Mitred Squares Are Not My Friends

These are two mitred square blocks I finished this weekend. I can't remember which directions I used for the larger square on the right; for the smaller square on the left side I followed the directions in "Basic Mitred Square" by Linda http://www.planetshoup.com/easy/knit/mitre_bas.shtml

Both squares knit with a sale yarn I found last year: 100% cotton "Bahamas" by Jakobdals 50g/100m.



We're calling the square below The Intelligence Test, or, Which One Is Not Like the Other?
This was the more successful of the two but with the same problems I ran into while working on the larger. As you can see, I'm not clear about where to start a square to make it fit. Actually, I was trying to achieve a large square with all the khaki bands creating squares of their own. No clue. Still.

The small square benefitted from having been knit on smaller needles as directed by Linda. I used very old #2 metal needles (at least 33 years old). Metal needles worked much better with this yarn and pattern.
Issues:
1. upper right edge is all wavy as result of the chained cast on
2. bottom right edge is a complete mess as I cut the yarn instead of running it up
3. bottom left edge is stretchy. It the side of the square where colors aren't begun and ended. As usual the first stitch is slipped.
4. Isn't that little point on the left bottom corner quaint? I followed the directions and knitted an additional stitch before pulling the yarn through to end. I solved it later by pulling the yarn through two loops to make the pointed end stitch. Much tidier.



And, now on to the larger square which I'd started some months ago on wooden needles. The panel on the right was knit on #4 wooden needles, the one on the left with #4 faithful Susan Bates needles.



D.B. (Dearly Beloved) has kindly offered to give the little sampler orphans a home -- and hope for life -- as washcloths.