I have been knitting for 50+ years and in fact, work and teach knitting classes at my local yarn store. I must say your video is one of the best knitting instruction videos I have seen online. Having been a mathematics teacher for more than 40 years, I tend to be a tough judge of how-to videos. I am happy to tell you that I truly learned a number of important facts about stranded knitting that I never knew! THANK YOU! :-)
High praise, thank you! I do intend to make more videos, but as I'm in the middle of a PhD I'm finding free time thin on the ground at the moment. Comments like this one are very motivating though, so thank you!
I'm so happy to have discovered your videos. This is the BEST discussion of stranded work that I have discovered. I've played a bit with it here and there in my 40 some years knitting and still feel like a klutz. Just recently I tried knitting 2 mittens at a time on 2 circular needles and using 2 colors. So I had 4 yarn sources (pulling from the center and the outside of each of 2 cakes) to keep sorted. I enjoy a challenge but Yikey! What a tangle...! The yarns became tangled AND super twisted because of the physics of pulling the yarn from the cakes. So I cut them all free (weaving ends be damned) and hand wound 2 balls of each color. Then I used a paper punch and cut 4 evenly spaced holes just under the top of a plastic gallon-sized plastic container. Then I placed the balls in the vessel and fed the yarn from each ball through a hole. Joined the yarn to my work and the rest of my knitting of the mittens was stress free.
You would not believe how hard it is to find a video explaining that the dominant color is on the left and before. Thank you. I couldn't remember for the life of me
This is the first time I have watched a video of yours. I think you must have a background in adult education. Your explanation of the colour work process is exemplary. I'm impressed. I'll be watching more.
Funny you should say that because I do, in fact, have a degree in teaching ESL! Though I've primarily taught university students. But I'm very grateful for your kind words and I'm glad I seemed to have explained things well!
I was thinking the exact same thing. I am only 6 minutes in and I feel like I’ve learned an hour’s worth. Thank you and please keep these tutorials coming. I will be raving about them on my next episode. ❤️
You probably dont care at all but does someone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account? I stupidly lost the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me.
Oh, my goodness!! This video is fantastic! Explanations well done and reasoning is also well, well explained! Thank you, little lady!! Bravo and grateful!!!
I learned so much watching your video 😊 I am just starting out with colourwork, and know I will watch and refer to your video over and over again. Thank you from Australia 🇦🇺❤️🧶
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you having taken the time to make this video. I have literally been in tears trying to learn colorwork. The results have been nightmarish. You have given me the encouragement to try again ... not right now, but I will try again. Thank you so much.
You're so welcome! I'm sure you have plenty of other lovely things to knit on until you feel like you're ready. One day, it'll feel right to give it another shot, and I wish you all the luck when you do! A rocky start with any technique can be overcome.
OMG, THANK YOU so much for this video!!! I've just started learning color work - so I can make the Alaska hat and I've been doing so much research as a continental knitter about how hold my yarn and how to trap floats. Your demo here and through your blog post is PERFECT. I just didn't see the float capturing explained anywhere so clearly. I'm a visual learner, so the video is super helpful and I am now ready to practice this technique on my swatch! Also wanted to say I'm super excited about your collaboration with the Crimson Stitchery! I didn't realize you were the other half of her collaboration until I saw your video after subscribing. Thank you again for your thoughtful approach to teaching and for sharing your color work expertise!!
I'm very glad to have found this episode (clearly you're giving the community something we're craving). I know that many of my CommuKnitty members are spot on when they've said how helpful, interesting and educational this content is, so my comment will second that and add how ARTICULATE and approachable you've made this very complex, varied topic. I'm a lover of words, and I specifically noted how much I connected to the words you use to explain these lovely concepts. Your language to explain is not high minded or confusing, but it's also not coarse or 'lazy' (if that makes sense). This is a reference video of the highest quality. Thank you +Paper Tiger!
This is my first video of yours I've watched. I want to say, you are a wonderful teacher. You explain in detail and have such a wonderful demeanor. I'm a fan who will be watching all your videos.
Fantastic video! I’m knitting stranded mittens all year and the more I do, the better they are getting. Learning is a process and it takes time. Thank you!!
What an outstanding video! I saved it. I have never done colorwork and I’m an English style thrower (I literally hold the yarn btwn my thumb and index finger) so learning to manage two colors will be a gigantic challenge. Thank you for all of the swatch examples!!!!! That was superb. Also thank you for holding them to the camera for a long enough time to get in focus and you didn’t wiggle them around in front of the lense. You are an excellent teacher! I clicked the sub button. I’m looking forward to seeing more from you. 😃
This was also my first time in watching you along with the one on Norwegian yarns which i loved also. I agree with the other comments that you are an excellent teacher not all people can teach n you are great.
Thanks for such a comprehensive overview. You very kindly reached out to me on a Ravelry discussion board a few years ago in response to my question of how to carry two yarns using the continental style which completely changed my stranded knitting for the better. I'm really enjoying your videos!
I learn so much watching your videos. I love the techniques you share and the information about yarn selection. Really appreciate your clear, articulate instructions.
Since I am allergic to wool, I have used pima cotton for colorwork. Thanks for explaining the difference between woolen and worsted weight wools and how they affect my fairisle
Thank you for the explanation and tips. I'm about to start my first sweater with my first cables and my first color work in a charted only format (another first). The swatch is challenging but I'm excited to learn so many new things. Thanks! 🤗
Hello! Thank you so very very much for this candid and easy to understand video on colour work! I can't tell you how much I appreciate listening to you and I am going to listen again to this video to make sure I got everything you said. I have been so confused about colour dominance and whether or not it is an actual thing because other knitters who I greatly admire say that there is no such thing at all. But you have proven with your swatches that it is real and it does make sense and even if it is a slight difference it is still there. I have been knitting for about 30 years, although only the last ten seriously. My passion is colour work and I really want to do more. I am a "flicker" with my right hand, I don't like the term "thrower" because my hand never leaves the needle, :) but I am teaching myself how to use both left and right hands and I am getting it the more I practice. I used to just pick each yarn up and then drop it and pick up the other colour the same way you did but I do want to be as fast at colour work as I am at regular knitting, and with practice I will. Thank you so much for your video! You have answered some questions I had and I feel better about yarn dominance now to be sure. I will look forward to more of your videos! 🌹
Love the video with all the technical info. Your swatches clearly demonstrated colour dominance yet I’ve watched a couple of recent Arne and Carlos videos where they talk about dominance - non existent and it’s a tension issue according to them. They also talked about holding the yarn and said in Norway they hold in two hands and pick with left and throw with right. They also just look at the row they’re on, decide which colour is more prevalent and which hand it goes into. If they usually knit continental then probably the more prevalent colour goes in their left hand but this could also change with each row or even mid row. They showed some samples and the knitting looked perfect with no dominance issues. I think there really is no right or wrong way, you just need to practice and figure out what works for you.
