Side by side
Argyle vs Harlequin
Argyle and harlequin are both diamond patterns, and the raker line settles which is which. Argyle is diamonds plus thin diagonal lines crossing through their centers, in the muted wools of Scottish knitwear. Harlequin is bare diamonds, point to point with no overline, in the bright silks of the carnival costume it descends from.
Argyle
No. 041knitted intarsia or printed · first documented 1600s
Harlequin
No. 036printed or pieced · first documented 1500s
The differences
| Aspect | Argyle | Harlequin |
|---|---|---|
| The overline | Thin dashed raker lines cross every diamond. | None. The diamonds stand alone. |
| Heritage | Tartan hose of the Scottish Highlands, cut on the bias. | The patched costume of Arlecchino in Italian comedy. |
| Palette | Muted knitwear wools: greens, camels, greys. | Bright theatrical contrasts: red, gold, black on cream. |
| Typical cloth | Knitted intarsia sweaters and socks. | Printed or pieced fabric, costume, and decor. |
Which to choose
Look for the diagonal line through the diamond. Present, and you are looking at argyle and probably at knitwear. Absent, and it is harlequin, with the circus never far away.
Common questions
- Why does argyle have those diagonal lines?
- They are the trace of its tartan ancestry. When Highland tartan was cut on the bias for stockings, the fine overcheck lines of the sett crossed the resulting diamonds diagonally. The knitted pattern kept them as the raker line.
- Is argyle woven or knitted?
- Classically knitted, in intarsia, with a separate yarn bobbin for each diamond. Printed argyles exist, but the pattern is native to knitwear, which is why it lives on sweaters and socks rather than suiting.
Sources & References
- 1.Argyle (pattern), Wikipedia
- 2.Argyle knitwear, Wikipedia
- 3.Harlequin, Wikipedia
- 4.Commedia dell'arte, Encyclopaedia Britannica