Mitred Squares, how to knit this technique and what is it used for?

What are Mitred Squares?
Mitred squares are knitted squares worked diagonally, which gives them their characteristic central diagonal line. I find them really versatile and also perfect for using up leftover yarn, which is exactly why I love them so much.

When knitting mitred squares, you work from the outside in, decreasing two stitches every second row. I, personally, find this really motivating because you can actually see how the piece grows, or rather gets smaller, and with every row, you get a little closer to finishing.

At the beginning, you cast on the required number of stitches (usually an odd number, so there is a centre stitch for the decreases). Then you decrease every second row, which are the right-side rows. The decreases are worked along a line in the middle, creating the characteristic diagonal structure that gives the mitred square its distinctive shape.

In this example, the orange line highlights the cast-on edge, the blue line marks the central decrease line, and the green line shows the edge stitches of each row, helping you clearly see how the square is constructed.



How to use Mitred Squares?
I find that this technique really shines when you use it to knit nice, thick potholders, which I’ll explain in more detail further down. They are sturdy, practical, and perfect for everyday use. You can also knit cute coasters for your table or gifts, or—my absolute favourite—create beautiful patchwork blankets.

I love these blankets because you can join the squares as you go, so there’s no need to sew anything together afterwards. This saves time and makes the whole process much more enjoyable. You can even knit the threads in as you work, which reduces the need for weaving in ends later on.

Another thing I really enjoy is how flexible this technique is. You can decide how big or small to make each square, depending on your project and the yarn you have available. This means you can use up leftover yarn really efficiently, or make larger squares and play around with beautiful colour combinations, gradients, or even completely random colour placements.

It’s a very relaxing and creative way to knit, and perfect for slowly building up a project piece by piece.

What do you need?
You can use as little or as much yarn as you like, depending on how big you want your squares to be. For potholders, I prefer using Aran weight yarn with 4 mm needles. I almost always use circular needles instead of traditional straight needles – it just kind of happened, and now I use them for everything.

I like to use Aran weight yarn with 4 mm needles for patchwork blankets, so they turn out nice and warm and soft. But it also looks great if you use leftover sock yarn to make a patchwork blanket – the different patterns really stand out beautifully.

How to Knit a Mitred Square
So… how do you actually knit a mitred square?
In this example, I used about 4 g of Aran weight yarn and 4 mm needles.
Most mitred squares are worked in garter stitch, but I’ve added a stockinette version at the end as well. Personally, I think garter stitch works much better for potholders, and it also gives patchwork blankets a really lovely, cosy look.
The edge stitches are simply knit as normal.



Cast on 23 stitches. Try not to cast on too tightly, otherwise your square can end up looking a bit distorted.
1. Row: (wrong side) Knit all stitches (23 St)
2. Row: K 10 st, slip 1 knit wise, k2tog, pass the slipped stitch over (SK2togpsso), K 10 St (21 St)
3. Row: K 21 St (21 St)
4. Row: K 9 St, SK2togpsso, K 9 St (19 St)
5. Row: K 19 St (19 St)
6. Row: K 8 St, SK2togpsso, K 8 St (17 St)
7. Row: K 17 St (17 St)
8. Row: K 7 St, SK2togpsso, K 7 St (15 St)
9. Row: K 15 St (15 St)
10. Row:  K 6 St, SK2togpsso, K 6 St (13 St)
11. Row: K 13 St (13 St)
12. Row: K 5 St, SK2togpsso, K 5 St (11 St)
13. Row: K 11 St (11 St)
14. Row: K 4 St, SK2togpsso, K 4 St (9 St)
15. Row: K 9 St (9 St)
16. Row: K 3 St, SK2togpsso, K 3 St (7 St)
17. Row: K 7 St (7 St)
18. Row: K 2 St, SK2togpsso, K 2 St (5 St)
19. Row: K 5 St (5 St)
20. Row: K 1 St, SK2togpsso, K 1 St (3 St)
21. Row: K 3 St (3 St)
22. Row: SK2togpsso (1 St)
At the very end, you’ll have just one stitch left – cut the yarn, pull it through the last stitch, weave in your ends, and that’s your first mitred square done

Different ways to work the decrease
In my opinion, the differences between these methods aren’t huge, but I still wanted to show you the most common ones so you can choose which one you like most or feel most comfortable with.