bog dem I saw that video, and there was a really good discussion about it over on the Skeindeer Knits channel in the comments. I also watched the video where Arne demonstrates how he knits colorwork, and I came to the conclusion that several other knitters (several of whom are also Norwegian) did in the discussion on Eli's channel - the way Arne showed it, he was constantly changing which color was in the dominant position. That would disguise the effect of color dominance overall, but I would be very curious to see what the back of his work looks like when he knits that way. I do agree with them that beginners shouldn't necessarily worry about dominance, and that focusing on getting even tension is much more important, but to claim it flat-out doesn't exist is a bit too bold, in my opinion. In any case, I think the most important thing is that people enjoy what they're knitting and that they're happy with the result. That's what it comes down to, right? :)
What great, even handed and calm contributions -- both PaperTiger and Bog Dem's original comment [Edit/Update: And also over in the Skeindeer conversation which I have since tracked down -- thank you for the pointer]. I thought about their video a lot, though I do not often watch them, and three ideas stick with me. One thing we should be open minded about is the subtle impact of both language and culture/context. While they have language skills I admire, English is not their first language. Could there be some terms making up part of their ideas in this space that simply aren't communicated quite as they would be if we were all chatting in the same mother tongue? And, we all have some cultural, regional or even family expectations of what "normal knitting" looks like, too, and that could be a hidden part of the conversation. When they say so strongly, "that's just bad tension" (i.e. not colour dominance) it makes me wonder if it's something they heard themselves when learning (context). Now those are subtle things. The whacking great obvious thing, to me, was how very, very greatly washing and blocking and some months (or years) of wear evens out any dominance and tension issues! I love Paper Tiger's much more precise explanation (with examples!) -- it just fits how I think myself. But for Arne and Carlos? I love that they were doing their best to respond to a question that other people have brought to them. A question that didn't even make sense to them at first. And that is lovely. One of many examples of how the online knitting community really is a nice place!
I also saw the Arne and Carlos video, and the following ones where they continue to say the same thing. I have never seen anyone knit with the yarns in two hands like that where I come from in Norway, but maybe it's a local thing. In the podcast where Arne is knitting a hat in colorwork, (where he also show the backside, that to me looks messy), he say his grandmother taught him to hold the yarns in the left hand IF he could maintain an even tension, otherwise throwing the other color to make sure the tension was right. I hold my yarns in the left hand, kind of like you, but with the finger close to the needle, so the yarns are very close to my work, and easy to pick, and to keep an even tension. He also say that yarn dominance is "non existing" in Norwegian knitting. I asked my mother and she didn't understand what I was talking about, so it is a thing that haven't been discussed here, BUT I look at her work, and I can see she have very nice floats, where they are consistant, allways the same color on top of the row, so without knowing the terms, she does know to always keep the same color in the same position on the finger. I therefore have never been taught about yarn dominance, but I have been taught that it is important to keep the same color on the same place on my finger, and that the inside should look even and nice.
I caught this one night when I couldn’t sleep and I loved it. You were very easy to listen to, very informative and once again I find that I missed too much time by not learning to knit when I was younger. I first saw someone’s hat with the Latvian braid and the information about it lead me to your sight. I had never seen the Latvian braid but I loved it and after watching your tutorial I think I may be able to do it since you made it look very easy. Thank you for that. 👍🏻
Fantastic educational video! I’m so appreciative of your talent and ability to articulate the complexities of color work in such easy to follow lessons. Showing the variety of dominance in the many samples is genius, you are a remarkable teacher. Many thanks!
I'm so glad you answered that last question! The reason I'm watching this video is because I'm coming back to colourwork (again) and it's just not looking how I want it to. Maybe it's tension? Is there something I'm missing? Actually, I think I just need practice!! And it's so good to be reminded that this will get easier and better with practice. Just like ten years ago when I hated purling and considered just knitting garter stitch forever, turns out I just needed to practice.
Thank you, this was enlightening me. I've become a little obsessed with colourwork!! I'm just about to start my first colourwork sweater so this was invaluable to me.
Everything I have learned has been from reference books and tons of practice. I still work on over time. I think every knitter does something different if you have the basic principles down its a matter of practice. I learn more everyday and sometimes knitting other designers patterns helps as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Stranded Colorwork
I agree, I think knitting is very individual and over time we figure out what works best for us, and what doesn't (even if it works well for others!). I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Wow! What a fantastic video. I’m just learning to do stranded knitting. I thought you had to capture, trap floats every 3-4 stitches, and that was creating a BIG mess! Thank you for your explanation of how to hold the yarn to keep them from getting tangled and that you don’t have to trap the floats as often. I did some color work last night and your way worked great!
For some people, trapping floats every 3-4 stitches works, but I definitely don't believe in any rules that start with "You HAVE TO do this..." Knitting is so personal and what works for each of us is different, you know? I'm so happy you found something helpful here and that mixing up how you were doing your colorwork gave you a result you're happier with!
Such an interesting video! My love of stranded colourwork has blossomed over the last few months and I'm so excited to knit ALL the things. (And it turns out everything I thought I knew about yarn dominance was wrong! Haha) ps. I love the introduction / title sequence!! Amazing :)
It's been so fun to watch your stranded colorwork love blossom! Mittens and hats and a sweater and all! I'm so happy you picked up on the fact that colorwork is easier on a larger circumference than anything that needs magic loop or DPNs and that you've talked about it on your podcast - I wish I would've mentioned that in this video, but perhaps I'll remember it for the next one. Hats are such great beginner colorwork projects!
Thank you so much for this very helpful video! I just restarted colorwork knitting after tossing my last colorwork project aside in frustration. Your video just gave me courage to pick it up again.
Thanks for the good encouragement. I have been doing colour work for years without thinking too much about it but have listened closely to what you and a few others have been saying and find that my colour work has definitely improved. I'm doing a fingering project right now that terrified me to think of until I actually got going. Now, it's great fun. Thanks again.
