The basics of colourwork knitting First, you knit a stitch (or several) in one colour - let's call it the main colour (MC). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Marge Sturgill With this weather were all having, doesnt this scarf sound tempting? become indispensable in working with color patterns. colourwork, techniques colourwork, tutorial. trapping long floats carrying both yarns in your left hand, trapping long floats while using the two-handed stranded colorwork method, DIY: Knit Laurus Hat and Free Pattern by Dianna Walla - Kiku Corner, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sex1qLRd_I&t=7s, Something spooky this way comes Halloween inspired knitwear | Wolfish Written, On Dasher, on Dancer the Fallow Jumper | Wolfish Written. Neisha Dahlstrom The Japanese word ajiro describes a herringbone pattern in basketry, which seems fitting for a country known for its long fishing traditions and bold graphic representations of natural elements. arlene j shipper Moveyour float yarn over the working yarn and back around behind the right needle. After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. knitter), then you may want to hold both strands of yarn in the same hand. Thank you! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Youll definitely want to block your colourwork piece after you complete it, and regular wet blocking works just fine. Its possible to trap those long floats as youre weaving in ends after the fact (and if there isnt a long end to weave in where you need to trap a float, you can take a spare bit of leftover yarn and just weave it into the wrong side of the fabric as if it were an end, trapping the floats as you go). Next: choose a natural, non-superwash wool yarn. There are about as many ways to knit colourwork as there are ways to knit, so feel free to experiment and find the technique that works for you. Enjoy! They are best known for their craft books and their original, colourful and visually striking designs. needle. I loved your tutorial on catching floats! Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Enjoy! The long float pictured at the bottom of the swatch isnt trapped at all, so its floating across all twelve stitches. (Wondering what the dominant yarn is? Complete thestitch with your working yarn. 1:50 am, Good luck! Hi Lisa Yep, lots of folks find going up a needle size very helpful! This positions your float yarn in betweenyour needles. We just don't get along. making sure no floats are longer than 1 or something similar). Floats can get in the way in the finished project because they can snag - and, they can mess with the tension of the knit stitches around them. When you go from knitting one stitch in the MC to one in the CC, they dont sit as perfectly as they might if they were done in the same colour. 1:35 pm. Ive completed a few stranded colorwork projects in which I had to switch position of the yarn balls every time I trapped a float: trapping a float without taking my hands off the needles was a revelation and a relief! To swatch for a stranded colorwork motif, we recommend the Speed Swatching method for circular knitting; because most stranded colorwork patterns are worked in the round, it is best to swatch in the round as well. strands in By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Guides, Stitches & Technique Cookie Notice a fabric they like. (We found that for this reason, colorwork charts are quite helpful forlearning how to read knitting charts.). Theresa Hofstetter We recommend a tool called a Yarn Guide that slips Thank you so much! Dive into stranded colorwork with confidence with a section on reading charts, working floats, and choosing . In this example, the dominant yarn is the floating yarn, while the background yarn is the working yarn. This scarf will keep you warm even on the coldest windswept shore.. Enjoy! used to, so try each method and then spend some time practicing (preferably on a small project or even a If you're unsure about what patterns to start with, we recommend the following form our Pattern Database (from left to right): Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin. Itll make the finished knit look a lot better because it will even out the stitches and help the yarn bloom. Nervous about your first colorwork project? My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. Colorwork garments are extremely warm because of As a, It's the holiday season and you know what that meanstime for last-minute handmade gift ideas!, Knitting Instructions & AbbreviationsGuide to Subbing Brown Sheep Yarns in Knit & Crochet PatternsGuide to Weaving With Brown Sheep Yarns. (Photo 1) Keep the stitches on your right needle stretched out as you bring the unused color behind them. You cant avoid them, but they need to be loose so they arent causing your fabric to pinch in. For some knitters, the difference is glaring, while others hardly notice it at all. How to Make Stranded Colorwork Knitting Go Smoothly The biggest problem most people new to stranded knitting have is pulling the yarns too tightly when changing between yarns. Don. Regardless of how you hold your yarns when working stranded colorwork, To swatch for a stranded colorwork motif, we recommend the Speed Swatching method for circular knitting; because most stranded colorwork patterns are worked in the round, it is best to swatch in the round as well. To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, "tack" these long floats to the wrong side of the work. and our 4:42 pm. A pattern like. So, dont let the fear of making mistakes stop you from trying a new technique. Laura Trickel One of the challenging things about colorwork is working with two (or more!) This method leaves floats, which are lengths of yarn carried across the back of the work that can be easily snagged. It there any way to fix this problem? Shop our 50% Off Online Workshop Sale! Its better to stagger the tension so you dont end up with one column of stitches pulling towards the inside of the project. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. it both ways before getting too far into a project. colorwhether on one finger, in a Yarn Guide, or in your left hand while the other strand is in your September 26, 2021 @ When you knit colourwork, the stitches sit a little differently than in regular stockinette. Typically, stranded colourwork is knit in the round, rather than back and forth in rows. Knitosophy Designs uses cookies on our site to improve your experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Videos. Its important to draw this yarn LOOSELY across the back of the work. 6:17 pm. This email came at the perfect time. September 29, 2021 @ Tension will be easiest to tackle if you choose a pattern that doesn't require long floats. While you I do colorwork using continental knitting, with both strands on my left forefinger. Theres only what you prefer. In this example, the dominant color, carried in my left hand, is the contrasting color (blue), while the background color, carried in my right hand, is the main color (charcoal). Firstly:what is a float, and why would I need to trap it? Ive found that this method of weaving in works best with worsted-weight and smaller yarns. Get your copy of Vintage Modern Knits today and queue up your version of the Ajiro scarfor one of the other 25 designs in this fab booktoday! Read More. Making mistakes in any technique is inevitable, because were all human! A baby sweater or a pair of mittens, however, will provide ample opportunity for fingers to catch on floats, so trapping those floats is a good idea. ARNE \u0026 CARLOSHow to catch floats when knitting stranded colour work by ARNE \u0026 CARLOS__Hi and welcome to our channel! Once youve knit a project or two, youll be ready to tackle any colourful knit. Tension is the most difficult aspect to master in color work knitting. CARRYING YARNS WITH THE TWO-HANDED METHOD. The project that that strikes my fancy for todays post is from Vintage Modern Knits by Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. My UPS gal surprised me again the other day with several new Interweave books full of wonderful, inventive projects. If you dont, its a good bet that youll pull the non-working yarn a little too tight, causing puckering problems. Unlike other types of colorwork knitting techniques (such as striping or intarsia), stranded colorwork requires you to carry along the strand of yarn not in use across the back of the work. Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your LEFT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your RIGHT hand. These cookies do not store any personal information. Why would the shape be different from the color dominance? Colorwork Sans Floats I've made it pretty clear to the knitting world that when it comes to colorwork, floats and I are incompatible. Who are we: Scandinavians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison are highly regarded designers, textile artists and authors. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('interstitial-ad');}); Save patterns, share updates, and connect with your community. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. According to designer Courtney Kelley, This scarf was inspired by a picture in Handschuhe, a vintage knitting book from Germany by Eva Maria Leszner. dont. 9:47 am, Anna Buchholtz Then move on to the section beside it. This was only in two colours, and I caught the floats every other stitch because I like having a neat back to my work and less things to catch on when [], Your email address will not be published. Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. Privacy Policy. I dont enjoy trapping floats very much, as it slows down my knitting and can affect the look of my knitted fabric, and Ill avoid it if I can get away with it. This method (pictured below), With two hands, color work is both addictive and soothing. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. When knitting the MC with my right hand, I throw (English style), and when knitting the CC with my left hand, I pick (Continental style). December 2, 2021 @ Youll weave in the ends later. Most knitters would probably leave shorter floats (with three stitches or less) alone, but floats of five or more stitches may benefit from wrapping. The long float pictured at the top of the swatch is trapped twice so that the blue float never carries across more than fourstitches (it looks like three shorter floats instead). Some teachers use hard-and-fast rules, like never carry a float more than five stitches without trapping it. Some teachers tell you not to go more than, That being said, if a rule doesnt jive with your personal preferences, thats perfectly fine! We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. And you can see these steps in action here: trapping long floats carrying both yarns in your left handfromDiannaonVimeo. Insert your right-hand needle into the next stitch, but dont wrap your working yarn around the needle yet. