Free Pattern: Orange Pointe Herringbone Knit Square Collar

Introduction

Welcome to your very first knitting adventure! The Orange Pointe Herringbone Square Collar is the perfect project for a complete beginner who wants to make something beautiful, wearable, and genuinely impressive. It is a flat, square-shaped collar worked in soft self-striping sock yarn, with a bold orange checkerboard panel in the center framed by rich cobalt-blue herringbone texture. When finished, it drapes gently around your neck like a little knitted scarf-collar, with two overlapping front edges that sit neatly without a single button. The fabric feels soft and matte against the skin, with a dense, chevron-like texture that looks far more complicated than it actually is. If you can knit and purl, you can make this — and you will be so proud of it.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: 1 skein of self-striping sock yarn (fingering weight, approx. 400 m / 437 yds per 100 g skein) in a cobalt/orange striping colorway. You will use approx. 60 g. The sample alternates cobalt blue and burnt-orange stripes.
• Needles: 3.25 mm (US 3) straight needles or a 60 cm circular needle, plus one spare 3.25 mm (US 3) needle for the three-needle bind-off.
• Stitch markers: At least 4 removable or ring markers to mark the frame and panel sections.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with a large eye for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Blocking pins and a blocking mat: For pinning the collar square while it dries.
• Finished size: Outer square 38 cm x 38 cm (15 in x 15 in). Neck opening 18 cm (7 in) wide and 7 cm (2.75 in) deep at center back. Front overlap 6 cm (2.4 in) on each side.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• st / sts – stitch / stitches. One loop on your needle is one stitch.
• RS – right side. The side of the fabric that faces outward when worn.
• WS – wrong side. The inside of the fabric.
• k – knit. Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from left to right, wrap yarn around, and pull the loop through.
• p – purl. Insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from right to left, wrap yarn around the front, and pull the loop through to the back.
• k2tog – knit two stitches together. Insert your needle into two stitches at once and knit them as one. This decreases by one stitch and leans to the right.
• ssk – slip, slip, knit. Slip two stitches one at a time from the left needle to the right needle as if to knit, then insert the left needle into the fronts of both and knit them together. This decreases by one stitch and leans to the left.
• p2tog – purl two stitches together. Purl two stitches as one. Decreases by one.
• sl 1 knitwise – slip one stitch. Move one stitch from the left needle to the right needle without working it, as if you were going to knit it.
• psso – pass slipped stitch over. Lift the slipped stitch over the stitch you just worked and off the needle. This decreases by one.
• O – orange (burnt-orange yarn section).
• C – cobalt (blue yarn section).
• Garter stitch – knitting every row. The fabric looks like little horizontal ridges.
• Stockinette stitch – knit on the RS rows, purl on the WS rows. The fabric is smooth on the front.
• Intarsia – a colorwork method where separate yarn sections are used for each color block, twisting the yarns where they meet so no hole forms.
• Bind off – the way to finish stitches so they do not unravel. Knit two stitches, lift the first over the second, and repeat across.
• Pick up and knit – insert your needle into the edge of the fabric, wrap yarn, and pull up a new loop to create stitches along an edge.
• Three-needle bind-off – a way to join two sets of live stitches by holding the needles together and binding off through both layers at once.

Gauge

26 sts and 34 rows = 10 cm / 4 in in herringbone stitch, blocked.

Gauge matters because it decides the final size of your square collar. If your stitches are too big, the collar will be too large; if too small, it will be tight. To check gauge, cast on about 30 stitches with your yarn and needles, work in herringbone stitch for about 12 cm (5 in), then bind off. Lay the swatch flat, pin it gently, and let it rest. Measure 10 cm (4 in) across the middle and count the stitches. Measure 10 cm (4 in) up and count the rows. If you have more stitches than 26, go up a needle size; if fewer, go down. Always check gauge before starting — it saves heartache later.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use stitch markers generously. Place a marker after the first stitch, before and after the center 48 stitches, and before the last stitch. This keeps your frame and panel sections clear.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension should be relaxed. Tight stitches make the herringbone stitch hard to work and make the fabric stiff.
• Count your stitches at the end of every decrease row. The pattern tells you exactly how many stitches you should have — check it every time.
• Twist your colors on the wrong side. When you change from orange to cobalt in the checkerboard, cross the two yarns around each other so no hole appears.
• Work the edge stitches firmly. The first and last stitch of every row is always knit on the RS and purled on the WS — this gives a neat, strong border.
• Blocking is not optional. Herringbone stitch looks lumpy until it is blocked. Pinning it square at the end transforms it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Set-Up

With cobalt, cast on 100 sts using the long-tail method (make a slip knot, then loop the yarn around your thumb and needle to create each stitch).

