Read More. Blocking colourwork isnt really different from any other kind of blocking, but it is CRITICAL! I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. Insertyour right needle intothe nextstitch like normal. Shop our 50% Off Online Workshop Sale! I usually do colorwork with the two hand method any tips for how to add in that third color? This distinguishes it from other colorwork methods like mosaic knitting or intarsia. Wanting to try stranded color work or Fair Isle knitting, but feeling a little intimidated? through, push the left-hand yarn strand back off the working needle. colourwork, techniques colourwork, tutorial. yarns at a time. Elizabeth DeHaven Abel 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? 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. Your explanations and videos are so helpful (as always). 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. Yarn floats, the strands of yarn you carry behind your knitting for some colorwork, are perhaps the trickiest part of knitting colorwork for beginners. Step 1. With this weather were all having, doesnt this scarf sound tempting? Keep one ball of yarn on either side of you while youre knitting, so youll not only keep the How to catch floats in stranded colorwork knitting on purl and knit rows, including videos of how I knit colourwork with two hands. Keeping your colors organized and finding a way to hold the yarn so that it doesnt twist or get Go ahead and knit the next stitch normally. When knitting colourwork patterns, you use two colours (sometimes more) in a single row or round. colorwork with 200 new motifs. I so appreciate it and YOU! Some knitters go up a needle size (or two or three) just for This is my biggest hurdle in colourwork-the float tension. This week we take a close look at the back of our knit wear to show you how we carry our floats. Knitosophy Designs uses cookies on our site to improve your experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Hi Eva This isnt the most satisfying answer but: if you have big Vs it probably means its a little too loose. layers to the fabric as there are strands of yarn. Feel free to post questions in the comments, orshare other tips or methods you know of! Thank you so much , Mona Wadington Keep in mind that wrapped floats may sometimes be visible from the front of the work, so test With a little practice, you can master these techniques and they will This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. To counteract that natural tightness, we need to add more slack to the float so they act more like regular knit stitches. Tension will be easiest to tackle if you choose a pattern that doesnt require long floats. Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. tangled, then, is key to working with multiple colors. September 27, 2021 @ To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, "tack" these long floats to the wrong side of the work. The basketweave pattern is reminiscent of fishing nets, so I chose blue and natural colors to accentuate the ideas of sea and shore. The Knitting Man's Tiny Shorts, How to knit stranded colorwork NO FLOATS METHOD - in just 3 minutes - colourwork fairisle techniques tutorial Teaching and g. (We found that for this reason, colorwork charts are quite helpful for, For example, in Round 1 of the colorwork chart below (adapted from the. Hi Julie The key to tension in colourwork is keeping those floats nice and loose. Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Really enjoyed your Q & A youtube video, very useful as a newbie to stranded knitting making the most of lockdowns in UK to experiment! trapping long floats while using the two-handed stranded colorwork methodfromDiannaonVimeo. and sheep. 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. Foreground color nearest the fingertip, background further down. Give it a try and see if its the solution for you. Basically, this is multi-colored knitting thats done by carrying two colors at a time across a row. 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. I can see improvement. Step 1: Put the knitting thimble on like you would a ring so it rests firmly on the first knuckle of your index finger. wrapping. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. 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). Check out the pics below for a little inspiration and click your favourite to get the pattern! Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. September 24, 2021 @ Knit Picks and KnitPicks.com are registered trademarks of Crafts Americana Group, Inc. Learn how stranded colorwork can be used in design with five accompanying projects including mitts, cowls, and sweaters. Floats are the yarn thats carried behind the stitches across a row. I recently completed a color work sweater and the yoke is snugger than the body. Oneof the questions I get most often from students or knitters working from my patterns is how to trap floats in stranded colorwork. I havent written it up in a blog post, but I covered trapping the non-dominant float in my video on Youtube about stranded colorwork. Thank you so much! 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. to peek through from underneath. This will work for any way you knit colorwork (one-handed or two, English or Continental). One of the many reasons we love this technique is that it creates a visually intricate fabric, but is deceivingly simple to work. moon sprites & icelandic wool month at tolt, Float is a common term for the strand of yarn that runs across the back of colorwork fabric the strand that makes colorwork, So, if Im knitting a piece that has long floats, how often should I trap them? September 29, 2021 @ If you do want to trap your floats, its as simple as twisting your two yarns together. Remember, loose stitches or 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. This scarf will keep you warm even on the coldest windswept shore.. multiple strands requires some adjustments. Not following a pattern, just my rough one I made. Alexa Ludeman Hold your float yarn away from your working yarn as you knit your next stitch. I know: slow and steady, right? Use your best judgment and go with what youre comfortable with! . Please note: 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. could work with one color at a time, constantly dropping one and picking up the other and then back Typical stranded colorwork motifs are worked with two different colors per round, with the colors changes happening often (this keeps the floats short). Keeping your Dominant Color and Background Color consistent will ensure that your colorwork motifs pop rather than recede into the background. 