1. SK2togpsso (the one I used above)
This is the version used in the example and the one I use for all of my mitred squares.
It is worked with an odd number of cast-on stitches. Knit to the three centre stitches, then slip one stitch, knit two together, and pass the slipped stitch over. Continue working across the second half of the stitches.
This decrease is worked on every second row, as with all decreases.

2. Sl2k1psso
This is very similar to the first one. You still cast on an odd number of stitches, but instead of an SK2tog psso, you work a Sl2k1 psso. This means you knit again as normal up to the three centre stitches. Then you slip two stitches knit wise, knit one stitch, and pass the two slipped stitches over. This decrease is also worked in every second row.

3. ssk, k1, k2tog
Like the two previous methods, this one is also worked with an odd number of stitches, but here you create a centre stitch. This means the decreases are worked on both sides of the centre stitch. If, as in this example, you cast on 23 stitches. In the second row you start by knitting 9 stitches then slip 2 stitches knitwise and knit them together, knit the centre stitch, then knit the next 2 stitches together, and finish the row as normal.

4. ssk, k2tog
The last method is the only one worked with an even number of stitches. It is worked in the same way as the third method, just without a centre stitch. This means that in this example, you cast on 22 stitches. Then, in the second row, you knit 9 stitches, slip 2 stitches knitwise and knit them together, then knit the next 2 stitches together, and finish the row as normal. The decreases are still 2 stitches in each second row, the same with all other methods. The very last 2 stitches are simply knitted together at the end.

Working with colours:
I’ve added two examples of how a mitred square looks when you work it in two colours instead of just one.



In the first version, I’ve started the square in colour A and, and when I ran out of yarn, I just switched to colour B.

The second version is a popular one because, in my opinion, it really highlights the unique look of mitred squares even more. It’s worked with two colours, using two rows per colour. The important part is to change colour after the first row, so that in the following rows the colour change always happens on the right-side rows.
The piece is cast on with colour A, and only the very first row is worked in colour A. From that point on, each colour is always worked for two rows.

Mitred Square Potholder
For this potholder, I used Aran weight yarn and 4 mm needles. I used about 15 g of beige and 15 g of pink and followed the second method.

The yarn is simply carried up the side and picked up again every second row – nice and easy.



Cast on 65 stitches in beige
Row 1 (beige): knit 65
Row 2 (pink): k31, SK2togpsso, k31 (63 st)
Row 3 (pink): knit 63
Row 4 (beige): k30, SK2togpsso, k30 (61 st)
Row 5 (beige): knit 61
Row 6 (pink): k29, SK2togpsso, k29 (59 st)
Row 7 (pink): knit 59
Row 8 (beige): k28, SK2togpsso, k28 (57 st)
Row 9 (beige): knit 57
Row 10 (pink): k27, SK2togpsso, k27 (55 st)
Row 11 (pink): knit 55
Row 12 (beige): k26, SK2togpsso, k26 (53 st)
Row 13 (beige): knit 53
Continue in this pattern until all stitches have been worked.
In every second row, the number of stitches before the decrease is reduced by one stitch.

At the very end, I used a crochet hook to make 17 chain stitches for the hanging loop.

Let’s get started with the patchwork blanket:
You can use any yarn you like—just keep in mind that the thicker the yarn, the heavier the blanket will be in the end.
If you are using Aran weight yarn, I would recommend a 4 or 4.5 mm needle, depending on how tightly you knit. In general, I usually go with the needle size suggested on the yarn label, but choose one that is 0.5 mm smaller, and I always use circular needles.

It’s important not to knit too loosely, as the square may otherwise lose its shape.

The mitred square patchwork blanket is worked in one piece.
You begin with the first square, and from there all additional squares are joined as you go. For this technique, there are four different types of mitred squares:



Square A is the starting square and is worked only once.
Square B is joined to the right side of the first square. This method is used for all right-side squares and forms the right edge of the blanket. It is repeated until the desired height is reached.
Square C is joined to the left side of the first square and all subsequent squares along the left edge, determining the desired length of the blanket.
Square D is the centre square, or “filler square,” which is worked between existing squares.

The blanket can be worked in two ways:
Either you start with the initial square, then work all right-side squares to reach the desired height, followed by all left-side squares to reach the desired length, and finally fill in the centre.

Or you build the blanket gradually: start with the initial square, then work one square on the right, one on the left, and one in the centre, continuing in this way row by row so that the blanket grows step by step.
In this example, I am using 23 cast-on stitches, a 4 mm needle, and decrease method 1. Each square uses approximately 3–4 g of yarn.
You can make your squares larger if you like. Simply cast on your desired odd number of stitches and adjust the numbers accordingly based on my example.
If you have more stitches than in my example, work the decrease rows using the following principle: take the total number of stitches, subtract 3, and divide the result by 2.

