I am still a new knitter (almost a year but there is so much I haven't done yet such as hats and socks) and I find your channel to be so helpful. Thank you so much for this.
This is so great!!! Makes stranded color work so much easier for me, as I just started doing it!! and as a bonus, it addressed my question of dealing with selvages when using stranded colors!!
I'm new to kitting and really want to make something fair isle. It looks so intimidating and carrying 2 yarns makes my head spin. I like your method. TY
You're a genius - Maryna I travel a lot for work and always have my knitting with me. I told dozens of people about your channel. I've avoided colour work now I want to do some. Thank you so much.🥰
Thank you, Savita. I try not to put a lot of details in a video to make sure it's not too boring :-) If you like to know the "whys" behind the "hows", you'll find more information in the articles that usually accompany the videos. I post them all in a place I call "treasure chest" at courses.10rowsaday.com/ They are sorted by categories in collections of tips and techniques. Enjoy :-)
I have seen this technique before, I think Elizzza on CZcams did it, but you have a much better demonstration than I have ever seen. I've tried the technique also of Portuguese where it is supposed to control the floats not being too tight and found I am not that good at keeping floats loose. I like seeing my results which is not something you get to do unless you turn your sock or sweater or hat right side out. The way the floats are supposed to stay loose is you work in the round inside out. And you can work your pattern also fair isle in the flat too! Wow, how great! And your tension between knits and purls is completely perfect! You get no rowing out, which it shows in stockinette and more obviously in reverse stockinette. I have wanted to do a fair isle sweater and am scared about steeking. I can understand in a beautiful project if you had uneven rows every third row, why steeking is important. But your method eliminates the reason for steeking. I hold my yarn as you do but I still get that one row which shows as I described. So I was taught English when I grew up, and I taught myself Continental and then Continental Combined as I think the Eastern Continental or Russian technique makes the most sense. If you have a video on how to get perfect tension to avoid that rowing out I described, I'd be most appreciative as I do not know what I am doing wrong. So if I am working on a heavily cabled pattern with a lot of reverse stockinette background, I knit it English, then I don't get the problem. It is a problem many people have. Your tutorials are superior to others, you are a wonderful teacher. Thank you for your time so very much.
Thank you, my dear :-) I'm happy you like this technique. It IS a great way to work Fair Isle without any need to steek. But this way has a limitation - it works best with patterns that have a small repeat. For best results, choose patterns that have no more than three stitches of one colour at a time. As to the annoying gap between rows, here's a way to fix it - czcams.com/video/01ZoQz7W83I/video.html Happy knitting!
What an interesting suggestion! I know ways to make jog-less stripes, but somehow I never tried to use those ways in Fair Isle. I'll definitely test it. If the results are good, I'll share them with you :-)
I'm knitting socks in Fair Isle for the first time. I tried different methods. Your method is the best It goes fast and gives a nice mesh picture! If you have to take more than five stitches, you can do it with an envelope after three stitches, then the tension is not that long. Thank you for this video, as well as for your other very helpful videos. Greeting Chris
Happy to hear you like this way of knitting a Fair Isle pattern :-) It might be a bit tricky to twist the yarns to eliminate long strands if the gap between two colours is bigger than 2-3 stitches. In fact, it is the only limitation of this technique. But we, knitters, are a creative bunch. It is very possible that you discovered a solution to this problem :-) Happy knitting, Chris!
Hi Maryna! You are my shero; finally a stranded colorwork technique that is not scary and intimidating! I do have one question though: I am currently working on a lopi sweater and your technique worked wonderfully for the sleeves. I am about to begin the yoke and there are 6 stitches of the same color in certain sections and I was wondering if that float won't be too long to use this technique? TIA and keep up the great work!
Hi Sandra, You are right - the strand that goes across 6 stitches will (1) form a big unwanted loop on the wrong side of the work, and (2) is very likely to make the fabric tighter. You can avoid both issues when you use the Armenian knitting method featured in my recent video - czcams.com/video/6V0APgeT_3s/video.html Happy knitting!
Thank you for sharing this great tutorial. I have not tried colour work before because it seemed too difficult but will give it a go now that I can refer to your technique.
I love how you make knitting so much easier! Would one be able to combine this technique with the “knitting fair isle inside out” trick to help with tension, or would that not work? Thanks so much for your great videos, tips, and tricks!