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. You have inspired me to cast on a colourwork hat this week! 10:49 am. When doing more than 4 stitches in a row, just flip the unwanted color over the correct color. When flipped to be a Background Color (right), these Hammock stitches become smaller and less distinct. This effect is referred to as. Most often, knitters will "lock" these floats if they become longer than 3 or 4 stitches. Wanting to try stranded color work or Fair Isle knitting, but feeling a little intimidated? There are two commonly used techniques for wrapping the unused color behind your work while you are Bringyour working yarn betweenthe needles as though you are going to knit but don't complete the stitch. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. CraftGossipAbout CraftGossipContact Us | Privacy and affiliate policy, This Colorwork Cowl is a Great Way to Play with Color, Grab a Deal on Knitting Designs through 11/29, How to use a reusable adhesive to make reverse stamps, Spring Minis and What to Do with Mini Cross Stitch Patterns, Fun Games for St. Patricks Day Class Parties, Free Knitting Pattern Twisted Stitch Blanket, 20+ Airplane Themed Quilt And Block Patterns. Cotton or acrylic blend yarns are not ideal because they are too smooth to cling together properly and dont have the memory that wool does to hold its shape. A critical thing to keep in mind when knitting colorwork is where you're holding your main color (MC) vs. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Maureen Murley All of them take some getting rightand you should keep this consistent throughout the whole project. My first stranded colorwork project was the Herringbone Hat by Anne Mizoguchi, who has several other similar free colorwork . Unlike charts for lace or cabled patterns, which will require you to be familiar with a number of chart symbols, all youll need to keep in mind when following a colorwork chart are the colors of the boxes. This scarf is knitted in the round, which simplifies the Fair Isle patterning (no wrong-side rows) and creates an insulating double layer of fabric. I have a question, how loose should I knit when changing colors ? Method 2 - Working Yarn in Left Hand Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your LEFT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your RIGHT hand. Just starting a colour work sweater. I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. through, push the left-hand yarn strand back off the working needle. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Mary And vice versa hold the Background Color in your right hand and strand it above the Dominant Color on the WS of the fabric. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. I don't want to have long strands of floats inside the hat, nor do I want it to be too tight. Some folks will tell you to trap floats every 3, 5, 7, 10+ stitches, but we almost never do (mittens are the exception). To counteract that natural tightness, we need to add more slack to the float so they act more like regular knit stitches. What exactly is color work? . Ive made it pretty clear to the knitting world that when it comes to colorwork, floats and I are incompatible. Equipped with the basics of stranded colorwork knitting, you can now proceed with confidence! Tacking Long Floats. December 2, 2021 @ You may have heard of trapping floats, but Ill let you in on a little secret: Emily and I almost never trap our floats! True Fair Isle knitting is more specific originating from the island of its namesake in Shetland, northern Scotland but generally can be used interchangeably with the term colorwork. 4:07 am. September 29, 2021 @ Hi Anna For the odd 3 colour round I usually have one yarn in my right and two yarns in my left, but I drop and pick up with the two in my left hand. youre ready to go. When theres an increase or a decrease in a colourwork pattern (like in a colourwork round yoke), youll simply work it in the colour shown on the chart. Whether you hold the yarn When knitting colourwork patterns, you use two colours (sometimes more) in a single row or round. Think of the dominant color as the one creating the design rather than the one creating the background. sometimes called Scandinavian knitting, is the one endorsed by Elizabeth Zimmerman in Knitting Laurie Rickward I get this question a lot, and its a tricky one to answer. These non-traditional colorwork charts are perfect for the creative knitter . What a great tutorial! September 26, 2021 @ I hate to avoid stranded knitting or fair isle because I love, love the look, but I dont want to ruin a lovely pattern with novice work. For keeping those floats nice and loose I recommend trying a longer cord to your circular needle (this spreads out the stitches and forces those floats to be nice and long) and spreading out your stitches on the right hand needle after a long stretch of one colour. For YEARS, well into her career as a pattern designer, Emily knit colourwork this way: Knit with the MC colour and then drop that strand. conscious of carrying the unused colors at the back of the work loosely. Even if you dont struggle with tension or gauge when knitting with one color, knitting colorwork with . The timing of