One of the biggest drawbacks of Fair Isle and other stranded colourwork is the long floats that form at the wrong side of the project. These floats not only catch our rings and even fingers, but also affect the tension and the elasticity of the fabric.
To cope with these side effects, we tend to choose colour patterns with smaller space between sections worked in different colours, and use needles in a bigger size to compensate for the difference in gauge.
We can avoid these measures if we use a clever trick known as Armenian knitting. This method allows us to add any motifs and colour patterns to our projects, even the big motifs that we would normally make using intarsia.
This approach became well-known thanks to the iconic “Bowknot Sweater” by Elsa Schiaparelli. According to the legend, the sweater was knitted by an Armenian lady who used this method to add a bow motif right underneath the neckline of this sweater. That’s how this method got its name – Armenian.
We would never know whether this technique originated in Armenia or not. Considering that a similar approach is used in making famous Cowichan sweaters, it is more likely that this ingenious trick came to knitters in different parts of the world as a logical common-sense solution.
In this tutorial, we’ll see how it works. To learn from a video tutorial:
We trap the unused strand after every two stitches worked in the same colour. The classic way of doing it involves holding one strand of yarn in each hand and bringing the unused strand over and then off the needle as we knit or purl a stitch.
This approach forms a neat line of trapped floats, but it has two major downsides – the process is quite confusing and requires a fair amount of focus, and it produces a less-elastic fabric.
I highly recommend using a much simpler way that allows the trapped strands to stay loose enough to keep the stretch of the fabric intact. This result is achieved by twisting the strands at the wrong side of the work.
You can see the difference between these two approaches in the photo below. I used the classic method at the bottom of the swatch, and the “simplified” one when I made the rest of the swatch.
As you see, the bottom part looks neater but the floats are tight making the fabric less elastic. The rest of the swatch is less tidy, but it is almost as stretchy as the fabric worked in a solid colour.
When making the swatch, I also timed myself to see whether the classic way is faster. No, it is not. In fact, it took me a bit less time to work two rows using the “simplified” approach than using the classic one.
Now that we know about all benefits of this method, let’s see how it works step by step.
STEP 1
Once you work two stitches in the same colour, stop and let go of both strands of yarn.
STEP 2
Twist the strands on the wrong side of the project.
You can twist then to the left or to the right. I find it more convenient to twist the strands to the left in this step.
STEP 3
Continue to work in the pattern for the next two stitches.
STEP 4
Stop and let go of the strands.
You will see that the strands are crossed by the twist formed in step 2. It seems that the strands “want” to untwist. We are going to help them with that in the next step.
STEP 5
Twist the strands again, but this time, do it in the opposite direction to the twist formed in step 2. For example, if you twisted the strands to the left in step 2, it is time to twist them to the right.
Even if you don’t remember which way you twisted the strands before, follow the twist and help the strands to untwist. This will form a uniform pattern of twists on the wrong side of the work, and, most importantly, it will save you from untangling the yarn every now and then.
This method is the same for working in the round and for working back and forth. The only difference is that we twist the strands at the front of the work when we work a purl row of a project worked flat.
If a certain segment of the colour pattern is formed by colours alternating every stitch or every two stitches, there is no need to twist the strands. Simply pick up the yarn that you need to work the next part of the colour pattern, knit one or two stitches, drop this strand and pick up the other one to knit the next one or two stitches.
Aside from adding motifs to our knits, this method has other applications – we can use it to make the fabric thicker for added warmth, or to decorate the fabric with tiny specks of a different colour.
If you are after this decorative effect, use the needles that are a few sizes larger than the size recommended for the yarn, and work the five steps described in this tutorial in every row or round twisting the yarn in the main colour with a strand in a contrasting colour. Then block the fabric to open the stitches of the main fabric letting the specs of the contrasting colour to show through.
Give this method a try on a small scale. The Easter Egg Hats pattern is a perfect project for this. The pattern is absolutely free. You’ll find it over here. Have fun!
SAVE IT FOR LATER:
This and 41 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #6.
