CARRYING YARNS WITH THE TWO-HANDED METHOD. The pattern can have a million different colors included, but only two are used within a single row. Intro to Stranded Colorwork // Technique Tuesday Tutorials Catching / Trapping Floats Invisibly. Knitting on an Airplane and Other Travel Tips for Makers, Why You Shouldn't Buy a Knitter Yarn as a Gift. The long float pictured at the bottom of the swatch isnt trapped at all, so its floating across all twelve stitches. This looks like a really fun project, and the authors have included a little tutorial about how to deal with long floats, too, which is one of the challenges lots of Fair Isle knitting projects. Ive found that this method of weaving in works best with worsted-weight and smaller yarns. 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). An inelastic fabric will not stretch to allow your heel to passthrough or pull in to gently hug your leg. Don. Make it a point to check the gaugeespecially on thecolorwork portionsthroughout yourproject, andmakeadjustmentsif you find yourself getting tighter. 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. I am doing two mittens at a time on magic loop and each of the four balls of yarn is placed in it's own ziplock bag to keep them all apart but after every line, I find myself having to untangle them, which makes for very tedious, cumbersome knitting. Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. 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). This scarf will keep you warm even on the coldest windswept shore.. A float carried across five stitches in fingering weight is a much shorter float than one carried across five stitches in bulky yarn. Catching Floats in Stranded Knitting Knitting with Suzanne Bryan Knitting Stranded Colorwork or Fair Isle Colorwork Continental! Really enjoyed your Q & A youtube video, very useful as a newbie to stranded knitting making the most of lockdowns in UK to experiment! A Free Bracelet Beading Pattern for Valentines Day. The hat used almost one full skein of the main colour yarn. The unused yarn ends up floating behind the pattern. Discussion. The culprits are the strands, or floats, which are lengths of yarnnot being knitted and simply carried along the back of the fabric. not stretched out), theres no indication of whether or not your knitting will be stretchy. This is due to the strands being carried across the back of the work (the floats) unlike knit stitches, these strands dont really stretch that much, so the stretch of the overall fabric youre creating is much less. Tryfollowing the pattern for the next size up, decreasing stitch countsfor the cuff and heel to fit. and it also allows you to evenly space out your stitches. These cookies do not store any personal information. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. The knitted loops create the elasticity of knitted fabrics, while thesestraight sections of yarn do not have much stretch capacity. Because of the physical nature of wool, wool fibers like to grab other wool fibers (this is what causes felting when wool is exposed to heat/agitation). Some wools that areknownfor colorwork are very sticky wools, like Shetland wool or Lopi. 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. Knit a few small swatches with different needle types/materials and see if it makes a difference for you! If you dont feel like measuring, you can also tryslipping on your sock at this point, taking care not to break yourknitting needles. Typical stranded colorwork motifs are worked with two different colors per round, with the colors changes happening often (this keeps the floats short). 2.) If you struggle with gauge, keeping your floats consistent, or find it frustrating trying to keep multiple strands from getting tangled - you will LOVE this innovative new approach that will transform your knitting. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Contains spam, fake content or potential malware, https://www.interweave.com/store/vintage-modern-knits-ebook, How to Sew Crochet Motifs to Your Clothes, 5 Things That Made Our Yarn-y Hearts Happy at Yarn Fest Loveland 2023, Floral Beaded Jewelry Patterns for Mothers Day, Unique Ways to Have Quality Yarn-Time with Mom. With two hands, color work is both addictive and soothing. I don't want to have long strands of floats inside the hat, nor do I want it to be too tight. UFO to WIP: Can This Crochet or Knitting Project Be Saved? Many knitters like to wrap each strand around a different finger and knit all stitches English style (throwing) or Continental style (picking). Youll be better able to adjust your tension as you go along, and youll catch things that need fixing without having to work backwards too far. Heres a trick I use for every round of stranded colorworkthat I knit on my socks: I flip the sock inside out, thenknit these rounds. Simply pick up loose bars of yarn in the order they belong (according to your chart), and youll be back in business. AKA Both strands on the left. It maysoundprecise at first, but when you think about it, gauge makes this an incredibly imprecise way to go about it. It can elongate the stitches a little bit because youre adding bulk as youre knitting the stitch, which is especially noticeable when using larger-gauge yarns. Crafty Confessions: Do You Make a Gauge Swatch? These cookies do not store any personal information. To do this, start by turning your sock insideout on the needles so that you can see the right side of the workinside on the needle farthest from you. 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. Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. (Side note: its always better to have floats that are a little long than a little short you can always draw in the slack when youre weaving in ends, but you cant make a short float longer.). Also, if you need to catch floats in a bunch of rows dont catch in the same place every row. Please feel free to share your methods below! A pattern likePine Bough Cowlis worked in a tube and then grafted together, so the floats on the inside of the tube will never be exposed one its finished theres really nothing they can get caught on. It just takes about 1/2 hr to let it sink in and then TaaaDaaa!". 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. Hats or mittens are also great choices. I find myself hating colorwork and dreading it because of how tangled it's been getting. Because Im a continental knitter and I carry both yarns in my left hand, that series of photos is first, but if you scroll down youll also find a series of photos demonstrating the same technique in the two-handed method, with one yarn carried in each hand. I loved your tutorial on catching floats! To maintain the elasticity of the fabric, use the duplicate-stitchmethod to weave in your ends on the inside of the sock(Figure 1). But, as crafters, we have, Knitting Instructions & AbbreviationsGuide to Subbing Brown Sheep Yarns in Knit & Crochet PatternsGuide to Weaving With Brown Sheep Yarns. All Rights Reserved. Holding the main colour in my right hand (English) and the contrasting colour in my left hand (Continental). The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. If youre ready to take the plunge, click here to sign up for our newsletter & well send you a free PDF download of the Jeanette Hat & Scarf Pattern, a lovely colorwork ensemble in which both pieces are knit in the round! Conversely, depending on the knitter, a very smooth yarncan also cause less elastic knitting because it will be easy to pull your stitches tight without meaning to as the smooth yarn fibers slide right past each other. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Colorwork Sans Floats I've made it pretty clear to the knitting world that when it comes to colorwork, floats and I are incompatible. This is also part of why steeking is so common in these places sticky wools are unlikely to unravel when the stitches are cut. Your email address will not be published. The charcoal grey isthe working yarnfor that length, while the light blue yarn is being carried across the back (the floating yarn). My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. 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 are some things to consider: Smoother yarns are closer to the top of the list, while stickier wools are towards the bottom. 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. We'll start at the very beginning - with foundational principles of the strandless method, then take it further with intermediate and advanced techniques. Some knitters will have an easier time with smooth wools while others will have an easier time with sticky ones. The duplicate-stitch weaving closely mimics the pathof the yarn and will stretch almost the same amount as the originalstitches. If you dont, its a good bet that youll pull the non-working yarn a little too tight, causing puckering problems. Picking Both Colours with One Hand. This is a very secure way to trap the float. Heres an extra special tip for you: I use the tacking technique to weave in ends as I knit all kinds of projects, color knitting or solid knitting! And you can see these steps in action here: trapping long floats carrying both yarns in your left handfromDiannaonVimeo. This tutorial shows you how to knit colorwork. 5: My stranded knitting history Easy Trick. Stretch your damp sock gently in severaldirections to even out stitches and floats. It can be tricky tovisualize, but with the work turned inside out, youre working on the far side of the tube, rather than the near side. In reality, there are a few different methods, but Ill be demonstrating what I think is the most common below. The outside of the circle has a larger circumference than theinside, which forces you to make your floats a bit longer. Thank you!! The color changes in Fair Isle are close together. This is a very secure way to trap the float. Weve got some handy tips on making this dream a reality. After steaming, the scarf is so cozy and warm! 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 thought it would be a good idea to finally address this issue! Copyright2023Golden Peak Media. How to catch floats when knitting stranded colour work by ARNE & CARLOS ARNE & CARLOS 161K subscribers Subscribe 163K views 4 years ago This week we take a close look at the back of our knit wear. I am starting my second color work project. Posted by 3 years ago. 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. This article was originally published inSockupiedSpring 2014 andhas been updated. Heres a closer look at what that looks like from the wrong side of the fabric: You can see how the float is trapped at the sixth charcoal grey stitch. Play around with different needle types if youre not sure which category you fit into. That being said, theres a great deal of variation in how stretchy colorwork fabric is from knitter to knitter. That said, it is important to remember to catch those floats overlong stretches of more than six stitches where a color isnt used(Photo 4 above). Gently stretch out the stitches on your right needle as youstrand the unused yarn across the back of these stitches(Photo 1 below). WHAT I'M KNITTING:Sunset Highway Pullover by Caitlin Hunterhttps://www.ravelry.com/patterns/librWHAT YARN AM I USING?Asylum Fiber - \"House Coat\" (mauve)Woolen Boon - \"Truffle Shuffle\" (white)Machete Shoppe - \"Aqua Aura\" (teal) But because sticky wools are more likely to stay in place and the yarn is less likely to slide smoothly past other strands, the finished fabric is generally less elastic than it would be with smooth wools (and it can be tricky for colorwork beginners to achieve smooth results without puckering). 4. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. Whether youre working on double-pointed needles or usingthe magic-loop method, you also need to be careful when workingthe first stitch on a new needle. 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. How can one get a copy of the pattern? 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. 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! You can always try going up a needle size, as well many people need to adjust needle size between stockinette sections and colorwork sections when using the same yarn. In the swatch pictured above, there are two long floats where the blue yarn is stranding across twelve stitches on the wrong side of the fabric. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. We just don't get along. As a result, there are no limitations as to how many stitches a given color block can be wide (a common problem with stranded knitting). Colorwork without stranded floats? Stranded color knitting is the knitters versionof painting by numberand just assimple. This was so helpful! Knit.fm episode 5: Yarn[podcast] I really love this scarf. The basics of colourwork knitting How to read a colourwork chart How to hold two yarns at the same time Floats and tension Joining a new colour Increases and decreases Yarn dominance Blocking Tangled yarns Weaving in ends Yarn choices in colourwork Choosing a colourwork palette The basics of colourwork knitting If you have any other tips foreasing up tight colorwork, Id love to hear themin the comments! The project is a scarf called the Ajiro Scarf. Please note: With the sock inside out, you can easily see both thecolor patterning from the previous rounds and the behavior ofyour floats at the same time. 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. One of the most common problems knitters encounter when starting to knit in stranded colorwork is tight knitting. 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. 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. Float is a common term for the strand of yarn that runs across the back of colorwork fabric the strand that makes colorworkstranded. [] used Dianna Wallas tutorials for dominant strands and trapping floats. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Unknown Please note: There are more than 2 ways to catch a float. This method leaves floats, which are lengths of yarn carried across the back of the work that can be easily snagged. my first fair isle project , last project and I'm making another rainbow one with variegated ribbing. 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. My UPS gal surprised me again the other day with several new Interweave books full of wonderful, inventive projects. I knit continental style, with two strand on left hand. Knitting on an Airplane and Other Travel Tips for Makers, Why You Shouldn't Buy a Knitter Yarn as a Gift. For me, lifes too short to purl in colorwork! Stitches just knit spaced out along the right needle. and our We'll also talk about how to apply this method to all your colorwork projects. You can see where the working yarns meet the needles: The biggestthing to remember is to be patient with yourself! Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Thank you! Here is a nice tutorial from Jimmy Beans Wool on how to catch floats. A Free Bracelet Beading Pattern for Valentines Day. Enjoy! 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. Knit.fm episode 6: More Yarn[podcast] Origins & Inspiration for Strandless Knitting, Part 1: Knit with Me - Step by Step Using the Strandless Method, Part 2: Knit with Me - Step by Step Using the Strandless Method, Part 3: Knit with Me - Step by Step Using the Strandless Method. To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, tack these long floats to the wrong side of the work. Part Seven: Materials fromThe Principles of Knittingby June Hemmons Hiatt, On working in stranded colorwork: CraftGossipAbout CraftGossipContact Us | Privacy and affiliate policy, Grab a Deal on Knitting Designs through 11/29, This Colorwork Cowl is a Great Way to Play with Color, Make Your Own Knit Cardigan, Block by Block, Book Review Cozy White Cottage: 100 Ways to Love the Feeling of Being Home, Teacher Appreciation Themes for Your School, Big Book of Scarves: Corner to Corner Crochet Patterns. 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. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. I work the cuff, heel, and toe ofmy socks at a smaller gauge, using a smaller needle, then changeto a larger needle to work the stranded portions. While cruising full-time on her sailboat throughout CentralAmerica and the Caribbean islands, TERRY MORRIS foundedthe Holiday Mystery Gifts Yahoo Group. Making mistakes in any technique is inevitable, because were all human! So what do I do? You have done it again, Marie! Please confirm you want to block this member. And keep in mind thatmistakes are an important part of the process:we can learn from them. Every knitter is different, so while some people knit tighter on wooden needles, others knit tighter on metal needles. Carrying yarn. Required fields are marked *. It is fun to knit and easy once you get the hang of it. I may seem biased in encouraging you to knit with wool, but seriously the natural barbs in wool fiber will cling together, helping the stitches to stay in place. Colorwork Without Interlocking Floats - Technique Tuesday Alpaca Direct 8.4K subscribers Subscribe 1.1K views 1 year ago ALPACA DIRECT, LLC Kelley Hobart from Alpaca Direct shares tips on how. The Knitters Book of YarnandThe Knitters Book of Woolby Clara Parkes According to designer Courtney Kelley, This scarf was inspired by a picture in Handschuhe, a vintage knitting book from Germany by Eva Maria Leszner. Your email address will not be published. Archived post. It is an in-depth tutorial perfect for anyone who has no experience knitting colorwork and would like to learn how. Knitting inside out. Like Alex I am interested in tidy float catching, working on a sock flat heel (stranded patterning a feature on it) ..so purling involved. Oneof the questions I get most often from students or knitters working from my patterns is how to trap floats in stranded colorwork. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. In order to keep the tension of your sock from getting too tight, you may want to consider letting your floats go a little longer without catching them than you normally would; catching floats too frequently can make the fabric less flexible. the larger circumference). . Colorwork and fairisle knitting offer a range of beautiful, unique patterns. This gives you a chance to check your floats are they too long? You want there to be just as much space between stitches of twodifferentcolors as there is between stitches of thesamecolor. How to Measure Your Gauge in Knittingfrom Craftsy.com, Your email address will not be published. The only issue might be tension of the floats. 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. I get this question a lot, and its a tricky one to answer. Lately I've been on a colourwork-knitting kick, and thought I'd share my favorite methods for catching floats. Theres a big difference between a knitted bag youll sew a lining into and a pair of mittens or socks. Wanting to try stranded color work or Fair Isle knitting, but feeling a little intimidated? Because strandedcolorwork does not have the same stretch capacity as plain stockinetteknitting, you have a real problem. You can clip off a little more after you block the piece. Needle type and needle material. trapping long floats in stranded colorwork. I hope it helps you or at least entertains you. Slide your right-hand needleunderneaththe floating strand (blue), then wrap the working yarn (charcoal) around your needle to knit the stitch. (Wondering what the dominant yarn is? Decreasethese four stitches at the ankle before working the heel. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. When you join a new ball of yarn, just weave it in for 1 1/2 to 2 inches using the tacking technique. Fortunately, there are tricks to create a moreelastic fabric and a successful sock fit. First of all: choose the right pattern for learning to knit with two colors at a time. It may sound crazy, but many folks solve the tight colorwork issue by working their colorwork tubes inside out! The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Archived post. Colorwork can be stressful worrying about having the right tension and this new method takes all of that away! Next, measure the circumference of your knitting while stretchingit out as much as possible. The bottom swatch will definitely block out to the 8 circumference Im aiming for, but the top swatch will likely be too small. Cookie Notice There are a few reasons for this, but the big one is thatcolorwork fabric by its very nature is less elastic than normal stockinette. Please confirm you want to block this member. Omit them, of course! The good news is that picking up dropped stitches in color work is actually not hard! This is more likely to keep them long, and it also keeps them visible, so you can constantly check your tension as youre working. Any other tricks? How to keep yarn from tangling with stranded colorwork? Knitting In the Round 3 Ways: DPNs, Two Circulars, or Magic Loop? You won't have to struggle with dominant colors, floats, multiple strands or wonky tension - watch your knitting transform almost immediately! This pulling can also really tighten your gauge and make garments too small. Please, for the sake of your sanity, choose a pattern thats knit in the round! Im all about creativity. Sue Blacker on Woollen vs Worsted mill spinning, how the knitter is holding/carrying the yarns, how much space the knitter leaves between stitches, whether the knitter is working on DPNs or circular needles. This is also part of why steeking is so common in these places - sticky wools are unlikely to unravel when the stitches are cut. Personally, I dont like this approach. You want to have the right side facing you at all times rather than messing with purling on the wrong side. Crafty Confessions: Do You Make a Gauge Swatch? She is also the founder of Knit Camp, an online knitting resource community, and Olive Knits pattern design where she is known for her approachable, timeless style. How often to catch floats when working colorwork comesdown to personal preference. 256-266 (2012 edition) The last step is towet-blockyour socks. Tension will be easiest to tackle if you choose a pattern that doesn't require long floats. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Some patterns, such as the Ajiro Scarf, require that the non-working yarn is carried farther7 stitches in this case (see chart at right). You can seein the photo abovethat Ive worked the first 5 stitches of my 21-stitch span. Enjoy! A long float would be considered more than 5 stitches in a row of one color before changing. Fair Isle knitting, also known as stranded colorwork knitting, is a technique for working two (or more) colors of yarn in the same row. Read morehere. This allows you to carry the yarn you aren't knitting with across the back of the work as you go. Sue Blacker on Woollen vs Worsted mill spinningon wovember.com
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