Row 1 (RS): Knit. (100 sts)

Row 2 (WS): Purl. (100 sts)

Place markers: 1 st at each end for the side borders, then mark the center 48 sts for the checkerboard panel (26 sts each side for the herringbone frame).

Lower Frame (Herringbone, Cobalt)

Herringbone stitch (flat, even number of sts):

Herringbone Row A (RS): K1, *sl 1 knitwise, k1, psso but do not drop the slipped stitch; instead knit into the back of the slipped stitch, then drop both stitches together*; repeat from * to * to last st, k1.

Herringbone Row B (WS): P1, *p2tog but leave both stitches on the left needle, then purl into the front of the first stitch again, then slip both off*; repeat from * to * to last st, p1.

Rows 1–24: Work herringbone stitch across all sts, keeping the first and last stitch of every row in stockinette (k on RS, p on WS) as a firm edge. On Row 1 only, begin corner decreases: k1, k2tog, work in pattern to last 3 sts, ssk, k1. Then decrease 1 st at each end every 6th row (Rows 7, 13, 19). (4 sts decreased total over 24 rows; 96 sts remain.)

Center Checkerboard Panel

Row 25 (RS): Work 24 sts in herringbone cobalt, place marker, work 48 sts in checkerboard pattern beginning with 6 sts O, 6 sts C, repeating to marker, place marker, work 24 sts in herringbone cobalt. (96 sts)

Rows 26–72: Continue as established: herringbone cobalt on the outer 24 sts each side, checkerboard on the center 48 sts. Work the checkerboard in 6-st x 8-row blocks, alternating O and C, for a total of 6 blocks high (48 rows). Keep the edge stitches in stockinette and continue the corner decreases every 6th row as before (Rows 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73 — 8 decreases total over this section; 88 sts remain).

Upper Frame (Herringbone, Cobalt)

Rows 73–96: Work herringbone stitch in cobalt across all sts, continuing the every-6th-row corner decreases (Rows 79, 85, 91, 96 — 4 decreases; 84 sts remain).

Neck Edge and Front Overlap

Row 97 (RS): K1, k2tog, work 38 sts in herringbone, bind off the center 4 sts for the neck notch, work 38 sts in herringbone, ssk, k1. (82 sts)

Row 98 (WS): Purl across, working the herringbone pattern on the 38 sts each side. (82 sts)

Rows 99–108: Work 10 rows in herringbone on each side, keeping the neck edge stitches in stockinette. At the same time, decrease 1 st at the neck edge every other row (5 decreases each side; 72 sts remain).

Row 109 (RS): Work 36 sts in herringbone, then work a three-needle bind-off across the remaining 36 sts to close the neck edge, leaving the front open. Do not join the front edges. (72 sts bound off)

Front Overlap Edges

With RS facing, pick up and knit 1 st in every row along the right front edge (approx. 54 sts). Work 4 rows in garter stitch (knit every row), then bind off loosely. Repeat along the left front edge. The two edges overlap by 6 cm when the collar is worn; no buttons or buttonholes are worked.

Assembly and Finishing

Weave in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and run it through the back of several stitches, then trim close. Twist the yarns at each color change on the wrong side so the checkerboard stays neat.

Blocking: Soak the collar in cool water for 15 minutes, gently squeeze out the water (do not wring), and roll it in a towel. Lay it flat on a blocking mat and pin the corners square to 38 cm x 38 cm (15 in x 15 in). Pin the neck edge flat. Allow it to dry completely — usually 24 hours.

Steam the frame: Lightly steam the cobalt herringbone frame to set the texture. Do not press the checkerboard panel flat — you want those blocks to stay puffy and defined.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the cobalt and orange for any two contrasting colors you love — deep green and cream, or navy and mustard — for a completely different look.
• Adjust the size: To make a larger collar, add stitches in multiples of 12 to the cast-on and add rows in multiples of 8 to the checkerboard section, keeping the corner decreases every 6th row.
• Substitute yarn: Any fingering-weight yarn works. Just check your gauge again, because different fibers behave differently.
• Add a button: If you prefer a closed front, work a single buttonhole in the right front edge and sew a small button to the left edge.