Modular Chevron Tutorial

I love this modular technique of joining narrow strips of garter stitch together to create a larger piece. I first used it in the Jamie sweater and have returned to it time and again in some of my blanket designs (Evening Mesa Blanket, Flash Forward, Joinery).

Garter stitch parallelograms forming chevrons with a pair of knitting needles, scissors, and pen resting on top.

The method of working the join is the same whether you’re working on the bias or a straight piece of knitting. The following tutorials combine the instructions for making right or left-leaning modular strips (worked on the bias) with the joining technique.

How To Make a Right-Leaning Modular Strip

Step 1:

Right needle with one stitch on it and preparing to insert needle through back loop of stitch on left needle.

Right needle has already knit into the front of the next stitch on left needle and is now knitting into the back of the same stitch.

Beginning on a RS row, knit into the front and back of the first stitch.

Two stitches on right needle showing the completed knit into the front and back (kfb) stitch.

You’ve increased one stitch, which allows the strip to lean to the right.

Step 2:

Knit across the row until there are 3 stitches remaining.

Step 3:

Right needle inserted into the next two stitches on left needle, beginning the knit two together (k2tog) stitch.

Knit the next 2 stitches together. This decrease, along with the increase at the beginning of the row, is what allows the strip to lean to the right.

Step 4:

Yarn is forward between the needles with only one stitch left to work on left needle.

Yarn forward between the knitting needles so it’s at the front.

All stitches on right needle with yarn coming to the front between last two stitches, and last stitch has been slipped, not knitted.

Slip the next stitch as if to purl.

Step 5:

Right needle is being inserted purlwise under both strands selvedge stitch from back to front of piece.

Insert the right needle through the selvedge stitch of the adjoining strip from back to front, wrap the yarn around the needle as if purling and pull the stitch out through the back of the selvedge stitch.

All stitches on right needle showing that last stitch worked as a "pick up and purl" along the selvedge edge.

This is basically a “pick up and purl” maneuver (similar to pick up and knit).

Step 6:

Left needle is lifting the second last stitch on right needle up, preparing to pass it over the last stitch worked.

Pass the slipped stitch over the last stitch on the needle.

Right side facing and joining row has been completed.

The RS row is complete.

Step 7:

Wrong side facing after joining row has been completed.

With the wrong side facing …

With wrong side facing, right needle inserted in first stitch knitwise, preparing to slip it off.

slip the first stitch as if to knit.

Step 8:

End of wrong side row almost complete, showing yarn in front between needles and one stitch left on left needle.

Knit across the row until there’s one stitch left. Yarn forward.

Step 9:

Last stitch of row being slipped purlwise with yarn in front between last two stitches.

Slip the last stitch purlwise.

Repeat those two rows (Steps 1 to 9) for the right-leaning modular strip.

Right side of modular joins. ⬇

Right side of garter stitch modular knitting with colourful parallelogram shapes joined to created chevrons.

Wrong side of modular joins. ⬇

Wrong side of garter stitch modular knitting with colourful parallelogram shapes joined to created chevrons and showing modular seams.

To work a left-leaning modular strip, begin the RS row with k1, k2tog instead of the increase and work the KFB (knit into the front and back) increase in the second last stitch of the RS row instead of a decrease.

Jamie uses the same joining technique except there’s no shaping at the beginning and end of the RS rows. The whole sweater is assembled modularly with no sewing!