Continental knitters shouldn't be afraid to try to knit with two colors in one hand because it is done very similarly to how they knit with one color.
With this method you tension both yarns over the left hand index finger. Here's how I do it.
By stranding the yarns as shown (one going over and one going under the middle finger) I can try to avoid the two yarns ending up too close to each other on my index finger. (A strickfingerhut can also help keep the yarns separate but I'll talk about using one tomorrow.)
The yarn lowest on the finger is knit normally - by taking the right hand needle, putting it through the stitch on the left hand needle knitwise, then going over or under the lowest yarn with the right hand needle and pulling it through the stitch. I don't think it matters much whether you go over or under the yarn to grab it. Here I am going under the green yarn.
To knit the color held higher on the finger, nearer the fingertip, you take the right hand needle, put it through the stitch on the left hand knitwise, reach beyond the black yarn and grab the green yarn and pull it through the needle. I've tried grabbing this second yarn by either going under or over the yarn and I've found that using the needle to grab the color by going OVER the yarn is faster for me.
Here the black yarn is pulled through and I'm back to where I started.
As I said, the biggest difficulty I have using this method is how to keep the two yarns separate enough on my index finger so I can easily choose one color to knit. I do notice I lift my left index finger often to help tension the two yarns. Or I can use a strickfingerhut/knitting thimble. More on that tomorrow.
12 comments:
That's almost how I hold my yarn too, but not exactly. I think my version isn't mentioned in any book, it might not be the right way, but it works for me.
Thanks so much! I've been looking for a better way to knit fair-isle.
Yes... but can you knit with your toes? That's what I really want to see!
great photos! I love your technique posts.
I do my stranded work with all colors in my left hand -- but I actually tension it so that the dominant color is tensioned over my index finger and the background color tensioned over my middle finger. This keeps things neat and tidy for me and I don't have problems with switching dominance.
Just yet another way to do it!
And I do it yet in another way. I just keep both my yarns (and sometimes 3 yarns) over my index finger, and let the yarn hang loose in my palm.
But sometimes when there are long floats (I float every 4 stitch regulary) my method makes me have to let one of the yarn let loose. So I'll try your method to see if that makes it better for my type of knitting.
Thanks for starting good discussions :D
Angelika, there is no right way to hold the yarns! If you ever get a photo of your method, let me know. I am keeping a large file of links on various ways to hold the yarns on Ravelry.
Purl, I hope one of the methods shown this week will work for you!
DKM, I could probably knit with my toes if I had to but no, I haven't tried yet. LOL
Jess, if you ever take a photo of your method, please let me know and I'll add it to the links I keep on all the zillion ways to hold the yarns!
Pinneguri, thanks for those links! I'm going to add them to the Ravelry database on how to hold the yarns on the Stranded Forum. I think if new color knitters can see all the possibilities, they'll be more likely to try it.
oh, I'm glad to know that my two-in-left-hand method (that I improvised) isn't all wrong! My yarn does get twisted, but not in a way that complicates the knitting. I'll try your wrap method next time. Thanks!
If you bend your index finger at the second knuckle and keep one yarn on one side of the bent knuckle and the other yarn on the other side of the bent knuckle they stay separated pretty well.
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