I remember knitting a square at about 12 years of age and then didn’t pick it back up until 6-7 years ago which is a few decades later 😂… and decided my first project would be on dpns and my own colorwork pattern… ‘cos why re-learn to knit with 2 needles when 4/5 is so much more fun - I like a challenge! I also remember never knowing how to purl… and still didn’t until sleeping one night a few months later I dreamed something I hadn’t noticed on why I was failing - yarn behind = knit, yarn in front = purl! It was like a light went on (I was trying to purl with yarn still behind 😂)…..and then I discovered interchangeable circs… and continental knitting (I still can’t continental purl tho)….. and now I just love it all and love watching other people do it/teach it … though I tend to make/design my own stuff as I like gamer geek stuff and not clothinh… StitchSketch and KnitCompanion are my jam! BTW….Wow.. the work in your sampler for your opening title/thumbnail! I see you! 🫶
Thank you for this great video. I immediately subscribed. You have a great on-camera presence, and I enjoyed watching you and learned so much! I'm looking forward to following you. Really, thanks!
Very cool video! I came to check it out because Amy from Stranded Dyeworks mentioned it. Very useful information and I thought your explanations were very clear, especially with the visuals of you knitting.
Thank you for explaining about colour dominance. I knew how to hold the colours but didnt know why, and also thought colour dominance meant the base colour of the garment! 😀. I weave in my ends as I go a lá Philosophers Wool style or similar to catching floats. It saves loads of time for those of us who hate the fiddling after the item is completed.
Wonderful video. You are incredibly clear and concise. I have been preparing myself to jump into stranded knitting. I have knit two hats with a stranded motif (same hat). The second came out wearable. If I had access to woolen spun wool yarns I might have plunged earlier. Thank you for your video.
excellent tutorial - continental knitter so showed I was holding dominant color correctly in left hand. And trapping floats correctly. Thank you. Just finished the Alaska hat and am a bit disappointed - the black was great and then used a varigated pink for the sunrise/sunset. But the black shows through the pink in many places. Caught floats every few stitches - and maybe that is the problem. But thanks so much - have been checking out colorwork or stranded knitting for some time and found very little good description or showing of the dominant color or floats. Thanks again
Thaaaaaaaank you Dianna!!! This video is a fantastic source of tips and tricks! I learned so much! I had been struggling with catching my floats for one of my colors ( I knit colorwork in the same style you do) I kept twisting the stitches and it was such a mess ugh. So THANK YOU for clearing that up! -Tiffany
Thank you so much for sharing information about stranded colorwork. I plan to embark on a colorwork project and your Q&A was very helpful to get me started.
I am ever so glad I found you!... I will officially start stalking you via all your socials 😂 color work has always scared me and I have steered away from it. But you made me feel like I can so do it. On may way to ralvery to get one if your beanie patterns to give color work a try. Thank you!!
Great podcast. 👍🏿. Thank you. Was very helpful. The mitten story resonates with my experience. The Underwing Mitts by Erica Heusser are still on the needles😉
Great video! The portion on dominant colors was so clear... thanks! I'd love to see some colorwork tutorials, with videos of you knitting. I'm finally diving in after much fear and love to see how others do it. Thanks!
Diana! Great Video! thank you, THANK YOU! So much help/encouragement. I could watch your videos (I started with the Latvian braid) just see your hands working continental style--beautiful!
Thank for this amazingly informative reference video! I've only two small points to add, as an intermediate/budding colorwork knitter: - Superwash wool yarn can absolutely be split spliced together, but I recommend using a needle felting tool and foam board in addition to the "spit and rub." It's not as ideal and doesn't blend as well as woolly-wool, of course, but it works and has about the same strength level as a typical spit splice. - I've heard one other knitter comment, once, that she finds stranded colorwork "really easy, unlike most people." And after having made a few projects... I kind of agree with her? I feel like I cheated because I nonchalantly skipped over the puckered too-tight tension phase of learning to knit colorwork, and I've always used the space-out-the-stitches method of ensuring even floats, without thinking about it. I think it helps that I knit on the looser side and I have experience with carrying yarn in tapestry crochet (although it doesn't use floats). I'm particularly excited to try out your method of holding both strands continental-style with the left-most yarn all the way to the left of the first knuckle... I've struggled with the one-hand continental method in the past because the two yarns kept slipping into each other, but maybe my knuckle will stop that from happening.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! While I find colorwork really easy now, I definitely had the puckered knitting phase for a few projects and I'm envious you seemed to have skipped that. That's so awesome! But I definitely want to help encourage those who don't find it easy right away not to give up, because it does get easier.
Wow, what a great video! I just got bit by the colorwork bug last winter and there has been a lot of trial and error. You covered everything that has been tripping me up. I think I may even have enough nerve to take my Birkin out of "time out" so thank you!
I really like the length of your videos - they’re not too long. I think for the type of video you’re doing (primarily informative) my preference is for the 30-45 minute time span. Sometimes I don’t watch the longer ones because I don’t have the time to invest at the moment. Love the information and tips.
I just knitted my first piece of stranded color work, a sock (currently knitting the second one.) But it came out surprisingly well, it’s slightly tight-no puckering and it fits but I’ll probably loosen up my floats a tiny bit for this next sock. I just wanted to add to people afraid to start their first fair isle/intarsia/etc. that even if it doesn’t come out perfect it’s okay, start with something manageable like a simpler pattern. I modified a traditional snowflake pattern to make it less busy so I could manage it. Also I watched a bunch of videos and read about techniques before starting so I wouldn’t be trying to figure everything out on the fly.
Dianna, this is fantastic! I just started my second colourwork project (Caitlin Hunter's Alyeska sweater) and was like, Three strands!? Your video also made me think that using single ply superwash for it wasn't my best knitting idea to date, hah. Looking forward to the follow up, and thank you!
It's totally not impossible! She used a single ply fingering in the sample, didn't she? And her Sunset Highway sweater is designed for single ply fingering too, plus I've seen a lot of folks work up her Zweig in singles as well. You can do it!
Definitely a helpful vidéo! I'm about to start my first stranded color pullover and this was very insightful and helpful in regards to technique. Thanks!
