Haven border: a needlework chart for any craft

The random number generator picked Haven from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Emma B, one of my Patreon supporters. This pattern looked best to me as a border or a stripe to be incorporated in a larger piece. The speckles in the center line reminded me of the speckles in the Norwegian lusekofte sweaters, so I made those speckles into a coordinating pattern to surround the border in the illustration.

I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

depiction of how the Haven needlework border might look in knitting, combined with an abstract speckle pattern
chart showing how to work Haven needlework using dark and light squares
  • Haven has a repeat of 6 + 1 columns and 13 rows.
  • The written instructions below are formatted for stranded knitting, but it is my hope that they could be translated into instructions for other crafts. For instance, if working filet crochet, 1 A could be one open square and 2 B could be two filled-in squares.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this in your patterns (no need to ask). I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
  • My blog posts and free stitch patterns are supported by subscriptions on Patreon or donations to my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. If you appreciate my work, please consider helping out. Thanks!

Round 1: knit in color A.

Round 2: work knit as follows; *3B, 1A, 2B; work from *, 1B.

Round 3: work knit as follows; *1B, 1A, 1B, 1A, 1B, 1A; work from *, 1B.

Round 4: work knit as follows; *2A, 3B, 1A; work from *, 1A.

Round 5: work knit as follows; *1A, 2B, 1A, 2B; work from *, 1A.

Round 6: knit in color A.

Round 7: work knit as follows; *2A, 1B, 1A, 1B, 1A; work from *, 1A.

Round 8: knit in color A.

Round 9: work knit as follows; *1A, 2B, 1A, 2B; work from *, 1A.

Round 10: work knit as follows; *2A, 3B, 1A; work from *, 1A.

Round 11: work knit as follows; *1B, 1A, 1B, 1A, 1B, 1A, 1B.

Round 12: work knit as follows; *3B, 1A, 2B; work from *, 1B.

Round 13: knit in color A.