Stranded Colorwork Basics

For the longest time I was deathly afraid to knit stranded colorwork patterns.  The patterns look complex.  There are often charts involved, which I didn't feel confident about. Choosing yarns and colors is not terribly easy either, especially when the yarn specified in the pattern isn't available locally.  I don't like ordering yarn on line - I like to touch the yarn and see the colors in person.  And then there's the question of what the finished project will feel like, as many colorwork patterns result in a fabric that is at least two layers thick.  I was also reminded that most people knit colorwork at a different gauge than they would knit the same yarn on the same needles in a single color piece.  Sheesh!  Reading all of that, it's a wonder I ever started knitting colorwork in the first place.

And then, as happens, I found a pattern I couldn't resist.  I had to take the plunge.  There are a few tips I learned that made the process much easier, and a lot of fun, and I thought I'd share them here.

1. Choose yarns from the same line from the same manufacturer.  For example, use two (or more) different colors of Cascade 220 Superwash.  Yarns from the same line and manufacturer will be dyed from the same base yarn, and will exhibit identical characteristics.  If you choose two different yarns, they will differ in more than color!  They will also have different content, different finish, different dye processes, different diameters... The variables aren't worth trying to manage when your trying to learn colorwork. 

2. Photocopy the pattern chart, and use the copier to blow up the chart to a workable size.  Mark the chart off in increments of 5 stitches at a time in pencil.  Use Post-It tape to mark off one row at a time to keep from becoming confused.

3. Knit a colorwork swatch.  In fact, knit a couple.  You'll discover how the two strands stick to each other, slide on one another, and how it affects your gauge.  Most people have a tendency to knit colorwork tightly, causing the fabric to have lumpy surface.  Practice on your swatch until your piece lays smoothly.  Once the work lays smoothly, check out the gauge, and adjust needle sizes until you achieve the recommended gauge.

4. Carry one yarn "high" and one "low".  I usually choose to carry the first color used low, and the second color high.  What that means is that the second color will be introduced by carrying that working yarn over the first working yarn.  When it's time to use the first yarn again, bring it up from under the second.  This keeps your yarns from getting twisted around each other, and results in the smoothest fabric.

5. Don't get discouraged.  You will make mistakes.  That's good!  Most of us learn faster from making our own mistakes than from being told what to do.  (I tell myself this every time my teenagers do something ridiculous that I've asked them a hundred times not to do.)  So swallow your pride, and dive in.  It's fun!  Remember the first time you went miniature golfing?  Remember learning to knit in the first place?  There you are.

6. Block your work!  Nothing helps make colorwork look lovely like blocking.  It smooths the surface and makes so-so work look great.  No matter what you think of your finished project, block it before you give up on it.  You'll be glad you did.

Quick Colorwork Recap - Knitting and the Prom

So far we've practiced stranded colorwork and slip stitch.  If colorwork were the prom, Stranded and Slip would be the King and Queen of the prom.  (Attractive, popular...)

Fair Isle Sweater pic, borrowed from quezi.com

Why two names for the stranded knitting?  Well, Fair Isle (the Prom King) isn't the same as stranded, it's one form of stranded knitting.  Fair Isle traditionally is worked in relatively narrow bands in several colors.  Geometric patterns are the norm, and stacked in alternating thin and thick bands, but all bands are narrow relative to the size of the garment.  In each specific row, only two colors are worked at a time.  The traditional knits usually work 5-7 colors.  The effect is very unique and beautiful, and the sweaters are very warm.

Stranded work from Kristin's Creatives

In all other foms of stranded knitting, you don't have to follow the rule of the narrow, multi-colored bands.  You can also use more than 2 colors in a row.  As you can see from the stockings at right, no one would mistake this form of stranded for Fair Isle, but the basic work of the knitting is the same, no matter what the overall design.

Slip stitch, our Prom Queen, is the other popular and beautiful way to put colorwork into your project.  In this example from Kay Gardiner and the Mason-Dixon Knitting Blog, a really dramatic effect is created with slip stitch, with lovely texture enhancing the whimsy of the design.  All slip stitches will have texture to them by nature of the slipping of the stitches, and different designers choose to use that texture in different ways.  In general, the more texture, the warmer the fabric will be.

Lion Brand Intarsia Polka Dot Scarf

At every prom is some kid who didn't make much of a splash during school hours, but you were vaguely aware of him.  You saw him every day, and you might have even known his name at some point.  Then, at the prom, he bounces out on the dance floor, and he dances with joy and precision, and the whole crowd stops to watch.  When he stops, people applaud, and try to coax him out there to do it again.  That guy, my friends, is Intarsia.  You see it everywhere, and when you see how it's done, you'll be delighted. 

