Quick answer: Entrelac builds fabric from small interlocking squares worked at right angles. You pick up stitches from finished squares to start new ones — no seaming required, just picking up and short rows.
What it is
Entrelac creates a fabric that looks like woven lattice, made from small blocks of stockinette oriented alternately at right angles. Each block is just a simple rectangle of short rows.
When to use it
- Scarves and bags — great flat projects for learning
- Colourful blankets where each block is a different colour
- When you want a bold textured fabric without complex stitch patterns
How it works
- Base triangles: cast on and work increasing triangles along the bottom edge.
- First tier of rectangles: pick up stitches along a base triangle edge, work in short rows joining to the next triangle at the end of each RS row.
- Second tier: pick up along the first tier at a right angle — these blocks face the opposite direction.
- Continue alternating direction per tier until the piece is the right length.
- Top edge triangles: fill in the top with decreasing triangles for a straight edge.
Common mistakes
- Picking up wrong number of stitches along an edge — use the same count as your block width every time
- Forgetting to join to the adjacent block — blocks must be attached as you work
- Working blocks facing the wrong direction — alternate every tier