Thank you, Jennifer :-) Yes, you can use this method together with the "inside-out" method, but you might not need to. Each of these methods make stranded knitting less tight, so using either method is usually enough to make sure the tension of the fabric is just right. Happy knitting!
Thank you, Callie :-) Yes, you can use more colours, but that means you will work each row once for each colour used in the project. Because we can't catch floats at the back of the work, choose colour patterns that don't have many stitches between colours.
It is an interesting suggestion. If you want to test it, make sure the floats are longer than usual. Otherwise, pulling them up a row will affect the tension of the fabric. Happy knitting :-)
That's a great question, Joy! Because we use each strand separately in each row, there is no way we can catch floats. That's why this method works best for colour patterns that have less than five stitches in the same colour, like binary colour patterns, for example. Happy knitting, my friend :-)
Could the even number rows be knit backward, instead of purling? Knit backward the stitches you'd purl, slip the others. I have seen this give a more uniform stockinette look.
Of course, If you get an even tension when you knit backwards, you can do it when you work every other row using the method described in this tutorial. Happy knitting!
@@10rowsaday I seem to get more even tension when I do, so definitely will try it. Took a bit to get the muscle memory in place, but betting it will be worth it.
Thank you for this video. Makes fair isle knitting so much easier. :). Love your tutorials. Hope to continue learning tips to make knitting items much easier.
It is the only drawback of this technique - because we use each colour separately, there is no way we can twist strands to catch the floats. Here's a link to the article I wrote about this technique - www.10rowsaday.com/easy-fair-isle It explains this little nuance.
Hi maryna, you cannot imagine how much I already learnt a lot from your video’s :) Thanks for all of them ! I have a question: do you also use this method of knitting every row twice with the colors (intarsia) when you are working the body and sleeves (long rounds of more than 250 stitches?) or do you use a different method then? Tnx for your help, Dona from Belgium
Thank you so much for the kind words, Dona! I'm happy you enjoy my tutorials and find them helpful. Thank you :-) As to this technique, it won't be helpful with intarsia, because segments of intarsia pattern are worked in the same colour, so there is no need in working the same segment twice. If you add intarsia element to a piece worked in the round (like a sleeve), you still have to somehow get the yarn back to the right side of the intarsia element. It could get tricky. That's why, in most cases, intarsia is worked back and forth.
I've tried this technique in the past but was unhappy with the looks of the elongated slipped stitch. Instead I carry the other color along but wrap it around the needle to tack it down on every other stitch. Takes practice but solves all those problems.
That's an interesting solution! if you carry the yarn along, you probably don't need to slide the stitches on the needle to get to the beginning of a row and work it again with the other colour. Most likely, you turn the work after each "run". Thank you for sharing this adjustment with all of us :-)
I have worked and just finished a sweater using fair isle pattern..before watching this video..I have never used slipped stitches and 🥺😔..2 pointed needle..I knitted and purled my stiches as of the pattern..is it wrong ?? But my work looked great..BUT I WISH I WATCHED YOUR VIDEO BEFORE I STARTED MY WORK !!
Of course, there is nothing wrong with making Fair Isle pattern the conventional way. The little trick explained in this tutorial is just an alternative. The main thing is that your work looks great. That's the only measure of success :-) Happy knitting!
Hi Maryna, thank you for your video tutorials. Do you know of a good way to make decreases in a fair isle knitting in the round for a hat? I have run into a problem with a hat pattern I was following. The pattern says to gather all the stitches together (about 100 stitches) and tie them up to close the top. I would like to ease the pattern into gradual decreases. The pattern is a 1-3-1 diamond pattern. Thank you.
Hi Beronica, I agree - tying 100 stitches to close up the top will look a bit messy. It is a good idea to give some shaping to the crown before you finish off the hat. Decreasing in pattern is always a creative task. You could make the first set of decreases within the 3 stitches in the same colour in your diamond pattern. The diamond will not look the same after the decreases, but the pattern will stay consistent. In a few rounds, make another set of decreases within the 2-stitch sections. That should bring the number of stitches down enough to neatly close the hole at the top of the hat. I usually work a few more rounds after the last round of decreases and close the top only then. I find that those few rounds make the shaping better. Good luck :-)
Robyn, the idea is simple - instead of working a row (or round) once using two colours at the same time, you work the row twice, each time using only one strand of yarn. It takes about the same amount of time, but because you manage one strand at a time, it's less complicated. Give it a try :-)
Here''s a free pattern for eight charted stranded patterns for Christmas stockings using size 7 circular needles with worsted yarn. Have fun! www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/W104_220.pdf
I think these two are different, though this one uses the slip stitch technique. The mosaic knitting lifts a slip stitch over two or more rows, and keep it.