It's coming up in the next installment of this series. 

Stranded Colorwork Made Easier

I was emailing with a fellow knitter yesterday, and was reminded that many people dislike colorwork for more than an occasional accent in their knitting.  I tend to forget this lately, because I'm having a solid schoolgirl crush on colorwork at the moment.  But then I though back to when I was very new to stranded color knitting, and the concerns came rushing back.

1.  More colors means more skeins, which means more money.
2.  Colorwork means at least two working skeins at once, and the yarns get tangled.
3.  Following a stitch pattern is complicated enough without having to remember when to change yarns on top of it.
4.  My colorwork always bunches up like a miniature mountain range.
5.  Who wants to weave in all those ends?

Lookin at it that way, it is a little off-putting.  Let's debunk these fears in order:

1.  More colors doesn't have to mean buying more skeins, but it does mean using more yarns.  Go to your stash and see what you have that will fit the bill.  Most of us have standby favorites we return to time and again (Cascade 220, Malabrigo Merino, etc), resulting in lots of partial skeins of the same yarn type in our stash.  How many partials do you own of your favorite?  What if you added the stashes of a couple of close knitting friends?  Matching the yarn brand and model name makes for a beautiful finished look, but several different yarns often have very similar finishes, so sometimes you can use a different yarn.  (Cascade 220 and Patons Classic Wool have very similar finishes, for example.)  This usually solves the issue for me.  Sometimes I need to buy all the colors involved in a project, but it's rare.

2.  Tangled yarns are, I have discovered, a habit and not a necessity.  The way my students have had the most success breaking this habit it to knit at a table or desk with one yarn on the desk and one in a knitting bag at their side.  The "high" yarn is the yarn that will always be brought from over the "lower" yarn.  The "low" yarn will always be brought from under the working yarn.  Every time you change colors, you have the choice of whether to draw the new color over your working yarn, or under it.  If you always bring yarn 1 over, and always bring yarn 2 under, there are no tangles.  Having a table or desk allows you to put your work down while you're figuring out the pattern or chart without further tangling yarns.  One small project done in this way (one mitten, for example) is usually all it takes to develop a new habit.

3.  Complexity can be a factor, but it usually isn't.  Most patterns that involve colorwork don't involve any stitch pattern at all - just color pattern.  If you can handle basic shaping, you're ready for most colorwork.  If you're still unsure about shaping, you can still work stripes, but may want to practice increases and decreases a bit until you're confident with them.  If the stitch pattern looks like too much for you, you may have chosen one of the less common toughies.  Have your LYS staff help you choose a good fit for your skill and comfort level.

4.  Bunched colorwork means one of two things: you haven't blocked it yet, or your floats aren't evenly tensioned.  Blocking colorwork makes all the difference between a garment you'll love and a garment you're embarrassed by.  I know, when your piece finally comes off the needles you want it to be done.  It isn't.  Block it, and be proud.  Don't block, and be aggravated.

If the bunching is significant, your floats aren't even.  When you work colorwork, your tension really matters.  If you always knit on the tight side, this will be a problem in colorwork, as the floats and the stitches need to be the same tension. When you knit tightly, the stitches are looser than your floats.  Changing needle size won't solve it, but you can!  First, always keep your needle tips very close together, because separating them changes the tension of the stitches closest to your needle tips.  Knit a couple of swatches during which you let go of the working yarn after you finish each stitch. The yarn won't fall off the needles - I promise.  Your tension on those swatches will be very even, and you'll have learned to relax your tension.

If you don't knit tightly, but the work is lumpy anyway, check to be sure you maintain a high and low color.  This helps keep the tension smooth.  If you're doing all of that right and you're still getting lumpy work, turn your work over.  Looking at the wrong side, you'll see that the lumps are caused by the floats that are tighter than the others.  Frequently just one color is the culprit.  Rip out the lumpy work, and start in again.  Ease up on the tension of that one color, and your work will smooth out.

5.  Weaving in ends can feel like punishment after you've finished your piece.  Nothing will make your work ready to wear instead, though.  If you leave 6 - 8 inch tails, weaving is easy.  Trim off the excess when finished.  If you don't know how to weave in ends, ask at the LYS, YouTube, or ask a knitting friend.  Still not interested?  Most LYS will weave in your ends for a small fee.