-4)

**Note**: Moss stitch requires alternating knit and purl stitches. On the machine, this is achieved by selective needle manipulation.

**Setup for Moss Stitch**:
- Odd stitches (1, 3, 5, etc.) will knit
- Even stitches (2, 4, 6, etc.) will be held (manually purled)

**Row 1** (RS): RC 001, COL
- Manually: Push even-numbered needles (2, 4, 6, 8...44) to D position (hold)
- Knit row with carriage COL to COR – odd needles knit
- Manually with latch tool: Purl each even-numbered stitch (hook stitch, bring needle back through to B position)
- RC 001, COR

**Row 2** (WS): RC 002, COR
- Manually: Push odd-numbered needles to D position (hold)
- Knit row with carriage COR to COL – even needles knit
- Manually: Purl each odd-numbered stitch
- RC 002, COL

**Row 3**: Repeat Row 1
- RC 003, COR

**Row 4**: Repeat Row 2
- RC 004, COL

**Beginner Note**: If manual moss stitch is too complex, knit rows 1-4 in stockinette (normal knitting without needle manipulation). You can duplicate stitch or crochet the moss stitch border after completing the square.

---

#### SECTION 2: STOCKINETTE WITH SIDE BORDERS (Rows 5-21)

**Row 5**: RC 005, COL
- **Setup side borders**: Only stitches 1-4 and 41-44 (4 stitches each side) continue in moss stitch pattern
- Push stitches 1, 3, 42, 44 to D position (hold)
- Knit row COL to COR – stitches 2, 4, 5-40, 41, 43 knit
- Manually purl stitches 1, 3, 42, 44
- RC 005, COR

**Row 6**: RC 006, COR
- Push stitches 2, 4, 41, 43 to D position (hold)
- Knit row COR to COL – stitches 1, 3, 5-40, 42, 44 knit
- Manually purl stitches 2, 4, 41, 43
- RC 006, COL

**Rows 7-21**: 
- Repeat Rows 5-6 alternately for 15 more rows
- **Continue moss stitch on border stitches 1-4 and 41-44 only**
- **Center stitches 5-40 knit every row** (stockinette)
- End at RC 021, COL

**Verification**: RC 021, carriage at COL, moss borders established on sides, center in stockinette

---

#### SECTION 3: COLORWORK FLOWER MOTIF (Rows 22-38)

**Setup for Colorwork**:
- MC remains in Feeder A
- CC2 (flower petals) ready for Feeder B or manual changes
- CC1 (flower center) ready for manual intarsia or yarn changer

**Stitch Range for Flower**: Stitches 14-30 (17 stitches centered)
- Left border: stitches 1-4 (moss stitch continues)
- Left background: stitches 5-13 (MC stockinette)
- Flower motif: stitches 14-30 (follow Chart A)
- Right background: stitches 31-40 (MC stockinette)
- Right border: stitches 41-44 (moss stitch continues)

**Colorwork Instructions**:

**Row 22** (Chart Row 1): RC 022, COL
- Continue moss stitch on stitches 1-4, 41-44 (as established)
- All stitches 5-40: Knit MC (Chart Row 1 is all MC background)
- Knit row COL to COR
- RC 022, COR

**Row 23** (Chart Row 2): RC 023, COR
- Continue moss stitch on borders
- All stitches 5-40: Knit MC
- Knit row COR to COL
- RC 023, COL

**Row 24** (Chart Row 3): RC 024, COL
- Continue moss stitch on borders
- All stitches 5-40: Knit MC
- Knit row COL to COR
- RC 024, COR

**Row 25** (Chart Row 4): RC 025, COR
- Continue moss stitch on borders (stitches 1-4, 41-44)
- Stitches 5-17: MC
- **Stitches 18-20**: CC2 (flower petals – first petal appears)
- Stitches 21-23: MC
- **Stitches