Untangling Knots

Complicated Feelings About Stranded Knitting

sy01

sy02

I’ve made a huge dent in my first project for a little collection I’m planning. It’s a pullover sweater, and I just joined the front and back under the arms. There’s just enough color work on the front that it felt like the front flew off my needles, and I only got sick of the color work when I was on the last couple of rows. I have a complicated relationship with stranded color work color work. I love designing it, and I like the idea of it, but I always get sick of knitting it really quickly. It requires too much of my attention, and I have a bad habit of making my floats too loose. I don’t think stranded color work and I will ever be best friends.

Small off topic note: I’m giving Etsy’s new digital download system a try. You can now find my patterns at UntanglingKnotsKnits.

Posted

in

by

Andi

Tags:

, , , , ,

Comments

9 responses to “Complicated Feelings About Stranded Knitting”

  1. meredith

    That looks like a gorgeous color combination! (Also I love your recent pullover for Pom Pom.)

    And I think Etsy downloads are a fantastic development — so much better than having to wait for manual emails! Your shop looks great.

    Reply
  2. Linn

    I love stranded knitting, and the one in the picture looks like a beauty!

    A good tip for the floats is to twist the strands at the back of the project every 4 stitches so that the float is secured to the back. This should make it more even.

    Reply
  3. Truly Myrtle

    I think I feel your pain. I want to love it it … but.
    Still – that’s your Quince & Co. yarn isn’t it? Ooo la la. It’s got to feel good 🙂

    Reply
  4. Audry

    I’ve had problems with stranded knitting in the past as well. I use to do both colors with one hand. When I learned to do two handed stranded knitting, my tension problems disappeared.

    Reply
  5. Holly Priestley

    I love how color work changes every row, and that’s what makes it exciting! But it is much slower going than any other technique, I think. Looking forward to what the other side looks like 🙂

    Reply
  6. Julie

    ooh, nice! I like stranded knitting, and just try my best not to over think the floats too much.

    Reply
  7. Alison

    I have very limited experience with color work, but I some sweater designs in mind that involve some pretty hardcore intarsia. I get kind of nervous thinking about it haha.

    And I’m excited to see your finished project!

    Reply
  8. Meghan

    I find that if I work colorwork flat it’s really tedious–something about working the wrong side rows backwards and not being able to see the design properly. I like the colors of this sweater but if I were to knit it, I’d probably knit the front and back at the same time and steek them at the arm holes rather than working it flat–too much pain and suffering for me to handle while I knit it other wise. (Also, the purl rows are extremely problematic for colorwork for most people, another reason to steek it.)

    Reply
  9. Laura

    I really feel you and your complicated feelings toward stranded color work. It’s just so darn finicky! xoxo

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.