How to knit Square A:
This is the first and only square worked in this way, and also the simplest one. It is worked like a regular square, as described above.



Cast on 23 stitches
Row 1: knit 23 (wrong side)
Row 2: k10, SK2togpsso, k10 (21 St)
Row 3: knit 21
Row 4: k9, SK2togpsso, k9 (19 St)
Row 5: knit 19
Row 6: k8, SK2togpsso, k8 (17 St)
Row 7: knit 17
Row 8: k7, SK2togpsso, k7 (15 St)
Row 9: knit 15
Row 11: k6, SK2togpsso, k6 (13 St)
Row 12: knit 13
Row 13: k5, SK2togpsso, k5 (11 St)
Row 14: knit 11
Row 15: k4, SK2togpsso, k4 (9 St)
Row 16: knit 9
Row 17: k3, SK2togpsso, k3 (7 St)
Row 18: knit 7
Row 19: k2, SK2togpsso, k2 (5 St)
Row 20: knit 5
Row 21: k1, SK2togpsso, k1 (3 St)
Row 22: knit 3
Row 23: SK2togpsso (1 st), cut yarn and pull through

How to knit Square B:
This square is now joined to the right side of Square A. First, cast on 11 stitches, then pick up 12 stitches along the side edge of Square A.
Do not pick up the stitches from the edge bumps, but instead work them between the edge stitches into the small gaps. Except the first picked-up stitch which is worked into the first small corner bump to create the centre stitch and the very last stitch at the very top.



The rest of the square is knitted the same way as Square A

If you have used a different number of stitches for your original cast-on:
Cast on half of your stitches, work one centre stitch into the very first bump, and then pick up the remaining stitches along the side.

How to Knit Square C:
This square is now joined to the left side of square A (again, make sure the right side is facing you).
First, pick up 12 stitches along the left edge of square A. As before, work the first and last picked-up stitch directly into the corners.
Then cast on 11 stitches, I use an endless cast-on for this.
After that, continue as usual: work the wrong-side row first, then begin the decreases on every second row.



How to Knit Square D:
These squares are used as filler squares between existing ones.
Pick up 11 stitches from the right square, then pick up 1 stitch in the corner where the three squares meet (this forms the corner stitch), and then pick up another 11 stitches along the edge of the left square.
After that, finish the square as usual.

And that’s the foundation for your mitred square patchwork blanket. From here, you can simply continue working square by square until you reach the desired size. It’s really satisfying to see everything come together.

As mentioned earlier, you can either plan the height and length in advance or just work your way from corner to corner and let the blanket grow naturally.
You can choose a colour scheme, create gradients, stick to one colour, or simply use whatever yarn you have—resulting in a beautiful, colourful blanket.

Personally, I find it easiest to work from corner to corner, as it gives you better control over the colours. If you plan the height and length first, you might run out of suitable colours for the centre later on.
That said, I think mitred squares look best when you don’t overthink the colour placement and just go with the flow.

In this photo, you can see how the different squares are placed in the blanket.

Garter Stitch Example:
This is my garter stitch example and simply shows what it would look like if the entire piece is worked in garter stitch. For the decreases, I used the first method again, which can also be clearly seen here.
I think garter stitch looks really beautiful for a single knitted square, but I don’t like it as much when used for an entire patchwork blanket. In my opinion, the mitred square loses a bit of its charm that way.



Tipp:
Sometimes the square may become slightly distorted – it can look like the end is being stretched lengthwise. This tends to happen with larger squares, as there are only a few stitches left on the needle and the weight of the piece pulls it downward.
This can easily be corrected by blocking.
This is what the potholder looked like before blocking. However, since it is usually hung up by the corner, it may gradually return to this shape over time.



Please note that this is just my personal approach, there are many ways to do things differently. You can adjust everything to suit your own preferences, whether it’s how you pick up stitches or how you work the edges.
That’s exactly what makes mitred squares so special: there are endless ways to customise them and play with colours, yarns, and techniques.

I hope this guide gives you a clear and helpful introduction to knitting mitred squares and inspires you to try them yourself. If you do, I’d love to hear your feedback—feel free to leave a comment or share your project on Instagram and tag me: @_lovelyyarns