Hi there I’m so glad I found this video I know its a few years old but its been very helpful. Prior to seeing your video, I made the Laurus hat! I’ve actually made 4 of them!! I love them! I’m new to colorwork but my first finished object was the Flicker and Flame hat by Andrea Mowry. That was fun! Since then I’ve made several 2 colorwork hats. what I do need help with and I know you did talk about and show examples is how to hold the yarn. I currently knit continental but since I learned English I can hold one color (dominant) in my left and the other in my right. Now I want to do work with 3 colors and I’m not sure how to do that. Thank you
I find a yarn guide really useful when working with three colors at once - they help keep the yarns separate and in the right order! There are a few different kinds but I use one like this: www.amazon.com/Clover-348-Yarn-Guide/dp/B000YZ1XPM
I just watched your Stranded Colorwork video and was very impressed! Thanks for answering all the questions directly and including so much information. The examples you showed were very helpful! I have a question that I hope you'll answer in a future video. I'm a "thrower", but I've been working very hard on learning how to knit continental, as well. With one color, I do quite well. However, I'm working on stranded knitting using the two-handed technique and I have problems keeping the yarn in my left hand in the right place and with consistent tension. I'm using the same yarn position that you use (and many other experts use) with the yarn wrapped around my little finger and my index finger. But, after a few stitches the yarn becomes loose and slips off my index finger. I've tried wrapping it around my index finger twice but then it is too tight to knit. Can you spend some time in one of your future videos addressing the positioning of the yarn and how to prevent problems from occurring? Thanks so much and I can hardly wait to watch more of your videos! Lani Loken
Loved this video. Those swatches were such a vivid demo of the concept of the yarn positioning, as I think it may be better to call it. I also love your contrarian view on floats! What is the sweater you are wearing, and what yarn? It has beautiful tension. I am a Continental knitter but I have done stranded colorwork with two hands. I'm going to practice both colors in left hand, as it may feel more comfortable. Even though I've been knitting for a million years, there are always new things to try, new ways of doing the same thing. Also, practice is so important, as you noted. Thanks!
Thank you! There are always new things to try, it's true. And I'm wearing one of my own designs, called Sundottir: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sundottir It's knit in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter!
You are right. I can't really shortcut the math. . . oh well. I ordered your sweater pattern. Also, by coincidence I had ordered Mary Jane Mucklestone's stitch dictionary, and it just arrived! Wow. I can really play around with this. Perhaps you can address another issue--how to deal with the jog between rounds. I have not been happy with any attempts to conceal it, so I just leave it. What do you do?
I just leave it - it is very difficult to try and disguise it in colorwork :) And in my experience, most of the time, it's not something other people notice! On yokes it's most often placed at the back left shoulder for that reason, although if you're knitting a cardigan, you can place the beginning of the round adjacent to the steek stitches and then you won't have that issue, since the jog lines up with the cardigan front, which is cut open. Another option is to add a column of purl stitches and then close it up, aligning the pattern correctly, with mattress stitch. It's the technique described by Karen Templer here: fringeassociation.com/2015/01/20/basted-knitting-or-seaming-a-seamless-sweater/ only you would be using it for purely aesthetic purposes, rather than structural. I think it still may be visible, and perhaps even more visible than a normal jog, though. I haven't tried it with colorwork before (only stripes).
And I myself learned that I can't fudge the math when I set out to knit my first sweater without a pattern. I didn't swatch to measure my gauge at first, or anything like that - I had knit a few sweaters in the same weight of wool and I was pretty confident I could just estimate it. Turns out I definitely couldn't - it was way too big, way too many stitches at first. But I still hadn't learned my lesson, and I ripped back without measuring the gauge I was getting or anything (even though I had effectively just knit the world's biggest gauge swatch). I cast on a smaller number of stitches, got a few inches in, and realized it was definitely too small the second time. So then I finally measured my gauge, found my number of stitches per inch, took the target measurements I wanted to hit, and did the math. It was worth it in the end! You can definitely use existing patterns out there as a way to study how designers are putting garments together, and when I started playing around with yokes, I would borrow the shape of a yoke chart from an existing pattern (with the same or a similar gauge to what I was going to do), so that I had a guideline for when and how much to decrease, and I would fill it in with my own design.
Thanks for very clear and informative video! :) Just was surprised that you don't recommend alpaca as a suitable yarn for fair-isle...:O That's my most favourite material for this stuff! :D Even more than a wool! For example Alpaca from Drops is a little bit hairy and therefore made very nice even fabric and (unfortunatelly) is not drapy at all... But I agree that this depends brand from brand and type from type... To the issue of dominance - it is totally clear and without any doubt, that the effect of DOMINANCE is REAL. Is incomprehensible for me, how can anybody question this. BUT the other question is wheater it is or is not a necessary thing to do when knitting. For me it is, because it totally solved my problem with tangeling yarns! Life got easier once I discovered principle of colour dominance! :D :D Happy knitting to all of you!
I have been knitting for 50+ years and in fact, work and teach knitting classes at my local yarn store. I must say your video is one of the best knitting instruction videos I have seen online. Having been a mathematics teacher for more than 40 years, I tend to be a tough judge of how-to videos. I am happy to tell you that I truly learned a number of important facts about stranded knitting that I never knew! THANK YOU! :-)
High praise, thank you! I do intend to make more videos, but as I'm in the middle of a PhD I'm finding free time thin on the ground at the moment. Comments like this one are very motivating though, so thank you!
I will be watching this again, and again,......
Wow! Thank you! The section on trapping floats, where you turned the work, that blew my mind!
I'm so happy to have discovered your videos. This is the BEST discussion of stranded work that I have discovered. I've played a bit with it here and there in my 40 some years knitting and still feel like a klutz. Just recently I tried knitting 2 mittens at a time on 2 circular needles and using 2 colors. So I had 4 yarn sources (pulling from the center and the outside of each of 2 cakes) to keep sorted. I enjoy a challenge but Yikey! What a tangle...! The yarns became tangled AND super twisted because of the physics of pulling the yarn from the cakes. So I cut them all free (weaving ends be damned) and hand wound 2 balls of each color. Then I used a paper punch and cut 4 evenly spaced holes just under the top of a plastic gallon-sized plastic container. Then I placed the balls in the vessel and fed the yarn from each ball through a hole. Joined the yarn to my work and the rest of my knitting of the mittens was stress free.
You would not believe how hard it is to find a video explaining that the dominant color is on the left and before. Thank you. I couldn't remember for the life of me
This is the first time I have watched a video of yours. I think you must have a background in adult education. Your explanation of the colour work process is exemplary. I'm impressed. I'll be watching more.
Funny you should say that because I do, in fact, have a degree in teaching ESL! Though I've primarily taught university students. But I'm very grateful for your kind words and I'm glad I seemed to have explained things well!
I was thinking the exact same thing. I am only 6 minutes in and I feel like I’ve learned an hour’s worth. Thank you and please keep these tutorials coming. I will be raving about them on my next episode. ❤️
I just wrote a comment, then went to view other comments and I feel as though you and I wrote the same things. Lol. It was like deja Vu.
You probably dont care at all but does someone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?
I stupidly lost the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me.
