To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, "tack" these long floats to the wrong side of the work. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. Stranded colorwork motifs are more often than not worked in the round in plain stockinette, which means that in most cases you simply knit all your stitches while alternating between colors across the round. There are other ways to trap floats, but in my experience, this is the most common (and its a pretty simple way to trap floats as youre working, so theres less finishing after the fact). Most often, knitters will "lock" these floats if they become longer than 3 or 4 stitches. When you have several stitches worked in one colour, the unused strand "floats" across the back of the work. Check out our tutorial on swatching for colourwork here. Think of the dominant color as the one creating the design rather than the one creating the background. Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your RIGHT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your LEFT hand. January 22, 2022 @ Making mistakes in any technique is inevitable, because were all human! No need to trap floats there. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. colorwhether on one finger, in a Yarn Guide, or in your left hand while the other strand is in your 2010 - 2022 Tin Can Knits. 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. strands can be tightened, but its virtually impossible to loosen stitches that are too tight. November 1, 2021 @ Back-knitting is just as easy with two strands of yarn as a single strand. You can read aboutcolor dominance here.). The project is a scarf called the Ajiro Scarf. This is my biggest hurdle in colourwork-the float tension. 10:50 pm. Youll want to keep this in mind when choosing the right size if youre knitting a sweater with a colourwork body (get more info on choosing a colourwork sweater size here). Learn how stranded colorwork can be used in design with five accompanying projects including mitts, cowls, and sweaters. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. Your great presenation has take the fear out of at lease trying colorwork. You will always draw the CC yarn (the one on your left) up from underneath the other colour, so it will create slightly longer dominant stitches. There is enough of the contrast grey []. 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. long for their taste. Are there any other pages/videos showing this technique? This creates floats, where yarns pass across the back for several stitches. 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). September 27, 2021 @ wrapping. 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. If you do want to trap your floats, its as simple as twisting your two yarns together. September 28, 2021 @ Your explanations and videos are so helpful (as always). knit with US 6 needles, for instance. These cookies do not store any personal information. Knit Picks and KnitPicks.com are registered trademarks of Crafts Americana Group, Inc. Foreground color nearest the fingertip, background further down. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Switching which strand is held to the left or right of the other creates dominant color in a pattern is not necessarily the same as your MCin fact, it usually should be Basically, this is multi-colored knitting thats done by carrying two colors at a time across a row. Youll weave in the ends later. September 25, 2021 @ knittingissofun The two-handed method is great because the two yarns do not get tangled. Great videos. Youll see the left-hand yarn strand is wrapped behind that stitch, keeping it tame. Colorwork motifs are often presented in charts, as this is an intuitive and shorthand way of showing how the motif builds round by round. 8:17 am, Ive been embarking on my first colorwork sweater and of course, accidentally chose one where a few times, there are three colors within the same row! 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. yarns at a time. Equipped with the basics of stranded colorwork knitting, you can now proceed with confidence! There are two commonly used techniques for wrapping the unused color behind your work while you are 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). Laura Trickel 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. Im assuming you are right handed. A long float would be considered more than 5 stitches in a row of one color before changing. So Im sorry Im not the most helpful person for that! 9:04 am. 6:17 pm. Knitosophy Designs uses cookies on our site to improve your experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. September 27, 2021 @ Thank you!! To accompany the colorwork charts in our patterns, we provide a key showing which colors should be held as the Dominant Color and the Background Color. Ive found that this method of weaving in works best with worsted-weight and smaller yarns. Insertyour right needle intothe nextstitch like normal. For just a few stitches, this is fine and tidy! 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This is a very secure way to trap the float. Simply open the latch, lay each strand in its own channel in the Yarn Guide, snap the top shut, and Simply pick up loose bars of yarn in the order they belong (according to your chart), and youll be back in business. 