Rowan Knitted with Love Knit Along - Release Seven - Downloadable PDF

Rowan Knitted with Love Knit Along – Release Seven: Garter Stitch Heart Square

Release Seven of the Rowan Knitted with Love Knit Along is a downloadable PDF pattern designed by Martin Storey. This instalment focuses on the Garter Stitch Heart Square, a charming motif square that forms part of the larger Knitted with Love KAL project. The square is used as a building block for a range of finished items, including blankets, throws, and cushions, making it a versatile and rewarding knit for those working through the full knit-along series.

What Is Being Made

This release contributes one key square — the Garter Stitch Heart Square — which is incorporated into several finished projects across the knit-along series:

• Large Blanket – uses this square as one of its component panels
• Medium Blanket – also incorporates the Garter Stitch Heart Square
• Cushion 4 – features this square as a central design element
• Cushion 5 – another cushion project incorporating this square

Some cushions within the broader KAL series, such as Cushion 3 and Cushion 6, are noted as not requiring this particular square, keeping the instructions clearly organised for knitters working on specific items.

Design and Colourwork

The Garter Stitch Heart Square is worked using a charted colourwork design. The pattern references a 66-row chart, worked from the lower right-hand corner, with Row 1 worked as a right-side row. The heart motif is achieved through careful colour placement, giving each square a bold, graphic quality that is both decorative and tactile.

The colourways specified in the pattern draw on a warm and characterful palette of named Rowan shades, including:

• Shade A: Marine 905 – used for Cushion 4 and Cushion 5, as well as blanket squares
• Shade A: Lemon 908 – specified for Cushion 5
• Shade A: Routemaster 909 – another colourway option referenced in the pattern
• Shade A: Moss 907 – used across select cushion and blanket versions
• Island Blend – referenced for Cushion 4

Each colourway gives the same heart square a completely different character, allowing knitters to personalise their blankets and cushions throughout the knit-along.

Techniques Used

This is an intermediate-level pattern, suitable for knitters who are comfortable working from a chart and managing colour changes. Key techniques include:

• Working from a knitting chart – the heart motif is charted across 66 rows, beginning at the lower right corner as is standard for flat knitting
• Casting on and casting off – the square begins with a cast-on of 47 stitches using 3¾ mm needles in Colour A
• Blocking and finishing – each completed square is pinned to the stated dimensions on a soft surface, then either steamed according to the yarn ball band instructions or covered with a damp cloth and left to dry
• Weaving in ends – all yarn tails are neatly sewn in after blocking
• Cushion back construction – the cushion back is worked separately, casting on 92 stitches with 3¾ mm needles in Colour A

Stitches Used

As the name suggests, the primary stitch throughout this square is garter stitch, which is created by knitting every row when working flat. Garter stitch produces a wonderfully textured, reversible fabric with natural elasticity — ideal for blanket and cushion projects that benefit from a cosy, substantial hand feel. The pattern key confirms the stitch structure:

• Right-side rows: knit