@Morgan Leon Instablaster =)
Just what I was looking for!, thanks so much
Oh, my goodness!! This video is fantastic! Explanations well done and reasoning is also well, well explained! Thank you, little lady!! Bravo and grateful!!!
The color dominance just blew my mind🤯
I learned so much watching your video 😊 I am just starting out with colourwork, and know I will watch and refer to your video over and over again. Thank you from Australia 🇦🇺❤️🧶
Such a good visual representation of colour dominance. Now it all makes sense. Thank you.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you having taken the time to make this video. I have literally been in tears trying to learn colorwork. The results have been nightmarish. You have given me the encouragement to try again ... not right now, but I will try again. Thank you so much.
You're so welcome! I'm sure you have plenty of other lovely things to knit on until you feel like you're ready. One day, it'll feel right to give it another shot, and I wish you all the luck when you do! A rocky start with any technique can be overcome.
Paper Tiger Thank you again ☺
OMG, THANK YOU so much for this video!!! I've just started learning color work - so I can make the Alaska hat and I've been doing so much research as a continental knitter about how hold my yarn and how to trap floats. Your demo here and through your blog post is PERFECT. I just didn't see the float capturing explained anywhere so clearly. I'm a visual learner, so the video is super helpful and I am now ready to practice this technique on my swatch! Also wanted to say I'm super excited about your collaboration with the Crimson Stitchery! I didn't realize you were the other half of her collaboration until I saw your video after subscribing. Thank you again for your thoughtful approach to teaching and for sharing your color work expertise!!
I'm very glad to have found this episode (clearly you're giving the community something we're craving). I know that many of my CommuKnitty members are spot on when they've said how helpful, interesting and educational this content is, so my comment will second that and add how ARTICULATE and approachable you've made this very complex, varied topic. I'm a lover of words, and I specifically noted how much I connected to the words you use to explain these lovely concepts. Your language to explain is not high minded or confusing, but it's also not coarse or 'lazy' (if that makes sense). This is a reference video of the highest quality. Thank you +Paper Tiger!
You have made a fantastic video!! The swatches showed in an outstanding way what you were describing. Bravo.
This is my first video of yours I've watched. I want to say, you are a wonderful teacher. You explain in detail and have such a wonderful demeanor. I'm a fan who will be watching all your videos.
Fantastic video! I’m knitting stranded mittens all year and the more I do, the better they are getting. Learning is a process and it takes time. Thank you!!
That's awesome! Are you taking part in any of the mitten KALs that are going on?
Paper Tiger I actually am hosting one on my channel - with Patricia from Knitography. Looking forward to more of your videos and patterns!
PhD on top of this!! Impressive! Keep going and my best to you!!! Grateful!!
I'm impressed with the wrong side of the mittens, regarding floats. Very nice.
What an outstanding video! I saved it. I have never done colorwork and I’m an English style thrower (I literally hold the yarn btwn my thumb and index finger) so learning to manage two colors will be a gigantic challenge. Thank you for all of the swatch examples!!!!! That was superb. Also thank you for holding them to the camera for a long enough time to get in focus and you didn’t wiggle them around in front of the lense. You are an excellent teacher! I clicked the sub button. I’m looking forward to seeing more from you. 😃
This was also my first time in watching you along with the one on Norwegian yarns which i loved also. I agree with the other comments that you are an excellent teacher not all people can teach n you are great.
Oh goodness, so full of important information. LOVED THIS VIDEO!
This is the best and most helpful video on colourwork I have watched! Thanks so much!!
You were so generous to put the time stamps for every question. thank you so much.
Thanks for such a comprehensive overview. You very kindly reached out to me on a Ravelry discussion board a few years ago in response to my question of how to carry two yarns using the continental style which completely changed my stranded knitting for the better. I'm really enjoying your videos!
Oh wow, so cool to hear that! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!
I learn so much watching your videos. I love the techniques you share and the information about yarn selection. Really appreciate your clear, articulate instructions.
Dear Diana Walla, you’re an awesome teacher! Please do more Videos on this topic, I learned so much! Thank you
Since I am allergic to wool, I have used pima cotton for colorwork. Thanks for explaining the difference between woolen and worsted weight wools and how they affect my fairisle
Excellent video! You do an awesome job! Clear, lots of visuals, thorough. Keep up the good work! Thank you!
Thank you for the explanation and tips. I'm about to start my first sweater with my first cables and my first color work in a charted only format (another first). The swatch is challenging but I'm excited to learn so many new things. Thanks! 🤗
Hello! Thank you so very very much for this candid and easy to understand video on colour work! I can't tell you how much I appreciate listening to you and I am going to listen again to this video to make sure I got everything you said. I have been so confused about colour dominance and whether or not it is an actual thing because other knitters who I greatly admire say that there is no such thing at all. But you have proven with your swatches that it is real and it does make sense and even if it is a slight difference it is still there. I have been knitting for about 30 years, although only the last ten seriously. My passion is colour work and I really want to do more. I am a "flicker" with my right hand, I don't like the term "thrower" because my hand never leaves the needle, :) but I am teaching myself how to use both left and right hands and I am getting it the more I practice. I used to just pick each yarn up and then drop it and pick up the other colour the same way you did but I do want to be as fast at colour work as I am at regular knitting, and with practice I will. Thank you so much for your video! You have answered some questions I had and I feel better about yarn dominance now to be sure. I will look forward to more of your videos! 🌹
Love the video with all the technical info. Your swatches clearly demonstrated colour dominance yet I’ve watched a couple of recent Arne and Carlos videos where they talk about dominance - non existent and it’s a tension issue according to them. They also talked about holding the yarn and said in Norway they hold in two hands and pick with left and throw with right. They also just look at the row they’re on, decide which colour is more prevalent and which hand it goes into. If they usually knit continental then probably the more prevalent colour goes in their left hand but this could also change with each row or even mid row. They showed some samples and the knitting looked perfect with no dominance issues. I think there really is no right or wrong way, you just need to practice and figure out what works for you.
bog dem I saw that video, and there was a really good discussion about it over on the Skeindeer Knits channel in the comments. I also watched the video where Arne demonstrates how he knits colorwork, and I came to the conclusion that several other knitters (several of whom are also Norwegian) did in the discussion on Eli's channel - the way Arne showed it, he was constantly changing which color was in the dominant position. That would disguise the effect of color dominance overall, but I would be very curious to see what the back of his work looks like when he knits that way. I do agree with them that beginners shouldn't necessarily worry about dominance, and that focusing on getting even tension is much more important, but to claim it flat-out doesn't exist is a bit too bold, in my opinion. In any case, I think the most important thing is that people enjoy what they're knitting and that they're happy with the result. That's what it comes down to, right? :)
What great, even handed and calm contributions -- both PaperTiger and Bog Dem's original comment [Edit/Update: And also over in the Skeindeer conversation which I have since tracked down -- thank you for the pointer].
