This email came at the perfect time. In this example, the dominant yarn is the floating yarn, while the background yarn is the working yarn. December 2, 2021 @ 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. [] used Dianna Wallas tutorials for dominant strands and trapping floats. 1999-2023 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. dont. Whichever camp you fall into, note that you must have normal (non-wrapped) Enjoy! Most knitters would probably leave shorter 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. In typical fair isle knitting, as you switch from one color to another, the inactive color drops to the back of the work. 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. Thank you for the idea of tying ends and letting them felt themselves over time. Please confirm you want to block this member. 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. . in your left or right hand, its important to keep the strands separate enough that you dont Step 1: Put the knitting thimble on like you would a ring so it rests firmly on the first knuckle of your index finger. floats, by wrapping the two yarns while youre knitting. 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). The unused yarn ends up floating behind the pattern. the other, you may need to readjust your tension frequently as you pull from one strand more than the This is perfect timing. How To Make Intarsia Knitting Patterns Use some graph paper for your chart. become indispensable in working with color patterns. 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! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Fervent fiber nerd and frequent baker living in Norway. Colorwork Without Interlocking Floats - Technique Tuesday 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. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. I have a question on color dominance. I often stick with what I know instead of trying new things. Enjoy! Go ahead and knit the next stitch normally. 1:50 am, Good luck! Theresa Hofstetter What exactly is color work? 10:06 am. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('interstitial-ad');}); Save patterns, share updates, and connect with your community. actually a pretty fun experiment to try this, switching which color is dominant and which is not, you Cookie Notice 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. Colorwork motifs are often presented in charts, as this is an intuitive and shorthand way of showing how the motif builds round by round. What are your thoughts on this? It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. joan Slide your right-hand needleunderneaththe floating strand (blue), then wrap the working yarn (charcoal) around your needle to knit the stitch. One of the many reasons we love this technique is that it creates a visually intricate fabric, but is deceivingly simple to work. You may have heard of trapping floats, but Ill let you in on a little secret: Emily and I almost never trap our floats! All of them take some getting Here they are in order of relative usefulness (just my opinion! I do colorwork using continental knitting, with both strands on my left forefinger. September 26, 2021 @ other. For more information, please see our Youll definitely want to block your colourwork piece after you complete it, and regular wet blocking works just fine. free download when you sign up for our newsletter! Check out the pics below for a little inspiration and click your favourite to get the pattern! (Don't know what the proper terminology is). 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. 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. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Read More. 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. Simply follow the colourwork chart, and the pattern appears! September 28, 2021 @ Holding them 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). This means picking up the float in the back of a stitch to hold it in place and keep some tension in the floating yarn so it doesnt pull too tight or loosen up. Check out our posts about: You sure you really wanna open that can of worms? We just dont get along. Are there any other pages/videos showing this technique? layers to the fabric as there are strands of yarn. The hat used almost one full skein of the main colour yarn. yarns at a time. With a little practice, you can master these techniques and they will Keeping your colors organized and finding a way to hold the yarn so that it doesnt twist or get Check out our tutorial on swatching for colourwork here. 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. A huge thank you for sharing your wisdom! UFO to WIP: Can This Crochet or Knitting Project Be Saved? . 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. Just perfect. (Photo 1) Keep the stitches on your right needle stretched out as you bring the unused color behind them. My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. They work under their artist name ARNE \u0026 CARLOS, which they established in 2002.We publish a weekly, new tutorial every Sunday on both our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. 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. Like Alex I am interested in tidy float catching, working on a sock flat heel (stranded patterning a feature on it) ..so purling involved. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Who are we: Scandinavians Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison are highly regarded designers, textile artists and authors. I so appreciate it and YOU! Add a dot to the boxes that are purl, and leave the knit stitches blank. You may still need to readjust your tension regularly if one yarn is used more than Follow the instructions in the. You want it to be loose, so the floats dont cause puckering, but not so loose that you get distorted stitches. I get this question a lot, and its a tricky one to answer. Back-knitting is just as easy with two strands of yarn as a single strand. Thank you!! The yarn thats not currently being used is drawn across the back of the work, and those strands are called floats. September 30, 2021 @ needle and then also under the yarn strand on the left hand. needle and wrap the yarn from your right hand around the working needle as if to knit itbut the colorwork portions of a garmentusing US 9 needles on a colorwork yoke of a sweater thats otherwise If you do want to trap your floats, its as simple as twisting your two yarns together. Katherine Hill Julie Paige (We found that for this reason, colorwork charts are quite helpful forlearning how to read knitting charts.). I knit continental style, with two strand on left hand. Great tutorial. After steaming, the scarf is so cozy and warm! It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your 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! Bring your float yarn behind your working yarn. My first stranded colorwork project was the Herringbone Hat by Anne Mizoguchi, who has several other similar free colorwork . Now that weve covered when its a good idea to trap floats how do we actually do it? youre ready to go. If youve been too intimidated to give colourwork a try, this tutorial will demystify the process and take you through it step by step. Once youve knit a project or two, youll be ready to tackle any colourful knit. 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. 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. Tension is the most difficult aspect to master in color work knitting. 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. Youll see the left-hand yarn strand is wrapped behind that stitch, keeping it tame. Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. strands apart, there are tools to help. 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. PDF Knitting Patterns Alphabet | Cgeprginia trapping long floats in stranded colorwork - Paper Tiger This distinguishes it from other colorwork methods like mosaic knitting or intarsia. Now Introducing: Brown Sheep Fiber Arts Schoolhouse, Choose the Perfect Yarn and Needles for Any Pattern, Contains spam, fake content or potential malware, 9+ Colorful Patterns to Brighten Winter Knitting. If youd like to stick to carrying the yarn with only one hand but youre having trouble keeping the yarn This looks tricky to the uninitiated; however, the pattern is formed using only knit stitches, so its not nearly as complicated as it looks! a fabric they like. The guidance suggested catching the floats (the stitches youre carrying of one colour behind the colour youre working with) every [], [] After that I got to start on the yoke and the colourwork. Three ways to hold yarn for stranded colourwork - Ysolda Ltd Firstly:what is a float, and why would I need to trap it? over your finger like a ring, halting at or near your first knuckle, with a multi-channel top that keeps 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. 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. September 27, 2021 @ Hi Elizabeth Thanks so much for your kind words! There are a multitude of techniques used to carry two strands of yarn across a row of knitting. 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). Most knitters would probably leave shorter floats (with three stitches or less) alone, but floats of five or more stitches may benefit from wrapping. could work with one color at a time, constantly dropping one and picking up the other and then back long for their taste. This effect is referred to as. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It might sound daunting, but once you get the hang of it you'll be sailing in no time. Fair Isle Knitting Tutorial for beginners - Nimble Needles Whether you hold the yarn You may only see one color in each stitch on the front of a project, but remember that there are as many Complete thestitch with your working yarn. Please confirm you want to block this member. thistheyre twice as thick! I hope it helps you or at least entertains you. 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. 6:19 am. I watched the video but would like more information & can't seem to find it. It there any way to fix this problem? 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 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. 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. left-hand You can clip off a little more after you block the piece. So what do I do? pattern), the first stitch is worked in C1, the next in C2, and the following two stitches are worked in C1. left-hand This was so helpful! If youmustuse a general rule, going by length in inches or cm is a better way to go (e.g. starkly different results in colorwork knitting; this concept is known as color dominance. The Carrying Fair Isle Floats - v e r y p i n k . c o m - knitting patterns By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Basically, this is multi-colored knitting thats done by carrying two colors at a time across a row. 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. and our Bringyour float yarn (right hand) behind and aroundthe right needle as though you are going to knit but don'tcomplete the stitch. Videos. To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, "tack" these long floats to the wrong side of the work. too loosely can make the fabric look messy. Your great presenation has take the fear out of at lease trying colorwork. While you These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 6:29 am, Thank you, been nervous about trying this but after watching and reading feel confident to give it a go, growbakeknit New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. again, this is a very slow method and one thats more likely to result in frustration. There are several ways knitters do this, and the right choice is the one that feels most comfortable 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. This method leaves floats, which are lengths of yarn carried across the back of the work that can be easily snagged. A quick little video showing how to cable without a cable needle. Itll make the finished knit look a lot better because it will even out the stitches and help the yarn bloom. We believeswatchingis an important part of the process of beginning any project. When you have several stitches worked in one colour, the unused strand "floats" across the back of the work. You can find more information about Knitter's Pride needles from these retailers: Bryson Distributing Accessories Unlimited Knitter's Pride Shop finder By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 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. strands can be tightened, but its virtually impossible to loosen stitches that are too tight. Hi Julie The key to tension in colourwork is keeping those floats nice and loose. 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). Tutorial - Fair Isle Locked Down - Stitches n Scraps The timing of this is hilarious. Im all about creativity. A pattern like. (Ask me how I know! Theres no wrong way to knit, and theres no wrong way to knit colourwork. Youll weave in the ends later. Ive taught countless colourwork classes and literally NEVER had a student who couldnt learn to do colourwork using this method but they did find it difficult it at first (theres always a bit of cursing). I loved your tutorial on catching floats! Privacy Policy. Holding the CC as the dominant color, then, makes sure this is the look The project is a scarf called the Ajiro Scarf. often, it is not uncommon for knitters to knit stranded colorwork with a tighter than usual tension, due to the mechanics of alternating between multiple working yarns. To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, tack these long floats to the wrong side of the work. 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. Even if you dont struggle with tension or gauge when knitting with one color, knitting colorwork with KnitChats - Tip to Keep Loose Floats in Stranded Knitting Also note that if you These non-traditional colorwork charts are perfect for the creative knitter . September 25, 2021 @ 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! 8:17 pm, Hi Ladies 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. Hi. Or, you can be a lazy ass like me I just tie them to the next colour, trim them fairly short, and then hope that, with plenty of time and wear, theyll eventually felt themselves together into a nice, solid, woolly mess. The project that that strikes my fancy for todays post is from Vintage Modern Knits by Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Knitosophy Designs uses cookies on our site to improve your experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 7:56 am. Weve got an opinion (or three) on this topic! Im working on it and I realize no matter which method I use for trapping the longer floats, Ill sometimes have to loosen the yarn. 9 Tips for Knitting Stranded Colorwork Socks | Interweave I love your blog and all your instructions along with perfectly placed videos! Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. Some knitters like to wrap floats frequently and regularly, while others do so when the floats feel too Weve got a long list of posts that are all about picking palettes and combining colours. Holding both strands of yarn too tightly can result in fabric that is taut and puckered.