It does. It's good because we don't have to worry about twisting yarns every now and then. But on the other hand, it's not so good for patterns with long floats. That's why this technique works best for patterns with short floats.
![How to knit Fair Isle for beginners [+tips and tricks for neat results]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-8t8s5Fwups/mqdefault.jpg)
You are amazing!!! Thank you so much for posting how to do it flat
This is THE BEST!❤❤ THANK YOU so much!
Blessings🌹.
I am still a new knitter (almost a year but there is so much I haven't done yet such as hats and socks) and I find your channel to be so helpful. Thank you so much for this.
This is so great!!! Makes stranded color work so much easier for me, as I just started doing it!! and as a bonus, it addressed my question of dealing with selvages when using stranded colors!!
I'm new to kitting and really want to make something fair isle. It looks so intimidating and carrying 2 yarns makes my head spin. I like your method. TY
Hi Melinda. This method is perfect to the first Fair Isle project. Happy knitting!
You're a genius - Maryna I travel a lot for work and always have my knitting with me. I told dozens of people about your channel. I've avoided colour work now I want to do some. Thank you so much.🥰
Thank you, Jennifer :-) Happy knitting and safe travels!
You are a great teacher!!! I like the way you explain each and every thing in your videos. Thank you!!!
Thank you, Savita. I try not to put a lot of details in a video to make sure it's not too boring :-) If you like to know the "whys" behind the "hows", you'll find more information in the articles that usually accompany the videos. I post them all in a place I call "treasure chest" at courses.10rowsaday.com/ They are sorted by categories in collections of tips and techniques. Enjoy :-)
I think I can DO this! Thank you! I never thought I'd ever be able to do fair isle!! ❤️
I have seen this technique before, I think Elizzza on CZcams did it, but you have a much better demonstration than I have ever seen. I've tried the technique also of Portuguese where it is supposed to control the floats not being too tight and found I am not that good at keeping floats loose.
I like seeing my results which is not something you get to do unless you turn your sock or sweater or hat right side out. The way the floats are supposed to stay loose is you work in the round inside out.
And you can work your pattern also fair isle in the flat too! Wow, how great! And your tension between knits and purls is completely perfect! You get no rowing out, which it shows in stockinette and more obviously in reverse stockinette. I have wanted to do a fair isle sweater and am scared about steeking. I can understand in a beautiful project if you had uneven rows every third row, why steeking is important. But your method eliminates the reason for steeking.
I hold my yarn as you do but I still get that one row which shows as I described. So I was taught English when I grew up, and I taught myself Continental and then Continental Combined as I think the Eastern Continental or Russian technique makes the most sense.
If you have a video on how to get perfect tension to avoid that rowing out I described, I'd be most appreciative as I do not know what I am doing wrong. So if I am working on a heavily cabled pattern with a lot of reverse stockinette background, I knit it English, then I don't get the problem.
It is a problem many people have.
Your tutorials are superior to others, you are a wonderful teacher. Thank you for your time so very much.
Thank you, my dear :-) I'm happy you like this technique. It IS a great way to work Fair Isle without any need to steek. But this way has a limitation - it works best with patterns that have a small repeat. For best results, choose patterns that have no more than three stitches of one colour at a time. As to the annoying gap between rows, here's a way to fix it - czcams.com/video/01ZoQz7W83I/video.html Happy knitting!
This is a wonderful way to strand. Thank you! I love your videos and email tips.
Thanks, AJ :-)
Please do a video with different ways to get jog-less fair isle...great easy to follow video!😊
What an interesting suggestion! I know ways to make jog-less stripes, but somehow I never tried to use those ways in Fair Isle. I'll definitely test it. If the results are good, I'll share them with you :-)
10rowsaday thank you
Thank you soooo much ! You are a great teacher and your technique makes this work a lot easier . :) Oh, and I love the blue background !
Thanks, Viv :-)
Fantastic tutorial! Ingenious! Thank you
I'm knitting socks in Fair Isle for the first time. I tried different methods. Your method is the best It goes fast and gives a nice mesh picture!