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!). If you can pick up a regular knit stitch, then you can definitely pick up and fix a dropped stitch within a section of color work. These patterns are particularly well-suited for practicing stranded colorwork as they're smaller projects, worked in the round, and feature motifs that don't require working with more than two strands or colors of yarn in the same round. 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. (Photo 1) Keep the stitches on your right needle stretched out as you bring the unused color behind them. In the words ofJune Hemmons Hiatt, the most successful method is as much a matter of anatomy as it is of dexterity, so keep swatching, experimenting, and practicing to find what works best for you. youre ready to go. When doing more than 4 stitches in a row, just flip the unwanted color over the correct color. Your videos have inspired and taught me so much. You may still need to readjust your tension regularly if one yarn is used more than actually a pretty fun experiment to try this, switching which color is dominant and which is not, you These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your LEFT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your RIGHT hand. December 2, 2021 @ The good news is that picking up dropped stitches in color work is actually not hard! Complete thestitch with your working yarn. September 27, 2021 @ There are several ways knitters do this, and the right choice is the one that feels most comfortable 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. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Tacking Long Floats. If youmustuse a general rule, going by length in inches or cm is a better way to go (e.g. First of all: choose the right pattern for learning to knit with two colors at a time. [] used Dianna Wallas tutorials for dominant strands and trapping floats. The pattern can have a million different colors included, but only two are used within a single row. Knitting colourwork (also known as stranded colourwork or Fair Isle knitting) may seem difficult, but its actually quite simple. 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! I know: slow and steady, right? If you hold one color in each hand, the easiest way to manage color dominance is to hold the Dominant Color in your left hand and strand it below the Background Color on the WS of the fabric. Why would the shape be different from the color dominance? But, as crafters, we have, The new year is a fantastic time to reflect on last year's accomplishments. Hi Lisa Yep, lots of folks find going up a needle size very helpful! In reality, there are a few different methods, but Ill be demonstrating what I think is the most common below. A critical thing to keep in mind when knitting colorwork is where you're holding your main color (MC) vs. arlene j shipper Enjoy! 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Guides, Stitches & Technique 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. the other, as is the case when just carrying two yarns in one hand without the Yarn Guide. This was so helpful! Also, if you need to catch floats in a bunch of rows dont catch in the same place every row. multiple strands requires some adjustments. This distinguishes it from other colorwork methods like mosaic knitting or intarsia. What Im gathering is that the ease of the floats comes with practice. Stitches & Technique 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 thanthreestitches. 11:20 am. Hats or even can koozies can be excellent tutorials Andrea Rangel July 26, . Floats are the yarn thats carried behind the stitches across a row. I can see improvement. Please note: It is my goal for this winter to knit my first colorwork sweater. 11:25 pm. While you It maysoundprecise at first, but when you think about it, gauge makes this an incredibly imprecise way to go about it. I'd start with something where there's only a few stitches between colors so you don't have really long floats. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. When flipped to be a Background Color (right), these Hammock stitches become smaller and less distinct. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. How to catch floats when knitting stranded colour work by ARNE & CARLOS ARNE & CARLOS 161K subscribers Subscribe Share 161K views 4 years ago This week we take a close look at the back of our. Enjoy! Holding them September 27, 2021 @ I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. Working continental on left hand and throwing (english) on the right hand ..your Q & A video showed a way of simply holding up the work and turning it through 360 deggiving that a go if all else fails (thankfully its not a jumper size or such like. Tension will be easiest to tackle if you choose a pattern that doesn't require long floats. Once you have gone over all the puckered fabric in this manner, repeat from the start - until the floats have stretched sufficiently. through, push the left-hand yarn strand back off the working needle. needle. Enjoy! Focus on one section of the fabric at a time and knead it. pattern), the first stitch is worked in C1, the next in C2, and the following two stitches are worked in C1. ), Heres the tutorial for you! Twist your float yarn around your working yarn. For more information, please see our Add a key, so you remember the boxes with dots are purls, and the boxes without dots are knit. Because you have floats making a straight line across the back of the work, the fabric formed by stranded colourwork is much less stretchy than that formed with a regular knitted fabric. joan I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. left-hand One tip is to spread out the sts on the right hand needle before carrying your yarn across in a long float. And before embarking on a sweater-sized project, its wise to do a swatch first. Blocking colourwork isnt really different from any other kind of blocking, but it is CRITICAL! You can clip off a little more after you block the piece. 8:01 am. Most knitters would probably leave shorter Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The unused yarn ends up floating behind the pattern. I really love this scarf. 7:56 am. Wrapping Floats To keep the back of your work tidy, you may want to consider securing the longer loose strands, or "floats," by wrapping the two yarns while you're knitting. You cant avoid them, but they need to be loose so they arent causing your fabric to pinch in. 1999-2023 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Required fields are marked *. 9:28 am. over your finger like a ring, halting at or near your first knuckle, with a multi-channel top that keeps What are your thoughts on this? The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. and sheep. Please confirm you want to block this member. We just don't get along. layers to the fabric as there are strands of yarn. October 28, 2021 @ Slide your right-hand needleunderneaththe floating strand (blue), then wrap the working yarn (charcoal) around your needle to knit the stitch. September 26, 2021 @ You have inspired me to cast on a colourwork hat this week! Neisha Dahlstrom Thank you! We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Whether you hold the yarn document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Fervent fiber nerd and frequent baker living in Norway. Keeping your Dominant Color and Background Color consistent will ensure that your colorwork motifs pop rather than recede into the background. Thank you again for all your beautiful patterns and knitting lessons. Completethestitch withyour working yarn. Here's a video from Tiara the Unicorn explaining three different ways to catch floats, followed by written directions below that. How To Make Intarsia Knitting Patterns Use some graph paper for your chart. One thing that is important to keep in mind in stranded colorwork knitting ismaintaining even float tension. Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. Step 1: Put the knitting thimble on like you would a ring so it rests firmly on the first knuckle of your index finger. thistheyre twice as thick! This was all very helpful. Some patterns, such as the Ajiro Scarf, require that the non-working yarn is carried farther7 stitches in this case (see chart at right). If your stitches are twisted, then you are bringing the yarn through the wrong way. Privacy Policy. Emily Wessel For example, if there are 3 stitches in a row of one color, the other color will need to be carried behind it for 3 stitches. into stranded colorwork with confidence with a section on reading charts, working floats, and choosing colors. Keeping your colors organized and finding a way to hold the yarn so that it doesnt twist or get (Don't know what the proper terminology is). With this weather were all having, doesnt this scarf sound tempting? When you join a new ball of yarn, just weave it in for 1 1/2 to 2 inches using the tacking technique. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. When carrying both yarns in the left hand, you may need to use your thumb to hold the floating yarn (blue) out of the way. You want to have the right side facing you at all times rather than messing with purling on the wrong side. Thank you so much , Mona Wadington This effect is referred to ascolor dominanceand is a result of how the yarns are stranded in relationship to one another on the WS of the fabric as you work. This is convenient because youre always looking at the knit side of the work and thus can ensure that the pattern is forming correctly. Alexa Ludeman 7:46 am. 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. And vice versa hold the Background Color in your right hand and strand it above the Dominant Color on the WS of the fabric. I am sort of figuring it out as I go but it is a little wonky. I like to knit stranded colourwork holding one yarn in each hand. Hold your float yarn away from your working yarn as you knit yournext stitch. tutorials Andrea Rangel January 15, 2020 video, tutorial, . Read More. The rest is just details! This looks tricky to the uninitiated; however, the pattern is formed using only knit stitches, so its not nearly as complicated as it looks! Laurie Rickward No matter what you decide, the dominant color should always be held to the left of the non-dominant Wool will naturally relax into a smooth, even surface after blocking to improve any tight or loose spots in your knitting. With a little practice, you can master these techniques and they will 8:53 am, This is fantastic! Typically, stranded colourwork is knit in the round, rather than back and forth in rows. each yarn strand in its own pathway. The basic idea is simple: knit each stitch in the correct colour according to the pattern, carrying the unused colour behind and across the back of the work. I thought it would be a good idea to finally address this issue! I usually do colorwork with the two hand method any tips for how to add in that third color? For some knitters, the difference is glaring, while others hardly notice it at all. I was told it is never too loose when knitting multi colors . The project that that strikes my fancy for todays post is from Vintage Modern Knits by Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Cookie Notice After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. Colorwork motifs are often presented in charts, as this is an intuitive and shorthand way of showing how the motif builds round by round. Theres only what you prefer. strands in A float carried across five stitches in fingering weight is a much shorter float than one carried across five stitches in bulky yarn. Maureen Murley Ive never knitted a scarf in the round; it forms a tube and when youre done knitting the main part of the scarf, you knit the front and back together with a version of the three-needle bind-off without actually doing the bind-off part. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. When carrying both yarns in the left hand, you may need to use your thumb to hold the floating yarn (blue) out of the way. Here they are in order of relative usefulness (just my opinion! Im all about creativity. free download when you sign up for our newsletter! After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. You want it to be loose, so the floats dont cause puckering, but not so loose that you get distorted stitches. I definitely feel more confident. Check out our posts about: You sure you really wanna open that can of worms? it both ways before getting too far into a project. Thank you so much! . 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. When working stranded fabric with two or more colors, one color (the Dominant Color) will always be more prominent on the right side (RS) while the other (the Background Color) recedes to the background. We just dont get along. Youve effectively trapped the float already! Just perfect. Pick up the CC strand, knit with it, and then drop it. I love your blog and all your instructions along with perfectly placed videos! This week we take a close look at the back of our knit wear to show you how we carry our floats. you get. Firstly:what is a float, and why would I need to trap it? 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. September 27, 2021 @ The timing of this is hilarious. CARRYING YARNS WITH THE TWO-HANDED METHOD. :). needle and then also under the yarn strand on the left hand. Moveyour float yarn out of the way ofyour working yarn to the right of the right needle, keeping it behind the left needle and in front of the right needle. The only Marie Wallin garment Ive knit, I adapted to be knit in the round and I steeked the armholes and front neck. September 29, 2021 @ Theresa Hofstetter My first stranded colorwork project was the Herringbone Hat by Anne Mizoguchi, who has several other similar free colorwork . By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Mary (We found that for this reason, colorwork charts are quite helpful forlearning how to read knitting charts.). Wrapyour working yarn (left hand) around the right needle as though to knit but don't complete the stitch yet. It is also helpful to spread out the stitches just worked on the right needle each time you switch yarns or colors, so that when you draw the next working yarn (C1) behind the stitches just worked in the previous (C2), you can be sure that its float can span the full width of the stitches just worked. Oneof the questions I get most often from students or knitters working from my patterns is how to trap floats in stranded colorwork. . Color in the boxes with two or more colors. See our post on selecting color palettes for color inspiration. Check out the pics below for a little inspiration and click your favourite to get the pattern! September 27, 2021 @ 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. 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. So for knitted fabric thats likely to come into things that may catch on floats, like fingers and toes, we musttraporcatchlong floats to anchor them to the fabric. making sure no floats are longer than 1 or something similar). 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. Sometimes the toughest bit is casting on :), askcarolynwarren Insert your right needle into the next stitch like normal. I get this question a lot, and its a tricky one to answer. The unused yarn ends up "floating" behind the pattern. October 5, 2021 @ I often stick with what I know instead of trying new things. Ill be using myHearth Slippersto demonstrate in the photos, as this pattern involves a very long float the first time you work Chart C. Im working the Large size, and the float is carried across 21 stitches. 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. 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 . Contains spam, fake content or potential malware, https://www.interweave.com/store/vintage-modern-knits-ebook, Free Resin Jewelry Video: Yupo Paper, Alcohol Inks, and Resin, Knitting-Themed Artists We Love: Inspiration from Fiber & Needles, Celebrating Beadwork Artists on International Womens Day. 8:17 pm, Hi Ladies become indispensable in working with color patterns. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. October 4, 2021 @ If the floats are too loose, they can get caught when you wear the garment or the stitches may recede in the background. strands apart, there are tools to help. again, this is a very slow method and one thats more likely to result in frustration. knitting words, by repeating the same word in a row, but then stacking the words in a quote, phrase or sentence.