other. I really love this scarf. Here's a video from Tiara the Unicorn explaining three different ways to catch floats, followed by written directions below that. Youll weave in the ends later. This effect is referred to as. The pattern can have a million different colors included, but only two are used within a single row. For me, lifes too short to purl in colorwork! 1999-2023 Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 1. Privacy Policy. 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. Im all about creativity. September 27, 2021 @ When you come to the stitch you want to wrap, put your working needle into the stitch on the Start small! Complete thestitch with your working yarn. 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. floats (with three stitches or less) alone, but floats of five or more stitches may benefit from I was told it is never too loose when knitting multi colors . Knitting colourwork (also known as stranded colourwork or Fair Isle knitting) may seem difficult, but its actually quite simple. 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. floats, by wrapping the two yarns while youre knitting. If the floats are too tight, they will draw your fabric in, causing puckering which will change the look and fit of your finished item. September 28, 2021 @ This past week I was thinking, Maybe if I had someone really break it down for me . 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. Ideally, as a rule of thumb, you want your floats (those unworked strands that end up behind your work) to be less than 1"/2.5 cm. Great tutorial. This positions your float yarn in betweenyour needles. My blue floating yarn is trapped on either side of the 6th stitch. Emily Wessel Bring your float yarn behind your working yarn. One of the many reasons we love this technique is that it creates a visually intricate fabric, but is deceivingly simple to work. Finally, spread out your sweater and leave it to air-dry. can try both out on a colorwork swatch before you cast on to see which you prefer. to you and that allows you to get the most even tension in your knitting. Holding both strands of yarn too tightly can result in fabric that is taut and puckered. One of the challenging things about colorwork is working with two (or more!) I loved your tutorial on catching floats! into stranded colorwork with confidence with a section on reading charts, working floats, and choosing colors. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. 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. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. That will trap the float. 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. Sometimes the toughest bit is casting on :), askcarolynwarren Ive made it pretty clear to the knitting world that when it comes to colorwork, floats and I are incompatible. Hold your float yarn away from your working yarn as you knit your next stitch. trapping long floats while using the two-handed stranded colorwork methodfromDiannaonVimeo. 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? Alexa Ludeman CARRYING YARNS WITH THE TWO-HANDED METHOD. Whats the process for trapping non-dominant float? The long float pictured at the bottom of the swatch isnt trapped at all, so its floating across all twelve stitches. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. UFO to WIP: Can This Crochet or Knitting Project Be Saved? multiple strands requires some adjustments. Why would the shape be different from the color dominance? Simply pick up loose bars of yarn in the order they belong (according to your chart), and youll be back in business. Most color work patterns use a light to medium weight wool yarn our Nature Spun Fingering, Nature Spun Sport, Lanaloft Sport, and Prairie Spun DK are ideal for color work projects. Nothing wrong with that, but it would slow you down a bit. Stitches & Technique To keep the back of your work tidy, you may want to consider securing the longer loose strands, or strands in Focus on one section of the fabric at a time and knead it. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. If youve been too intimidated to give colourwork a try, this tutorial will demystify the process and take you through it step by step. rightand you should keep this consistent throughout the whole project. the other, as is the case when just carrying two yarns in one hand without the Yarn Guide. exactly the opposite. Colorwork motifs are often presented in charts, as this is an intuitive and shorthand way of showing how the motif builds round by round. arlene j shipper 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. 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. wrapping. 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. A long float would be considered more than 5 stitches in a row of one color before changing. 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. Your videos have inspired and taught me so much. Keeping your colors organized and finding a way to hold the yarn so that it doesnt twist or get 5:52 am. These cookies do not store any personal information. Its better to stagger the tension so you dont end up with one column of stitches pulling towards the inside of the project. My first stranded colorwork project was the Herringbone Hat by Anne Mizoguchi, who has several other similar free colorwork . 5:56 am. Go ahead and knit the next stitch normally. (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 I have done very little colorwork but am working on a hat with some simple(ish) colorwork. Read More. This is my biggest hurdle in colourwork-the float tension. Your great presenation has take the fear out of at lease trying colorwork. How to catch floats in stranded colorwork knitting on purl and knit rows, including videos of how I knit colourwork with two hands. When flipped to be a Background Color (right), these Hammock stitches become smaller and less distinct. Most often, knitters will "lock" these floats if they become longer than 3 or 4 stitches. Simply follow the colourwork chart, and the pattern appears! Yarn floats, the strands of yarn you carry behind your knitting for some colorwork, are perhaps the trickiest part of knitting colorwork for beginners. But after a couple of hours of practice, everybody manages to get the hang of it. Hi Eva This isnt the most satisfying answer but: if you have big Vs it probably means its a little too loose. I do colorwork using continental knitting, with both strands on my left forefinger. long for their taste. Insertyour right needle into the next stitch, making sure to go BEHIND your float yarn. Neisha Dahlstrom Hi. Thank you. 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. We believeswatchingis an important part of the process of beginning any project. But, as crafters, we have, The new year is a fantastic time to reflect on last year's accomplishments. Hi Julie The key to tension in colourwork is keeping those floats nice and loose. How can one get a copy of the pattern? So glad I found you. yarns at a time. Simply follow the colourwork chart, and the pattern appears! Oneof the questions I get most often from students or knitters working from my patterns is how to trap floats in stranded colorwork. When you come to the stitch you want to wrap, put your working needle into the stitch on the 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). Next: choose a natural, non-superwash wool yarn. trapping long floats carrying both yarns in your left hand, trapping long floats while using the two-handed stranded colorwork method, DIY: Knit Laurus Hat and Free Pattern by Dianna Walla - Kiku Corner, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sex1qLRd_I&t=7s, Something spooky this way comes Halloween inspired knitwear | Wolfish Written, On Dasher, on Dancer the Fallow Jumper | Wolfish Written. Use your best judgment and go with what youre comfortable with! Pick up the CC strand, knit with it, and then drop it. The charcoal grey isthe working yarnfor that length, while the light blue yarn is being carried across the back (the floating yarn). No need to trap floats there. 