Year of Color 2026 — Month 3 of 12
Welcome to Year of Color!
March’s square turns stripes on their side. Vertical stripes create a completely different energy than the horizontal stripes you’ve been knitting, and the jewel tones make every column of color pop. The technique is simpler than it looks, but the result is a square that feels bold and modern.
Materials
- Yarn: Cascade Heritage Fingering in Como Blue (A), Gold Fusion (B), and Raspberry (C)
- Needles: US 6 (4mm) straight of circular needles or size needed to obtain gauge.
- Gauge: 22 sts and 27½ rows = 4″
- Notions: Tapestry needle, scissors
- Finished size: 8″ × 8″ blocked
In The Loop
- You’ll never carry a float across more than 3 stitches. This keeps you from getting caught in a tangle of long floats.
- Be careful to maintain the first stitch on each edge. It’s easy to lose it!
- All slipped sts are slipped purlwise.
- If you replace the cast-on method, be conscious of where that first row starts. With the long-tail method, your first row is a Wrong Side row.
- Reading charts: These are typical mosaic knitting charts, but the first and last columns might throw you off. They’re not actual stitches. The first column tells you which color is active on that row (the other color gets slipped, as shown in the chart), and the last column works the same way. So when you’re counting your stitches, don’t include those two columns. Your actual stitch count starts after the first color indicator and ends before the last one.
- Allow the floats to be stranded across the stitches LOOSELY. Not way loose. But they should span the actual width of the stitches they’re crossing. This gives you good stretch.
- Even with good tension, your square might look bunched together and the top and bottom might be rolled. This is where blocking is your friend. See what my square looked like before blocking:
- While I worked 3 rows of green at the beginning, the instructions have just 1 row before starting the colorwork. If you noticed the difference, it’s intentional. We changed it so it would look better when seamed.
- While my square does NOT have a single stripe at the end, I learned that it should have one because it gives you a cleaner, more consistent finish. So, I’ve added that to the charts. This does mean you’ll be working 1 more stitch than me. Future you will thank me.
- You decide how tall each color block is! Just one piece of advice: don’t try to make each block exactly half. You’ll go crazy and it’s near impossible to do. As you can see, my color blocks are nowhere near the halfway point. This was deliberate.
- Look at how the raspberry changes how it appears, depending on which color it’s paired with. In the bottom, the raspberry is the dominant color. But, when it’s raspberry and gold fusion, they appear to be equals.
- I’m sure you see that one row looks odd in the top portion. That’s because I accidentally worked the yellow section twice. I decided to leave it as a precautionary tale. Don’t make the same mistake!
Pattern
Using Como Blue 🔵, CO 53 using the Long Tail Method
Setup: Purl across. Do not cut yarn.
Section 1
Join C. Follow Chart 1 or the instructions below.
Row 1 (RS, Raspberry C 🟣): (K1, sl3) 2 times, (k1, sl2) 4 times, (k1, sl) 5 times, k1, sl2, (k2, sl) 4 times, (k3, sl) 2 times.
Row 2 (WS, Raspberry C 🟣): (Sl wyif, p3) 2 times, (sl wyif, p2) 4 times, sl2 wyif, (p1, sl wyif) 5 times, (p1, sl2 wyif) 4 times, (p1, sl3 wyif ) 2 times, p1.
Row 3 (Como Blue A 🔵): (Sl, k3) 2 times, (sl, k2) 4 times, (sl, k1) 5 times, sl, k2, (sl2, k1) 4 times, (sl3, k1) 2 times.
Row 4 (Como Blue A 🔵): (P1, sl3 wyif) 2 times, (p1, sl2 wyif) 4 times, p2, (sl wyif, p1) 5 times, (sl wyif, p2) 4 times, (sl wyif, p3) 2 times, sl wyif.
Continue: Repeat Rows 1-4 until section is to your length preference. You’ll end just having worked Row 4 (a WS row). Cut A 🔵 and join B 🟡.
Then, proceed to Section 2.
Chart 1
Section 2
Section is worked with B 🟡 and C 🟣.
Follow Chart 2 or the instructions below.
Row 1 (RS Raspberry C 🟣): (K1, sl3) 2 times, (k1, sl2) 4 times, (k1, sl) 5 times, k1, sl2, (k2, sl) 4 times, (k3, sl) 2 times.
Row 2 (WS Raspberry C 🟣): (Sl wyif, p3) 2 times, (sl wyif, p2) 4 times, sl2 wyif, (p1, sl wyif) 5 times, (p1, sl2 wyif) 4 times, (p1, sl3 wyif) 2 times, p1.
Row 3 (Gold Fusion B 🟡): (Sl, k3) 2 times, (sl, k2) 4 times, (sl, k1) 5 times, sl, k2, (sl2, k1) 4 times, (sl3, k1) 2 times.
Row 4 (Gold Fusion B 🟡): (P1, sl3 wyif) 2 times, (p1, sl2 wyif) 4 times, p2, (sl wyif, p1) 5 times, (sl wyif, p2) 4 times, (sl wyif, p3) 2 times, sl wyif.
Repeat Rows 1-4 until square is 8.5″ long. Cut B 🟡. Proceed to Bind Off.
Chart 2
Bind Off
Using C, work the BO loosely so that it can accommodate stretching during blocking. Work the BO using the Lace BO.
About Year of Color
This square is part of Year of Color 2026, a 12-month program that teaches you a new colorwork technique every month through two free square patterns (one crochet, one knit). Each month features a curated color palette, technique tutorials, and color inspiration articles. By December, you’ll have 12 squares to join together into whatever you’d like, and a whole year of new skills to show for it.
MORE ABOUT YEAR OF COLOR
What you get each month:
- Free crochet blanket square pattern (8″ × 8″)
- Free knitted blanket square pattern (8″ × 8″)
- Color inspiration articles exploring the month’s palette
- Technical tips and tutorials
- Cultural and historical color spotlights
- Community engagement opportunities
2026 Color Themes:
January: Winter Whites & Creams • February: Soft Pastels • March: Jewel Tones • April: Spring Brights • May: Shades of Blue • June: Orange & Blue • July: Sunset Colors • August: Warm Neutrals • September: Dark & Moody • October: Triadic Colors • November: Rich Harvest • December: Winter Sky
Cascade Yarns is partnering on the project to help make quality color education accessible to fiber artists at every skill level. You can join at any time and work at your own pace — the patterns aren’t going anywhere!
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