Gourd: a charted design for any craft

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The random number generator picked Gourd from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Rin, one of my Patreon supporters. Because there’s overlapping oval shapes in this and because of the season, I couldn’t resist using pumpkin colors.

I’ve made a version of this chart that’s just a little different.

I developed a lace stitch pattern for Gourd, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

How the Gourd charted design might look as two color knitting in orange and green. Overlapping oval outlines with stripes of a checkerboard pattern and a truncated diamond in the middle of each oval.
Chart showing how to work the Gourd by means of dark and light squares. Written instructions in blog post.
click chart to enlarge
  • The Gourd charted design has a repeat of 8 + 1 columns and 12 + 1 rows.
  • In the written instructions, color A is the light squares above, and color B is the dark.
  • The written instructions below are formatted for stranded knitting, but it is my hope that they could be translated into instructions for other crafts. For instance, if working filet crochet, 1A could be one open square and 2B could be two filled-in squares.
  • This pattern is written in rounds, but because each row has mirror symmetry, the colors can be read in flat rows as written. If knitting, just work purl stitches on alternating rows instead of knit.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this in your patterns (no need to ask). I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
  • My blog posts and stitch patterns are supported by subscriptions on Patreon or donations to my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. If you appreciate my work, please consider helping out. Thanks!

Round 1: work knit as follows; 1A, *2A, 3B, 3A; work from *. (9 sts)

Round 2: work knit as follows; 1A, *2B, 3A, 2B, 1A; work from *.

Round 3: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1B, 1A) x 3, 2B; work from *.

Round 4: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1A, 1B) x 4; work from *.

Round 5: work knit as follows; 1A, *2A, 1B, 1A, 1B, 3A; work from *.

Round 6: work knit as follows; 1A, *(1A, 2B) x 2, 2A; work from *.

Round 7: work knit as follows; 1A, *(1A, 1B) x 3, 2A; work from *.

Round 8: work knit as follows; 1A, *(1A, 2B) x 2, 2A; work from *.

Round 9: work knit as follows; 1A, *2A, 1B, 1A, 1B, 3A; work from *.

Round 10: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1A, 1B) x 4; work from *.

Round 11: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1B, 1A) x 3, 2B; work from *.

Round 12: work knit as follows; 1A, *2B, 3A, 2B, 1A; work from *.

Work rounds 1-12 as desired, ending with round 13.

Round 13: work knit as follows; 1A, *2A, 3B, 3A; work from *.