Strutt’s knitting-cotton No. 6, and pins No. 16.
This is one of the handsomest patterns there are, but it must be knitted much tighter than ordinary work. Twist the cotton twice round the little finger, and you will thus be enabled to draw the stitches quite tight.
When your squares are done, sew them together at the plain part, at the beginning, where the increasings were made. They ought to make a perfect Maltese cross. Cast on 1 stitch and increase every row. Knit until you have 27 stitches on your needle. This completes the first division.
Twenty-eighth row—make 1, pearl the rest.
Twenty-ninth row—make 1, knit the remainder.
Thirtieth row—make 1, pearl 1, * put thread before the needle, pearl 2 together. Repeat from *.
Thirty-first row—make 1, knit the rest.
Thirty-second row—make 1, pearl the rest.
Do the 33rd and 34th rows like the 31st, and now the 2nd division is done.
Thirty-fifth row—make 1, * knit 2, pearl 2. Repeat from *.
Thirty-sixth row—make 1, * pearl 2, knit 2. Repeat from*. Knit the last stitch.
Thirty-seventh row—make 1, knit 1, * pearl 2, knit 2. Repeat from *.
Thirty-eighth row—make 1, pearl 1, * knit 2, pearl 2. Repeat from *.
Thirty-ninth row—make 1, * pearl 2, knit 2. Repeat from *.
Fortieth row—make 1, * knit 2, pearl 2. Repeat from *. Pearl the last stitch.
Forty-first row—make 1, pearl the rest.
Forty-second row—make 1, pearl the rest.
Forty-third row—now you begin to decrease. Knit 2 together, knit the rest.
Forty-fourth row—pearl 2 together, pearl.
Forty-fifth row—knit 2 together, put the cotton before the needle. Repeat alternately.
Forty-sixth row—pearl 2 together. Pearl the rest.
Forty-seventh row—knit 2 together, knit the rest.
Forty-eighth row—pearl 2 together, pearl.
Forty-ninth row—like the forty-eighth.
Fiftieth row—now you do the third division again of 2 plain, 2 pearl, according to the pattern; always decreasing at the beginning. In the last row of this division you knit every stitch. You ought to have 27 stitches, and the rest of the square is plain knitting.
It is an improvement after the quilt is finished to run blue ribbon round the holes which surround the cross, to define it, and bring it out more clearly.