I thought about their video a lot, though I do not often watch them, and three ideas stick with me. One thing we should be open minded about is the subtle impact of both language and culture/context. While they have language skills I admire, English is not their first language. Could there be some terms making up part of their ideas in this space that simply aren't communicated quite as they would be if we were all chatting in the same mother tongue? And, we all have some cultural, regional or even family expectations of what "normal knitting" looks like, too, and that could be a hidden part of the conversation. When they say so strongly, "that's just bad tension" (i.e. not colour dominance) it makes me wonder if it's something they heard themselves when learning (context). Now those are subtle things. The whacking great obvious thing, to me, was how very, very greatly washing and blocking and some months (or years) of wear evens out any dominance and tension issues!
I love Paper Tiger's much more precise explanation (with examples!) -- it just fits how I think myself. But for Arne and Carlos? I love that they were doing their best to respond to a question that other people have brought to them. A question that didn't even make sense to them at first. And that is lovely. One of many examples of how the online knitting community really is a nice place!
I also saw the Arne and Carlos video, and the following ones where they continue to say the same thing.
I have never seen anyone knit with the yarns in two hands like that where I come from in Norway, but maybe it's a local thing. In the podcast where Arne is knitting a hat in colorwork, (where he also show the backside, that to me looks messy), he say his grandmother taught him to hold the yarns in the left hand IF he could maintain an even tension, otherwise throwing the other color to make sure the tension was right. I hold my yarns in the left hand, kind of like you, but with the finger close to the needle, so the yarns are very close to my work, and easy to pick, and to keep an even tension.
He also say that yarn dominance is "non existing" in Norwegian knitting. I asked my mother and she didn't understand what I was talking about, so it is a thing that haven't been discussed here, BUT I look at her work, and I can see she have very nice floats, where they are consistant, allways the same color on top of the row, so without knowing the terms, she does know to always keep the same color in the same position on the finger.
I therefore have never been taught about yarn dominance, but I have been taught that it is important to keep the same color on the same place on my finger, and that the inside should look even and nice.
That is it, they "average" the dominance over the two colors.. I get all of it now!!!!! Thanks!!! Lightbulb moment :)
That is it, they "average" the dominance over the two colors.. I get all of it now!!!!! Thanks!!! Lightbulb moment :)
Thank you so much for such a clearly explained and clearly illustrated (with your swatches) video.
I caught this one night when I couldn’t sleep and I loved it. You were very easy to listen to, very informative and once again I find that I missed too much time by not learning to knit when I was younger. I first saw someone’s hat with the Latvian braid and the information about it lead me to your sight. I had never seen the Latvian braid but I loved it and after watching your tutorial I think I may be able to do it since you made it look very easy. Thank you for that. 👍🏻
You have answered many of the questions I have on stranded knitting. I look forward to your future videos. Thank you. I love yor work.
Fantastic educational video! I’m so appreciative of your talent and ability to articulate the complexities of color work in such easy to follow lessons. Showing the variety of dominance in the many samples is genius, you are a remarkable teacher. Many thanks!
I'm so glad you answered that last question! The reason I'm watching this video is because I'm coming back to colourwork (again) and it's just not looking how I want it to. Maybe it's tension? Is there something I'm missing? Actually, I think I just need practice!! And it's so good to be reminded that this will get easier and better with practice. Just like ten years ago when I hated purling and considered just knitting garter stitch forever, turns out I just needed to practice.
WOW! That was an amazing overview of stranded color work. Thanks so much for taking the time to film this video. So informative!
Thank you, this was enlightening me. I've become a little obsessed with colourwork!! I'm just about to start my first colourwork sweater so this was invaluable to me.
Thank you so much for your clear explanation and video showing the various ways to hold the yarn. well done!!
Everything I have learned has been from reference books and tons of practice. I still work on over time. I think every knitter does something different if you have the basic principles down its a matter of practice. I learn more everyday and sometimes knitting other designers patterns helps as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Stranded Colorwork
I agree, I think knitting is very individual and over time we figure out what works best for us, and what doesn't (even if it works well for others!). I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Wow! What a fantastic video. I’m just learning to do stranded knitting. I thought you had to capture, trap floats every 3-4 stitches, and that was creating a BIG mess! Thank you for your explanation of how to hold the yarn to keep them from getting tangled and that you don’t have to trap the floats as often. I did some color work last night and your way worked great!
For some people, trapping floats every 3-4 stitches works, but I definitely don't believe in any rules that start with "You HAVE TO do this..." Knitting is so personal and what works for each of us is different, you know? I'm so happy you found something helpful here and that mixing up how you were doing your colorwork gave you a result you're happier with!
Such an interesting video! My love of stranded colourwork has blossomed over the last few months and I'm so excited to knit ALL the things. (And it turns out everything I thought I knew about yarn dominance was wrong! Haha) ps. I love the introduction / title sequence!! Amazing :)
It's been so fun to watch your stranded colorwork love blossom! Mittens and hats and a sweater and all! I'm so happy you picked up on the fact that colorwork is easier on a larger circumference than anything that needs magic loop or DPNs and that you've talked about it on your podcast - I wish I would've mentioned that in this video, but perhaps I'll remember it for the next one. Hats are such great beginner colorwork projects!
This was so awesome! Thank you so very much for this clear, concise instruction! It was very helpful and very reassuring!
Thank you for this excellent video. You explained color dominance so clearly!
Brilliant vid!
This has cleared up heaps of my confusion about stranded colour work.
Thank you ☺️
There is a lot of priceless information in this video! Any perfectionist will love it, I'm sure.
Thank you sooooo much! You're amazing!
Thank you so much for this very helpful video! I just restarted colorwork knitting after tossing my last colorwork project aside in frustration. Your video just gave me courage to pick it up again.
I hope it goes better this time, and I'm glad I could bring some enthusiasm back!
Thanks for the good encouragement. I have been doing colour work for years without thinking too much about it but have listened closely to what you and a few others have been saying and find that my colour work has definitely improved. I'm doing a fingering project right now that terrified me to think of until I actually got going. Now, it's great fun. Thanks again.
