08-19-2017

Caking up and casting on! This is a delicious new BFL Superwash, Silk and Cashmere base from Primrose and omg it’s sooooooo good.

08-21-2017

Yoke Completed! It’s way easier than I thought it would be, I don’t know why I thought stranded knitting would be so hard it’s not really as long as you constantly pay attention to spreading out your stitches on the right side needle as you go. I also use the help of my trusty Norwegian knitting thimble to make colorwork a breeze! Catching floats is SO easy!

08-23-2017

I’ve had a few requests about my method of catching floats and knitting style in general. I’m so flattered you are impressed with my first adventure in colorwork; as an experienced knitter I did not find this pattern challenging, that being said, I don’t feel like a dedicated beginner should shy away from this pattern. It’s a very easy chart to follow and would be an ideal first-time colorwork project. Some others may attempt to dissuade you but in a quiet space, with careful attention and focus this project is totally doable.

About my knitting style: I use a hybrid Continental/Norwegian style I picked up while living in Europe. It’s very fast. These youtube videos demonstrate a similar style to my own (they are not the best quality but extremely informative, a huge thank you to Redditor /u/Nefera for making these whoever you are!) https://youtu.be/9PCFr1uMDb4 and https://youtu.be/JZgMMqjhMXk

As you can see the working yarn is held in the left hand and the needle does most of the work. I wrap my yarn once around my pinky finger for tension and then drape the working yarn over the top of my index finger, essentially “feeding” the needle the yarn as I knit across. It’s very easy to build up a fast pace, even while purling, especially if you pay special attention to keeping your needles and yarn at very close proximity to each other. An extremely fast rocking motion can be achieved which is not only ergonomic but extremely efficient.

By using the left hand to “feed” the working yarn to the right hand which controls the needle doing all the work, colorwork (specifically, catching floats) becomes a breeze with the aid of the Norwegian Knitting Thimble which can be seen demonstrated in this video https://youtu.be/Kmn01a03LR8 Note: The author of this series of videos highlights several helpful techniques for holding the yarn in the lefthand for colorwork that you will find extremely valuable. I recommend taking some time to watch them all. For science. :-)

On Catching Floats: I simply catch the floats at even intervals across every row. For example. On Row 20 you work 5 sts in CC2 and 7sts in CC1 so I would trap my floats at the 3rd st in CC2 and the 4st in CC1, essentially the “middle” stitch of every color…if that makes sense. For rows where you alternate 3sts of each color I wouldn’t trap floats at all. For rows with long floats, say 11 sts, I trapped the floats at evenly spaced intervals, on every 4th st. This made for a precise and clean reverse side which I find quite beautiful.

Color Dominance: If you are unfamiliar just read about it here http://paper-tiger.net/blog/13911317/colordominance basically the more dominant color should always be on the left side of the background color, it has to do with the way the floats are trapped. When using the thimble simply place the dominant color on the lefthand guide. Ravelry User thefloridaroom has extremely helpful notes on her project page. I used the same guide as her for my yoke:

CC2 held dominant over CC1
CC3 held dominant over CC1
CC1 held dominant over MC

I hope you found these notes helpful! Practice fearless knitting and don’t be afraid to try new techniques! You will be shocked how quickly you can learn a new style of knitting in an afternoon of careful practice! Please don’t be afraid to reach out to me on IG @dankfiber if you have any questions or comments! :-D Knit on.

09-04-2017

Ready to block!

August 16, 2018

I always use the same method for short rows on top-down sweaters (unless pattern specifies a different technique) it is the standard Wrap & Turn method. However, since you are working in the round you must employ a nifty trick to resolve the wraps on the right side, this video https://youtu.be/SCgycxLce94 illustrates the technique.