What if we could knit a Fair Isle pattern, or any other colour pattern worked with two colours, and make a perfectly even fabric with no puckering, moderate stretch, and no long, annoying strands at the back?
It is not only possible. It is actually very easy to do.
No need to remember complicated ways to manage the strands. No manoeuvring the needles in any unusual way, and no unnecessary strain on the wrists.
There are only two easy steps. Here’s how they work.
The idea behind this method is amazingly simple. We keep the fabric elastic and avoid floats by twisting the strands after we work every stitch.
We can also twist the strands after we work every two stitches, as we do when we use the Armenian method, but I find that making twists after each stitch gives us a more pleasant rhythm, makes the whole process more straightforward, and forms a much neater look.
TWISTING STRANDS WHEN WE WORK IN THE ROUND OR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF A PROJECT WORKED FLAT
Because most stranded colourwork is based on stockinette stitch, the right side of the work is the side where we knit each stitch.
STEP 1
Knit one stitch with the strand in a colour that you should use according to the colour pattern.
In my swatch, this stitch is yellow.
Take both strands and twist them at the back of the work. You can twist them to the right or to the left. It is up to you. I twisted mine to the left.
You can make the twist with your left hand (if you are a Continental or an Eastern knitter), or with your right hand (if you use the English knitting style).
STEP 2
Pick the strand that you need for the next stitch and knit one stitch.
Take both strands and twist them at the back of the work. This time, do it in the opposite direction. My previous twist was to the left, so now I twist the strands to the right.
When we change the colour, we make a half-twist, but we remember to alternate the direction of the twist.
If the previous twist was to the left, the half-twist will be to the right.
If the previous twist was to the right, we make a half-twist to the left.
The full twist would add more yarn to this spot, and it would take more time and effort.
We don’t need extra bulk in our project, and we sure don’t want to stress our fingers too much. A half-twist is easier and neater.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 to the end of the row or round.
No matter how many stitches in the same colour are bundled together, there will be no floats at the back of the fabric, and the fabric won’t pucker.
It will stay its usual knitted self – moderately stretchy, with neat rows and columns of stitches arranged in an even field of stockinette stitch.
If you work in the round, all you need are two simple steps described above.
But in rare cases when we knit Fair Isle or other stranded colourwork patterns back and forth, we need to know what we should do with the strands when we work on the purl side of the fabric.
TWISTING STRANDS WHEN WE WORK ON THE WRONG SIDE
The idea stays the same – we twist the strands after every stitch. But because we purl stitches in wrong-side rows of stockinette stitch, we make the twists in front of the work.
STEP 1A
Purl one stitch with the yarn in a colour required by the colour pattern. In my swatch, this stitch is yellow.
Both strands are right in front of us. Good. We keep them on this side of the fabric and twist them to the right or to the left. I twisted mine to the left.
When we work back and forth, the first twist does not only take care of the floats. It also makes sure we don’t form a huge hole at a spot where two strands meet for the first time in this row.
As you make the first twist, keep an eye on that potential hole. If it’s there, change the direction of the first twist.
STEP 2A
Take the strand that you need for purling the next stitch and purl that stitch.
Twist the strands again, but this time, do it in the opposite direction. Because my previous twist was to the left, now I twist strands to the right.
Repeat these steps to the end of this row.
When we make twists on the purl side of the work, we tend to give the yarn more slack. If you notice that the trapped float is too loose, tighten it a bit before you make the next twist.
No matter whether you work in the round or back and forth, the two steps we repeat on and on and on form a soothing rhythm, making stranded colour knitting less hectic.
By the time you work a few rows or rounds, you will see that alternating the direction of twists keeps the strands from tangling. It’s a nice bonus when we work in a stranded colour pattern for many rows or rounds.
Without this little trick, we would have to untangle the strands quite often. Thankfully, we don’t need to do it when we use this method.
As you see, this simple approach gives us a lot of benefits – no puckering, no floats, no constrained elasticity, and no tangled strands. And all of that happens with very little effort on our part.
GIVE IT A TRY
Test this simple method on a small scale as you knit a cute egg cosy. The free pattern is over here.
SAVE IT FOR LATER:
