To make these projects, you work in stockinette stitch, with multiple color changes per row that form interesting pattern designs. When it comes to the actual knitting, working with two or more strands at once is exactly the same as knitting with a single strand, though it can feel kind of awkward to start with. I was asked to write it in 1985 by a us publisher and it took me two years to complete. One of the reasons i love knitting is that it gives me a chance to enjoy a different type of book that is both functional and practical.
This technique is also referred to as true fair isle, from the island located between scotland and norway where the intricate fair isle style of knitting with multiple colors originated. Lopi sweaters lend themselves beautifully to the use of multiple colors in a garment, more than two colors per round, and bold, graphic patterns. Alice starmores book of fair isle knitting virtual yarns. The right hand makes little stitches while the left makes big ones. Monkster gets stranded, a free teddy bear sweater knitting pattern designed to fit build a bear stuffed animals nicely. Fair isle knitting, also known as stranded colorwork knitting, is a technique for working two or more colors of yarn in the same row. Double that, for those of us in the knitting business. In stranded knitting, more than one color is worked in a single row. Knitting books that sell in quantity usually try to make two points right on the cover. The unused colors are carried along the back of the work, forming floats. Most styles of stranding either use the same two colors throughout, or change one or the other as the piece moves from section to section or band to band. Though at first sight it appears incredibly complicated, you can soon learn to knit stunning stranded colourwork with the help of this beautiful book. The book is divided into three sections and covers stranded colorwork, intarsia and double knitting, with four projects for each technique. Dec 21, 2016 stranded work, by nature, requires at least two different colored yarns in every round.
It is described in a finnish knitting book as being used for a double effect in quick knitting. Stranded or fair isle knitting patterns consist of repeated multicolor motifs. Leapmans clear instruction proves that knitting with multiple colors may appear more complex, but it doesnt have to be difficult. In addition, there are many charts that you can use to create your own color knits. Jun 29, 2016 traditional fair isle or stranded knitting color knitting specifies no more than two colors per row and sequences of no more than six stitches of one color. The book is packed with tips on keeping an even tension when doing stranded knitting. It opens up a lot of different ways to do twocolor knitting learn how to create beautiful colorwork with slip. The best yarns for fair isle knitting knitting interweave. The aim of this book as stated by the authors was to provide an extension to the techniques section from megs book, sweaters from camp, and to empower any knitter with all the techniques to design and knit your own stranded colorwork sweater.
Youll need three differentcolored 50g balls of cotinga, or your favorite, soft, compressible worsted weight yarn. Im using the cute freyja hat pattern by courtney kelley for practice. For this technique, you change two or more colors frequently throughout a row to create a pattern. This was an excellent overview of the major colorwork techniques. Jun 06, 2017 stranded knitting is a type of knitting where multiple usually two colors are used in a single row or round to create a pattern. Designing stranded motifs is actually rather easy the. Apr 05, 2018 the two hands disagree with each other about tension, though. You carry both colors only on those rows that have the dots that is, rows 1 and 5 of the 8row pattern repeat. As well as creating a beautiful graphic layout, she helped with all the practical stages involved in bringing the knitsonik stranded colourwork sourcebook to life. Create colorful textures with written instructions, knitting charts, and video tutorials. If youre getting a big tangled mess when knitting with two strands of yarn held together, stop at the end of every row or every other row and untwist. Of those outlined above, you will see all are considered colorwork knitting, but only one is actual fair isle. So, before emailing or calling with questions about these patterns, please read through the.
The main thing to remember is that each stitch consists of two loops, so every two loops on the knitting needle are actually one stitch. May, 2014 using colourwork in knitting enables you to paint pictures with yarn imagine the possibilities. Patterns range from home accessories like pillows to sweaters, hats and scarves. Depending on your pattern, you may need to switch colors quite often, such as every few stitches, so it is important to have a comfortable way of holding your yarn strands.
You can create your own fabric of wildflowers with this nifty technique. The pattern calls for some purl stitches, but for sanitys sake im just knitting so i can concentrate on getting some consistency in my. Reversible twocolour double knitting ann kingstone. Books focusing on colourwork patterns and techniques, including fairisle, stranded and intarsia knitting. Fair islestranded knitting tutorial the spruce crafts.
He also assisted with important research into knitting beer and fruitcake. As i mentioned in my preface post, most stranded colorwork also referred to by some as fair isle involves working rows with two, and no more than two, colors at a time. In these last thirty years over twohundred thousand copies of alice starmores book of fair isle knitting have made their way into the hands of knitters worldwide. Heres the link to my new free knitting patterns page. Mar 24, 2017 for that is where, in a chain of islands called shetland, our beloved fair isle knitting was born. I finished it in 1987 and the book was published in 1988. One of the results of my efforts was the header for this blog. Anna maltz has designed 11 contemporary and wearable circular knits to introduce this technique to adventurous knitters of all levels. The pink version of my new nordic easter egg knitting pattern uses two shades of dale baby ull yarn. In just 64 pages you learn how to knit effectively, efficiently, and effortlessly with two colors. I never thought to knit plain rounds by alternating two strands of the same color to maintain the density of the fabric in a twocolor design and id never seen an. So, if you like the effect of two color stranded knitting, but would like to simplify it somewhat, give this a try.
This allows you to carry the yarn you arent knitting with across the back of the work as you go. Although there are other more allencompassing books out there, i appreciate leaning over ms. If you like this tutorial, you will love ebooks and charts. This method leaves floats, which are lengths of yarn carried across the back of the work that can be easily snagged. They make you want to grab some yarn and knitting needles and get knitting. Double stranded knitting is probably the easiest knitting technique out there. This is the perfect small project for working on your technique as its relatively fast to make. Since i have a tendency to use stranded colorwork in my designs, i thought id write about an element of stranded colorwork that often gets overlooked. This is an historic book because it marks the very first time that instructions for stranded knitting with steeks appeared in print. The technique can be used to form knitted tubes, selflining hats and mittens, doublesided blankets and scarves, or to impress knitting friends by working two socks at the same time on one set of needles. 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. This free pattern has been moved to my new knitting website.
A native of the pacific northwest, she shares a wee little house there with her husband, two children, some scottish terriers, and more yarn than is strictly necessary. This will make the yarn a lot easier to work with as you proceed. Stranded colorwork knit stitch patterns by studio knit. I became a stranded addict, and learned a thing or two along the way, a few principles that i want to share with you in this post. Knitting perfectly neat stranded colorwork is a skill that requires a bit of practice. I have just starting doing this and tuck knitting styles. Fair isle knitting is the very particular use of two colors per round, in small stranded colorwork motifs that are usually symmetrical and repeating.
The projects included in the book are gorgeous scandinavian style two color stranded knitting patterns. It opens up a lot of different ways to do two color knitting learn how to create beautiful colorwork with slip stitches. The volume begins with some basics, there are primarily three types of knitting books. Reversible two colour double knitting double knitting is a traditional technique that produces two layers in one piece of knitting.
About the book author mary scott huff, a nationally recognized knitting designer and teacher, is the author of the new stranded colorwork. The purplishblue version uses offwhite baby ull for the background and lupine mulberry meadow, a new, variegated superwash merino mulberry silk blend, for the motif. When it comes to the actual knitting, working with two or more strands at once is exactly the same as knitting with a single. I know some knitters find it intimidating to work with two colors. Oct 29, 20 this colorwork style, as some of you may already know, is known as stranded knitting. The colorwork chart eases you in with two colors in each round and then steps things up with three colors in each round. Conquer classic stranded knitting, draw images in yarn using intarsia, and make two projects in one with reversible double knitting. Stranded, intarsia, and reversible two color double knitting. Simple instructions for stranded, intarsia, and double knitting 8601400238646.
Unlike charts for lace or cabled patterns, which will require you to be familiar with. Introduction to stranded colorwork knitting youtube. Knitting with stranded colorwork is a method of creating a colorful pattern by knitting with two different colors of yarn at the same time. Tuesday nightwednesday morning, two seasons deep in a soapy, soppy, firsttime binge of where the heart is on britbox, i finished the last repeat of the coins motif. Carrying two colors for the knitter whose primary style of knitting is left handed or european both colors can be carried on the left hand.
This is basically the same type of technique as fair isle knitting. Knitting with two colors is a slim book that does the impossible and more. Reversible twocolour double knitting double knitting is a traditional technique that produces two layers in one piece of knitting. But ill admit that i really love working with stranded colorwork. Below, youll see more of my designs using superbulky yarns. Mosaic knitting slipstitch knitting two color knitting. It is fun to knit and easy once you get the hang of it.
Try knitting a stranded swatch with this simple pattern, which creates little polka dots of color. Ive been designing knitting patterns for years and ive found that i cant be tied down to one. Although no project is too large to qualify as portable in my book, i have reached a pause on my epic allcoins version of kaffe fassetts stranded stripe throw. While i do not believe this is a negative, knitters looking for complete sweater patterns will not find many in this book. Aug 18, 20 two handed stranded colorwork tutorial i have taught more classes on two handed stranded colorwork than on any other kind of knitting. It was a quick, easy, stranded knit in dale garns new cotinga, a heavenly blend of 70% merino 30% alpaca. One of the many reasons we love this technique is that it creates a visually intricate fabric. See more ideas about knitting, knitting patterns and fair isle knitting. The colors that are not worked are carried along the back until they are used again. Stranded knitting for beginners le petit saint crochet.
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