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. pattern), the first stitch is worked in C1, the next in C2, and the following two stitches are worked in C1. Enjoy! Finally, spread out your sweater and leave it to air-dry. When you join a new ball of yarn, just weave it in for 1 1/2 to 2 inches using the tacking technique. 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. If you place the CC ball to the left of your body and the MC ball to the right of your body (and always keep them in those positions), they will not tangle. After steaming, the scarf is so cozy and warm! Read More. Next, wrap the right-hand strand of yarn around the working needle to knit itbut before you pull it Julie Paige Who are we: Scandinavians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison are highly regarded designers, textile artists and authors. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. September 27, 2021 @ (Don't know what the proper terminology is). 9:04 am. get more info on choosing a colourwork sweater size here, Check out our tutorial on swatching for colourwork here, Week of Colour: Strategies for Designing a Palette, Applying Colour to Stranded Knitting Motifs, design your own Strange Brew colourwork yokes, like these ones, The Three Needle Bind-off: A Bind-off and Seaming Method, Blocking: how to finish your hand-knit hat, First, you knit a stitch (or several) in one colour lets call it the, Then you knit a stitch (or several) in another colour lets call it the. January 22, 2022 @ For just a few stitches, this is fine and tidy! stitches on either side of every wrapped stitch or the weaving effect wont work. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. You have inspired me to cast on a colourwork hat this week! Tacking Long Floats. (We found that for this reason, colorwork charts are quite helpful forlearning how to read knitting charts.). 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. Nothing wrong with that, but it would slow you down a bit. December 2, 2021 @ 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!) Focus on one section of the fabric at a time and knead it. Insert your right needle into the next stitch like normal. 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 . click here to sign up for our newsletter & well send you a free PDF download of the Jeanette Hat & Scarf Pattern, Guide to Subbing Brown Sheep Yarns in Knit & Crochet Patterns. Here is a nice tutorial from Jimmy Beans Wool on how to catch floats. 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. 6:17 pm. 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). 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. Some knitters find that it is easier for them to achieve an even tension when they hold the different yarns in either hand (C1 on the right and C2 on the left, for example), while some find it easier when they hold both yarns in the same hand. A long float would be considered more than 5 stitches in a row of one color before changing. So, dont let the fear of making mistakes stop you from trying a new technique. If you're unsure about what patterns to start with, we recommend the following form our Pattern Database (from left to right): Lucerne, Morse, Seeds, and Sommers. These cookies do not store any personal information. Its not as slow as you might think (though its also not fast ). CARRYING YARNS WITH THE TWO-HANDED METHOD. 10:06 am. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The relevant part starts at 23:15 so you can skip to that to see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sex1qLRd_I&t=7s, [] started knitting the colourwork chart using the dark orange and the black. Stitches & Technique 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. The hat used almost one full skein of the main colour yarn. Thank you October 28, 2021 @ After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. 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. Simply pick up loose bars of yarn in the order they belong (according to your chart), and youll be back in business. strands can be tightened, but its virtually impossible to loosen stitches that are too tight. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I watched the video but would like more information & can't seem to find it. After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. (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 Tension is the most difficult aspect to master in colorwork knitting. Thank you! a fabric they like. to you and that allows you to get the most even tension in your knitting. So Im sorry Im not the most helpful person for that! In reality, there are a few different methods, but Ill be demonstrating what I think is the most common below. You want to have the right side facing you at all times rather than messing with purling on the wrong side. 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. To keep the back of your work tidy, you may want to consider securing the longer loose strands, or You initially catch the floating yarn by changing its position as you knit, then you go back and make the floats ladder up themselves, in a technique that is somewhat similar in look to the ladderback jacquard technique used in commercial knitting. would you do one on catching floats in purl side?Im knitting a Marie Wallin pattern in pieces and Im trying to find the best way to trap the floats in purl. *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. If you happen to know both styles of knitting (I do know both because I learned to knit English-style and then converted to Continental-style), work one strand in your right hand to throw and one strand in your left hand to pick. Fantastic information and lots of great resources,,,and 2 free patterns to get started! Tears. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Once you have gone over all the puckered fabric in this manner, repeat from the start - until the floats have stretched sufficiently. The floats across the back of the work need to be flexible enough to allow the front of the work to lie flat. Im trapping my float every 6th stitch as I work across the span of charcoal grey, but you could trap every 5th or 4th stitch as well. Youll weave in the ends later. can try both out on a colorwork swatch before you cast on to see which you prefer. It maysoundprecise at first, but when you think about it, gauge makes this an incredibly imprecise way to go about it. Privacy Policy. > >, Knitting on an Airplane and Other Travel Tips for Makers, Why You Shouldn't Buy a Knitter Yarn as a Gift, Reasons to Take Your WIP to a Sporting Event, A Free Bracelet Beading Pattern for Valentines Day. Please, for the sake of your sanity, choose a pattern thats knit in the round! Hi Lisa Yep, lots of folks find going up a needle size very helpful! . After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. 8:17 pm, Hi Ladies This method (pictured below), Guides, Stitches & Technique The method you use to strand your working yarns may also have different effects on your tension. Neisha Dahlstrom Holding them Alexa Ludeman Going up a needles size can help compensate for this tighter tension. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. I am sort of figuring it out as I go but it is a little wonky. Next, start to knit from the yarn in your left hand. October 4, 2021 @ So what do I do? Add a key, so you remember the boxes with dots are purls, and the boxes without dots are knit. 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. A huge thank you for sharing your wisdom! Winter begins to feel interminable around this time of year. 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. 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). Nervous about your first colorwork project? ARNE \u0026 CARLOSHow to catch floats when knitting stranded colour work by ARNE \u0026 CARLOS__Hi and welcome to our channel! 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. left-hand KnitChats - Tip to Keep Loose Floats in Stranded Knitting KnitChats 473 subscribers Subscribe 54 Share 5.6K views 3 years ago Here's a demonstration of one way to keep your "floats" loose when. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 4:07 am. Theresa Hofstetter Eva Youve effectively trapped the float already! Enjoy! Whale woman, Lindy Van Fleet We recommend a tool called a Yarn Guide that slips become indispensable in working with color patterns. You want it to be loose, so the floats dont cause puckering, but not so loose that you get distorted stitches. Holding the CC as the dominant color, then, makes sure this is the look Add a dot to the boxes that are purl, and leave the knit stitches blank. If the floats are too loose, they can get caught when you wear the garment or the stitches may recede in the background. 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!). By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Moveyour float yarn over the working yarn and back around behind the right needle. Whats the process for trapping non-dominant float? 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. My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. Stranded colorwork knitting, recognizable by allover patterning or bands of color motifs, is prominent in many knitting traditions around the world and continues to inspire countless more iterations of creative colorplay today. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. If you dont, its a good bet that youll pull the non-working yarn a little too tight, causing puckering problems. Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your LEFT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your RIGHT hand. The most important thing is to consider what kind of item youre knitting, and whos going to be wearing/using it. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. 5:52 am. If youd like to stick to carrying the yarn with only one hand but youre having trouble keeping the yarn other. This was so helpful! The project that that strikes my fancy for todays post is from Vintage Modern Knits by Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Ive knit for over 50 years and have just stuck my toe into colorwork. 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. 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! thistheyre twice as thick! 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. 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. That will trap the float. One way is to go up a needle size when working colorwork (but do, 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. youre ready to go. 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. Don. strands in I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. Cut off the excess yarn, leaving about a 1/2-inch tail. 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. dont. There are a number of ways to manage the tension of your floats. strands apart, there are tools to help. 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). One of the challenging things about colorwork is working with two (or more!) You may only see one color in each stitch on the front of a project, but remember that there are as many In this video I demonstrate a couple of ways to carry floats in fair isle knitting. knittingissofun A pattern like. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The mechanics are REALLY that simple, and if you know how to follow a chart, then you can stop reading, grab one of our free colourwork patterns (like the Anthology hat and cowl or the Clayoquot toque), and start knitting right now. tutorials Andrea Rangel January 15, 2020 video, tutorial, . too loosely can make the fabric look messy. Lisa Narayanan needle. (Photo 1) Keep the stitches on your right needle stretched out as you bring the unused color behind them. Color in the boxes with two or more colors. The project is a scarf called the Ajiro Scarf. If you stop here and look at your float, youll see that its caught in the space between the stitch you just knit and the previous stitch. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Hi. How To Make Intarsia Knitting Patterns Use some graph paper for your chart. How To Finish Intarsia Knitting 9:47 am, Anna Buchholtz beginning projects for stranded colorwork. Great videos. My UPS gal surprised me again the other day with several new Interweave books full of wonderful, inventive projects. knitting your multi-color project. This is perfect timing. 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.