I remember knitting a square at about 12 years of age and then didn’t pick it back up until 6-7 years ago which is a few decades later 😂… and decided my first project would be on dpns and my own colorwork pattern… ‘cos why re-learn to knit with 2 needles when 4/5 is so much more fun - I like a challenge! I also remember never knowing how to purl… and still didn’t until sleeping one night a few months later I dreamed something I hadn’t noticed on why I was failing - yarn behind = knit, yarn in front = purl! It was like a light went on (I was trying to purl with yarn still behind 😂)…..and then I discovered interchangeable circs… and continental knitting (I still can’t continental purl tho)….. and now I just love it all and love watching other people do it/teach it … though I tend to make/design my own stuff as I like gamer geek stuff and not clothinh… StitchSketch and KnitCompanion are my jam!
BTW….Wow.. the work in your sampler for your opening title/thumbnail! I see you! 🫶
Thank you for this great video. I immediately subscribed. You have a great on-camera presence, and I enjoyed watching you and learned so much! I'm looking forward to following you. Really, thanks!
Very cool video! I came to check it out because Amy from Stranded Dyeworks mentioned it. Very useful information and I thought your explanations were very clear, especially with the visuals of you knitting.
Great tutorial especially regarding dominant colors that's an awesome thing to know thank you very much
Thank you for explaining about colour dominance. I knew how to hold the colours but didnt know why, and also thought colour dominance meant the base colour of the garment! 😀. I weave in my ends as I go a lá Philosophers Wool style or similar to catching floats. It saves loads of time for those of us who hate the fiddling after the item is completed.
Wonderful video. You are incredibly clear and concise. I have been preparing myself to jump into stranded knitting. I have knit two hats with a stranded motif (same hat). The second came out wearable. If I had access to woolen spun wool yarns I might have plunged earlier. Thank you for your video.
So helpful - thank you so much for taking the time to do this - it is such a useful video.
Great video. The explanations are clear and easy to follow and so useful. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
excellent tutorial - continental knitter so showed I was holding dominant color correctly in left hand. And trapping floats correctly. Thank you. Just finished the Alaska hat and am a bit disappointed - the black was great and then used a varigated pink for the sunrise/sunset. But the black shows through the pink in many places. Caught floats every few stitches - and maybe that is the problem. But thanks so much - have been checking out colorwork or stranded knitting for some time and found very little good description or showing of the dominant color or floats. Thanks again
Thaaaaaaaank you Dianna!!! This video is a fantastic source of tips and tricks! I learned so much! I had been struggling with catching my floats for one of my colors ( I knit colorwork in the same style you do) I kept twisting the stitches and it was such a mess ugh. So THANK YOU for clearing that up!
-Tiffany
Thank you so much for sharing information about stranded colorwork. I plan to embark on a colorwork project and your Q&A was very helpful to get me started.
I am ever so glad I found you!... I will officially start stalking you via all your socials 😂 color work has always scared me and I have steered away from it. But you made me feel like I can so do it. On may way to ralvery to get one if your beanie patterns to give color work a try. Thank you!!
Great podcast. 👍🏿. Thank you. Was very helpful. The mitten story resonates with my experience. The Underwing Mitts by Erica Heusser are still on the needles😉
Great video! The portion on dominant colors was so clear... thanks! I'd love to see some colorwork tutorials, with videos of you knitting. I'm finally diving in after much fear and love to see how others do it. Thanks!
Diana! Great Video! thank you, THANK YOU! So much help/encouragement. I could watch your videos (I started with the Latvian braid) just see your hands working continental style--beautiful!
Thank for this amazingly informative reference video! I've only two small points to add, as an intermediate/budding colorwork knitter:
- Superwash wool yarn can absolutely be split spliced together, but I recommend using a needle felting tool and foam board in addition to the "spit and rub." It's not as ideal and doesn't blend as well as woolly-wool, of course, but it works and has about the same strength level as a typical spit splice.
- I've heard one other knitter comment, once, that she finds stranded colorwork "really easy, unlike most people." And after having made a few projects... I kind of agree with her? I feel like I cheated because I nonchalantly skipped over the puckered too-tight tension phase of learning to knit colorwork, and I've always used the space-out-the-stitches method of ensuring even floats, without thinking about it. I think it helps that I knit on the looser side and I have experience with carrying yarn in tapestry crochet (although it doesn't use floats).
I'm particularly excited to try out your method of holding both strands continental-style with the left-most yarn all the way to the left of the first knuckle... I've struggled with the one-hand continental method in the past because the two yarns kept slipping into each other, but maybe my knuckle will stop that from happening.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! While I find colorwork really easy now, I definitely had the puckered knitting phase for a few projects and I'm envious you seemed to have skipped that. That's so awesome! But I definitely want to help encourage those who don't find it easy right away not to give up, because it does get easier.
Wow, what a great video! I just got bit by the colorwork bug last winter and there has been a lot of trial and error. You covered everything that has been tripping me up. I think I may even have enough nerve to take my Birkin out of "time out" so thank you!
Wow, amazingly informative episode! Thank you so much for this. Best from Berlin!
Never done a swatch test , definitely will on fair isle new project .
Just thinking about colour work. Thanks for all of your insight and information.
I really like the length of your videos - they’re not too long. I think for the type of video you’re doing (primarily informative) my preference is for the 30-45 minute time span. Sometimes I don’t watch the longer ones because I don’t have the time to invest at the moment. Love the information and tips.
I just knitted my first piece of stranded color work, a sock (currently knitting the second one.) But it came out surprisingly well, it’s slightly tight-no puckering and it fits but I’ll probably loosen up my floats a tiny bit for this next sock. I just wanted to add to people afraid to start their first fair isle/intarsia/etc. that even if it doesn’t come out perfect it’s okay, start with something manageable like a simpler pattern. I modified a traditional snowflake pattern to make it less busy so I could manage it. Also I watched a bunch of videos and read about techniques before starting so I wouldn’t be trying to figure everything out on the fly.
Great video! Amazingly awesome intro!! So much work for 5 seconds worth of film. Love it! Hope you have it on display somewhere.
Haha, indeed, although it was relatively quick (and fun!) to knit! I definitely plan to display it somewhere.
This is fantastic!! Thank you, I have learned sooo much!!!
Such a helpful and informative video. Thanks so much!
Amazing video!! My colorwork went from a 2 to a solid 6/10 just by knitting throughout watching ☺️
Thank you!! Your a great teacher! Can’t wait to get started doing this. ❤️
This was SUCH a full and helpful video! Thank you so much for your tips! I’m so intrigued about color dominance....!