this is hilarious. dominant color in a pattern is not necessarily the same as your MCin fact, it usually should be October 5, 2021 @ Simply follow the colourwork chart, and the pattern appears! One way is to go up a needle size when working colorwork (but doswatchto make sure your gauge remains accurate to the pattern youre following!) ), Heres the tutorial for you! For example, in Round 1 of the colorwork chart below (adapted from the Lucernepattern), the first stitch is worked in C1, the next in C2, and the following two stitches are worked in C1. Holding the CC as the dominant color, then, makes sure this is the look Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Follow the instructions in theSwatching for Circular Knittingsection of ourSwatching 101article to learn more. (Ive ended up doing a not-so-sophisticatd continental CC and the drop and pick up method with the other two colors on my throwing hand), Alexa Ludeman could work with one color at a time, constantly dropping one and picking up the other and then back In this video I demonstrate a couple of ways to carry floats in fair isle knitting. Knit 2 or 3 stitches with MC (2 stitches shown in illustration), insert the right-hand needle tip into the next stitch on the left-hand needle, place the non-working yarn (in this case, CC) over the right-hand needle . can try both out on a colorwork swatch before you cast on to see which you prefer. First of all: choose the right pattern for learning to knit with two colors at a time. Fantastic information and lots of great resources,,,and 2 free patterns to get started! layers to the fabric as there are strands of yarn. Tears. Whichever camp you fall into, note that you must have normal (non-wrapped) 10:50 pm. I like to knit stranded colourwork holding one yarn in each hand. When you have a pattern that calls for long floats (the strand of yarn that you carry behind the color youre knitting with at any one time), its a good idea to tack them, or trap them. Knit Picks and KnitPicks.com are registered trademarks of Crafts Americana Group, Inc. Step 2: Thread the first color (your dominant color) through the left eyelet by wedging it through the cleft and pulling the tail down. September 29, 2021 @ Simply pick up loose bars of yarn in the order they belong (according to your chart), and youll be back in business. The only color you knit to create a new stitch is the one from your right hand. September 24, 2021 @ too loosely can make the fabric look messy. stitches on either side of every wrapped stitch or the weaving effect wont work. Color in the boxes with two or more colors. Also, if you need to catch floats in a bunch of rows dont catch in the same place every row. September 30, 2021 @ By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. (Don't know what the proper terminology is). free download when you sign up for our newsletter! This is a great email, which I just found because it went to spam. I dont enjoy trapping floats very much, as it slows down my knitting and can affect the look of my knitted fabric, and Ill avoid it if I can get away with it. Foreground color nearest the fingertip, background further down. In other words, when you alternate between colors of yarn, the previously unused strand travels behind the stitches just worked until it is ready to be used again, resulting in a horizontal strand on the wrong side (WS). Otherwise, the fabric will be tight and compressed horizontally, which is NOT fun as you knit it and it doesnt look good when its done, either. Okay, excellent, so do I! This will work for any way you knit colorwork (one-handed or two, English or Continental). A quick little video showing how to cable without a cable needle. Unknown Hi Julie The key to tension in colourwork is keeping those floats nice and loose. I hope it helps you or at least entertains you. Really enjoyed your Q & A youtube video, very useful as a newbie to stranded knitting making the most of lockdowns in UK to experiment! One of the many reasons we love this technique is that it creates a visually intricate fabric, but is deceivingly simple to work. Sometimes the toughest bit is casting on :), askcarolynwarren Check out our posts about: You sure you really wanna open that can of worms? I definitely feel more confident. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 6:29 am, Thank you, been nervous about trying this but after watching and reading feel confident to give it a go, growbakeknit If you hold your yarns in each hand, check out this video for a slightly fancier way of trapping: To join a new yarn, just leave a yarn tail and then get started with the new yarn from the beginning of the next round. If the floats are too tight, they will draw your fabric in, causing puckering which will change the look and fit of your finished item. trapping long floats while using the two-handed stranded colorwork methodfromDiannaonVimeo. 10:53 am. (Ask me how I know! 9:04 am. Bringyour float yarn (right hand) behind and aroundthe right needle as though you are going to knit but don'tcomplete the stitch. The yarn thats not currently being used is drawn across the back of the work, and those strands are called floats. 