You know how the fabric may pucker when we work in a Fair Isle or other stranded colour pattern? There is a super simple way to prevent this issue. All we have to do is turn the project inside out.
The puckering happens because the yarn floats on the wrong side of the work are shorter than they should be. When we turn the work inside out, the floats wrap around the outer side of the fabric that has a bigger circumference than the inner side. This small difference is enough to keep the floats from pulling on the fabric.
You can switch to this method at any stage of knitting your project, but it is better to start working this way in the first round of the colour pattern. This will ensure an even tension throughout the whole segment worked in the colour pattern.
This simple technique is suitable only for knitting in the round but it works well for all types of knitting needles. You can use this trick when you knit with double-pointed needles, with two circular needles, one short circular needle or one long circular needle and the magic loop technique.
Here’s how it happens step by step.
If you are a visual learner, watch these steps in a video tutorial:
STEP 1
Arrange the needles so that you are ready to knit the next stitch. You can do it at the beginning of the round or anywhere within a round.
STEP 2
Take the left needle in your left hand and the right needle in your right hand. Use your thumbs to push the fabric inside the circle formed by the needles.
Push the fabric all the way up to turn the whole project inside out.
STEP 3
Without letting go of the needles, move your hands so that the project is hanging down.
Then continue to work in the colour pattern looking at the right side of the fabric at the father end of the round.
Here’s a chart for the colour pattern that I use to make the swatch, but, of course, you can choose any Fair Isle or other stranded colour pattern you like.
When we turn the project inside out, the yarn floats form on the outer side of the work. Because they are wrapping around the fabric, the strands are longer than the strands carried inside the project. This length is just enough to keep the fabric relaxed when we finish the project and turn it back to the right side.
As an added bonus, this simple method also takes care of the “ladders” that often form between the needles.
The best part is – both these issues are controlled on autopilot. We don’t have to worry about the length of the floats or “ladders” any more. That’s what we can call “Happy Knitting”.
P.S. Many thanks to Rita Katz for sharing this clever trick with me in an email. Thank you, Rita!
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This and 41 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #6.