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. Thank you! If you are (or can get) comfortable with either left-hand or right-hand knitting, you may find that 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. could work with one color at a time, constantly dropping one and picking up the other and then back 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. Knitosophy Designs uses cookies on our site to improve your experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. In reality, there are a few different methods, but Ill be demonstrating what I think is the most common below. Going up a needles size can help compensate for this tighter tension. Your explanations and videos are so helpful (as always). Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. 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. knittingissofun Below is a video demonstrating my method for knitting colorwork sans floats. While you Thank you. All Rights Reserved. I have some puckering snowmen on a hat right now, but Ill live with it. I recently completed a color work sweater and the yoke is snugger than the body. With colorwork, the float (or non-working yarn) is traveling in a straight line between stitches (black, in the example above), so it doesn't have the same slack to stretch with. September 24, 2021 @ To help shorten the floats while maintaining good tension, "tack" these long floats to the wrong side of the work. beginning projects for stranded colorwork. I and thought I might start poking around to find tutorials for beginning colorwork. I often stick with what I know instead of trying new things. We recommend a tool called a Yarn Guide that slips October 4, 2021 @ What a great tutorial! Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Youll see the left-hand yarn strand is wrapped behind that stitch, keeping it tame. Alexa Ludeman 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 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Alexa Ludeman Please note: With this weather were all having, doesnt this scarf sound tempting? strands apart, there are tools to help. Omit them, of course! All Rights Reserved. . 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. Also note that if you Katherine Hill Remember, loose stitches or Dive into stranded colorwork with confidence with a section on reading charts, working floats, and choosing . 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. *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. Ive completed a few stranded colorwork projects in which I had to switch position of the yarn balls every time I trapped a float: trapping a float without taking my hands off the needles was a revelation and a relief! What is the best method for making sure your floats are loose enough when knitting. Some knitters go up a needle size (or two or three) just for Tacking Long Floats. Keep in mind that if the pattern youre working on has significantly more stitches with one color vs. 6:19 am. Stranded colorwork knitting is referred to as such because of these, One thing that is important to keep in mind in stranded colorwork knitting is, There are a number of ways to manage the tension of your floats. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You can work any increase or decrease stitch in the colour shown. 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. When knittingstranded colorwork, the unworked yarn color "floats" behind the worked stitches in the back of the work. Because knitted fabric is elastic, the floats traveling behind worked stitches must be long enough to span the width of those stitches, both when stretched and relaxed. When you have several stitches worked in one colour, the unused strand "floats" across the back of the work. September 27, 2021 @ Once youve knit a project or two, youll be ready to tackle any colourful knit. 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. I know: slow and steady, right? Ive heard of some people switching to a larger needle for the color work. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. making sure no floats are longer than 1 or something similar). ARNE \u0026 CARLOSHow to catch floats when knitting stranded colour work by ARNE \u0026 CARLOS__Hi and welcome to our channel! If you only feel comfortable as either a picker (Continental knitter) or a thrower (English This is perfect timing. September 24, 2021 @ 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. 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. 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! Not following a pattern, just my rough one I made. Thanks again! With a little practice, you can master these techniques and they will 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. Whether you hold the yarn After knitting this stitch, I have 7 stitches of my 21-stitch span knit. I can see improvement. Elizabeth DeHaven Abel I hope it helps you or at least entertains you. 8:53 am, This is fantastic! We recommend starting with a hat and only two colours just dive in and enjoy the learning process! Thank you so much! This is a very secure way to trap the float. For just a few stitches, this is fine and tidy! Otherwise, the fabric will be tight and compressed horizontally, which is NOT fun as you knit it and it doesnt look good when its done, either. Some patterns, such as the Ajiro Scarf, require that the non-working yarn is carried farther7 stitches in this case (see chart at right). 6:29 am, Thank you, been nervous about trying this but after watching and reading feel confident to give it a go, growbakeknit Read More. The good news is that picking up dropped stitches in color work is actually not hard! By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Twist your float yarn around your working yarn. (Wondering what the dominant yarn is? 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. My UPS gal surprised me again the other day with several new Interweave books full of wonderful, inventive projects. Thank you again for all your beautiful patterns and knitting lessons. 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. needle. knitting your multi-color project. I've been knitting for 2 years and I want to tackle some colorwork to keep expanding my skill set! The unused yarn ends up floating behind the pattern. ), Heres the tutorial for you! 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. See our post on selecting color palettes for color inspiration. September 28, 2021 @ I thought it would be a good idea to finally address this issue! 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. Check out our posts about: You sure you really wanna open that can of worms? Keep one ball of yarn on either side of you while youre knitting, so youll not only keep the Im assuming you are right handed. can make the fabric look strange.
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