1999-2023 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Weve got a long list of posts that are all about picking palettes and combining colours. knittingissofun If you finish knitting something and onlythenrealize that you should have trapped the long floats dont worry! Ive knit for over 50 years and have just stuck my toe into colorwork. If you are able to take a class on this technique, or self-learn the opposite knitting style from your current preference, I highly recommend giving it a try. Im all about creativity. Hi Elizabeth Thanks so much for your kind words! I thought you said to put the red yarn in your left hand to make it dominant, but then I thought you said to make a diamond shape stand out, you would put the yarn in your right hand. 8:01 am. Thank you so much! Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. Some knitters like to wrap floats frequently and regularly, while others do so when the floats feel too September 27, 2021 @ Colorwork Without Interlocking Floats - Technique Tuesday - YouTube Kelley Hobart from Alpaca Direct shares tips on how to knit colorwork without the need for interlocking floats as. Insertyour right needle into the next stitch, making sure to go BEHIND your float yarn. When you join a new ball of yarn, just weave it in for 1 1/2 to 2 inches using the tacking technique. 8:17 pm, Hi Ladies No good! actually a pretty fun experiment to try this, switching which color is dominant and which is not, you It is my goal for this winter to knit my first colorwork sweater. Personally, I dont like this approach. Keep in mind that wrapped floats may sometimes be visible from the front of the work, so test And before embarking on a sweater-sized project, its wise to do a swatch first. colorwork with 200 new motifs. Regardless of how you hold your yarns when working stranded colorwork,the float of the Dominant Color should always be stranded below the Background Color. Also note that if you Go ahead and knit the next stitch normally. :). Check out the pics below for a little inspiration and click your favourite to get the pattern! Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. Simply open the latch, lay each strand in its own channel in the Yarn Guide, snap the top shut, and The only Marie Wallin garment Ive knit, I adapted to be knit in the round and I steeked the armholes and front neck. If a pattern row has you knit two white stitches, then two black stitches and repeat that to the end of the row, you could literally knit the two white stitches, drop the yarn, pick up the black yarn and knit two stitches, drop it, etc. Start small! Pick up the CC strand, knit with it, and then drop it. When working a stranded pattern, you never want to carry the non-working yarn across the back of the work for more than about 5 stitches, or whatever constitutes about a inch at your gauge. If you only feel comfortable as either a picker (Continental knitter) or a thrower (English 7:56 am. But, as crafters, we have, The new year is a fantastic time to reflect on last year's accomplishments. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. As you work following the chart, the fabric grows to create the pattern shown, so you can look at the colourwork chart and make a fair guess at what the finished product will look like theyre closely related. Here's a video from Tiara the Unicorn explaining three different ways to catch floats, followed by written directions below that. No need to trap floats there. Our Jeanette Scarf is a nice choice because its knit in a small tube in the round (its also available as a free download when you sign up for our newsletter!). But if you're not working one color for a longer bit, that float can get so long that it is at risk ofsnagging on things (like fingers or earrings) or pulling and stretching your work. You want the design to appear as if its laid over the top of the background color, rather than trying left-hand These cookies do not store any personal information. September 27, 2021 @ Unlike other types of colorwork knitting techniques (such as striping or intarsia), stranded colorwork requires you to carry along the strand of yarn not in use across the back of the work. You can see how much easier it is to catch a finger (or a toe, or a hand) on the open, un-trapped float: So, if Im knitting a piece that has long floats, how often should I trap them? starkly different results in colorwork knitting; this concept is known as color dominance. The needle and then also under the yarn strand on the left hand. Most color work patterns use a light to medium weight wool yarn our Nature Spun Fingering, Nature Spun Sport, Lanaloft Sport, and Prairie Spun DK are ideal for color work projects. Elizabeth DeHaven Abel Step 1. to you and that allows you to get the most even tension in your knitting. Use your best judgment and go with what youre comfortable with! Please confirm you want to block this member. If you do come to a spot where its necessary to carry your yarn across more than 5 stitches, remember to catch your floats every so often. There are a number of ways to manage the tension of your floats. joan Nothing wrong with that, but it would slow you down a bit. 8:53 am, This is fantastic! Omit them, of course! 6:08 am. We hope you enjoy it! See our Japanese site: http://arne-carlos.co.jp/ Instagram: arnecarlos Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARNE-CARLOS-164370623579070/?fref=ts Buy our yarn here: http://arnecarlos.com/yarn/ Buy our books here: http://arnecarlos.com/buy/ You find all the patterns in our blog: http://arnecarlos.com/blog/For any business inquiries please contact:anna@noefornett.no