Dianna, this is fantastic! I just started my second colourwork project (Caitlin Hunter's Alyeska sweater) and was like, Three strands!? Your video also made me think that using single ply superwash for it wasn't my best knitting idea to date, hah. Looking forward to the follow up, and thank you!
It's totally not impossible! She used a single ply fingering in the sample, didn't she? And her Sunset Highway sweater is designed for single ply fingering too, plus I've seen a lot of folks work up her Zweig in singles as well. You can do it!
Thank you - really appreciate the encouragement!
Thank you so very much! Really appreciate viewing.
I crocheted before knitting, and continental feels more natural to me. I also carry my colours the same way as you do.
Definitely a helpful vidéo! I'm about to start my first stranded color pullover and this was very insightful and helpful in regards to technique. Thanks!
This Video is just stunning, thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Hi there I’m so glad I found this video I know its a few years old but its been very helpful. Prior to seeing your video, I made the Laurus hat! I’ve actually made 4 of them!! I love them! I’m new to colorwork but my first finished object was the Flicker and Flame hat by Andrea Mowry. That was fun! Since then I’ve made several 2 colorwork hats. what I do need help with and I know you did talk about and show examples is how to hold the yarn. I currently knit continental but since I learned English I can hold one color (dominant) in my left and the other in my right. Now I want to do work with 3 colors and I’m not sure how to do that. Thank you
I find a yarn guide really useful when working with three colors at once - they help keep the yarns separate and in the right order! There are a few different kinds but I use one like this: www.amazon.com/Clover-348-Yarn-Guide/dp/B000YZ1XPM
Wow, so much information in this video, I've booked it for reference. It's made me want to do some colour work day. Thank you for sharing!!
Great information about stranded knitting, I'm getting bolder!!
I just watched your Stranded Colorwork video and was very impressed! Thanks for answering all the questions directly and including so much information. The examples you showed were very helpful! I have a question that I hope you'll answer in a future video. I'm a "thrower", but I've been working very hard on learning how to knit continental, as well. With one color, I do quite well. However, I'm working on stranded knitting using the two-handed technique and I have problems keeping the yarn in my left hand in the right place and with consistent tension. I'm using the same yarn position that you use (and many other experts use) with the yarn wrapped around my little finger and my index finger. But, after a few stitches the yarn becomes loose and slips off my index finger. I've tried wrapping it around my index finger twice but then it is too tight to knit. Can you spend some time in one of your future videos addressing the positioning of the yarn and how to prevent problems from occurring? Thanks so much and I can hardly wait to watch more of your videos! Lani Loken
So helpful and so clearly put - love your podcasts! Thanks so much for presenting so much fantastic information! xox
Loved this video. Those swatches were such a vivid demo of the concept of the yarn positioning, as I think it may be better to call it. I also love your contrarian view on floats!
What is the sweater you are wearing, and what yarn? It has beautiful tension.
I am a Continental knitter but I have done stranded colorwork with two hands. I'm going to practice both colors in left hand, as it may feel more comfortable.
Even though I've been knitting for a million years, there are always new things to try, new ways of doing the same thing. Also, practice is so important, as you noted. Thanks!
Thank you! There are always new things to try, it's true. And I'm wearing one of my own designs, called Sundottir: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sundottir It's knit in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter!
You are right. I can't really shortcut the math. . . oh well. I ordered your sweater pattern. Also, by coincidence I had ordered Mary Jane Mucklestone's stitch dictionary, and it just arrived! Wow. I can really play around with this. Perhaps you can address another issue--how to deal with the jog between rounds. I have not been happy with any attempts to conceal it, so I just leave it. What do you do?
I just leave it - it is very difficult to try and disguise it in colorwork :) And in my experience, most of the time, it's not something other people notice! On yokes it's most often placed at the back left shoulder for that reason, although if you're knitting a cardigan, you can place the beginning of the round adjacent to the steek stitches and then you won't have that issue, since the jog lines up with the cardigan front, which is cut open. Another option is to add a column of purl stitches and then close it up, aligning the pattern correctly, with mattress stitch. It's the technique described by Karen Templer here: fringeassociation.com/2015/01/20/basted-knitting-or-seaming-a-seamless-sweater/ only you would be using it for purely aesthetic purposes, rather than structural. I think it still may be visible, and perhaps even more visible than a normal jog, though. I haven't tried it with colorwork before (only stripes).
And I myself learned that I can't fudge the math when I set out to knit my first sweater without a pattern. I didn't swatch to measure my gauge at first, or anything like that - I had knit a few sweaters in the same weight of wool and I was pretty confident I could just estimate it. Turns out I definitely couldn't - it was way too big, way too many stitches at first. But I still hadn't learned my lesson, and I ripped back without measuring the gauge I was getting or anything (even though I had effectively just knit the world's biggest gauge swatch). I cast on a smaller number of stitches, got a few inches in, and realized it was definitely too small the second time. So then I finally measured my gauge, found my number of stitches per inch, took the target measurements I wanted to hit, and did the math. It was worth it in the end! You can definitely use existing patterns out there as a way to study how designers are putting garments together, and when I started playing around with yokes, I would borrow the shape of a yoke chart from an existing pattern (with the same or a similar gauge to what I was going to do), so that I had a guideline for when and how much to decrease, and I would fill it in with my own design.
Thanks for all these helpful additional ideas!
I love your floats!!!
Thank you so much for your videos...I learn a lot of things!
Thanks for sharing such detailed tutorials and swatches. It was very interesting.
This is a really, really good and informative video. Just subscribed.
This was so helpful and I feel a lot better about attempting color work now😀. Thank you!
Great job! You helped me feel like I might be able to get the hang of this color work thing after all. Thanks so much
This was a huge help, thank you!
What a wonderfully helpful video! Thanks for sharing.
You're such a knitting rebel! And I love it haha!!
Awesome video you do such a great job with your explanation .
Thanks for very clear and informative video! :)
Just was surprised that you don't recommend alpaca as a suitable yarn for fair-isle...:O That's my most favourite material for this stuff! :D Even more than a wool! For example Alpaca from Drops is a little bit hairy and therefore made very nice even fabric and (unfortunatelly) is not drapy at all... But I agree that this depends brand from brand and type from type...
To the issue of dominance - it is totally clear and without any doubt, that the effect of DOMINANCE is REAL. Is incomprehensible for me, how can anybody question this. BUT the other question is wheater it is or is not a necessary thing to do when knitting. For me it is, because it totally solved my problem with tangeling yarns! Life got easier once I discovered principle of colour dominance! :D :D
Happy knitting to all of you!
Such a helpful video! Thank you so much!!