If you have to take more than five stitches, you can do it with an envelope after three stitches, then the tension is not that long.
Thank you for this video, as well as for your other very helpful videos. Greeting Chris
Happy to hear you like this way of knitting a Fair Isle pattern :-) It might be a bit tricky to twist the yarns to eliminate long strands if the gap between two colours is bigger than 2-3 stitches. In fact, it is the only limitation of this technique. But we, knitters, are a creative bunch. It is very possible that you discovered a solution to this problem :-) Happy knitting, Chris!
Hi Maryna! You are my shero; finally a stranded colorwork technique that is not scary and intimidating! I do have one question though: I am currently working on a lopi sweater and your technique worked wonderfully for the sleeves. I am about to begin the yoke and there are 6 stitches of the same color in certain sections and I was wondering if that float won't be too long to use this technique? TIA and keep up the great work!
Hi Sandra, You are right - the strand that goes across 6 stitches will (1) form a big unwanted loop on the wrong side of the work, and (2) is very likely to make the fabric tighter. You can avoid both issues when you use the Armenian knitting method featured in my recent video - czcams.com/video/6V0APgeT_3s/video.html Happy knitting!
Thanks! I never knew how to do this very well!!!!!
Give this little technique a try. It's quite easy once you understand how it works. Have fun!
Thank you for sharing this great tutorial. I have not tried colour work before because it seemed too difficult but will give it a go now that I can refer to your technique.
Colour knitting is so much fun, and this way to make it is a perfect starting point. Happy knitting, Monica :-)
New subscriber here! Thank you so much for this, it answered so many questions on how to do this technique!
Thank you for subscribing. I'm glad that you find this tutorial helpful. Happy knitting :-)
This is wonderful! I will certainly try it
I will try!!! Thanks dear!!!
I love how you make knitting so much easier! Would one be able to combine this technique with the “knitting fair isle inside out” trick to help with tension, or would that not work? Thanks so much for your great videos, tips, and tricks!
Thank you, Jennifer :-) Yes, you can use this method together with the "inside-out" method, but you might not need to. Each of these methods make stranded knitting less tight, so using either method is usually enough to make sure the tension of the fabric is just right. Happy knitting!
This looks like it would work wonderfully for 3 or more colors also! Thank for posting this for us to see.
Thank you, Callie :-) Yes, you can use more colours, but that means you will work each row once for each colour used in the project. Because we can't catch floats at the back of the work, choose colour patterns that don't have many stitches between colours.
@@10rowsaday Great tip. Thanks for thinking that out for me.
@@callielw You are most welcome, Callie :-)
I think there's a technique where you can pick up the floats afterwards in the next row, maybe that'd work?
It is an interesting suggestion. If you want to test it, make sure the floats are longer than usual. Otherwise, pulling them up a row will affect the tension of the fabric. Happy knitting :-)
Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video! I look forward to trying this method!
Happy to help :-) Enjoy!
Genius
What happens when you have more then 5 stitches in the same colour? How do you catch your floats if the other yarn is at the BOR?
That's a great question, Joy! Because we use each strand separately in each row, there is no way we can catch floats. That's why this method works best for colour patterns that have less than five stitches in the same colour, like binary colour patterns, for example. Happy knitting, my friend :-)
Could the even number rows be knit backward, instead of purling? Knit backward the stitches you'd purl, slip the others. I have seen this give a more uniform stockinette look.
Of course, If you get an even tension when you knit backwards, you can do it when you work every other row using the method described in this tutorial. Happy knitting!
@@10rowsaday I seem to get more even tension when I do, so definitely will try it. Took a bit to get the muscle memory in place, but betting it will be worth it.
Thank you for this video. Makes fair isle knitting so much easier. :). Love your tutorials. Hope to continue learning tips to make knitting items much easier.
Thank you, Carla! It feels good to share those little tips and tricks with you :-)
How do youhandle floats, i..e. Catch floats, if you have a long run of a color,? for example 10 stitches, in color A, then 10 sitches in color B?
It is the only drawback of this technique - because we use each colour separately, there is no way we can twist strands to catch the floats. Here's a link to the article I wrote about this technique - www.10rowsaday.com/easy-fair-isle It explains this little nuance.
I assume this method isn’t too practical if you have long strands that would need trapping?
You are right, Judy - this method works best for stitch patterns that don't have more than three stitches in the same colour.
@@10rowsaday Thanks - this is a really clever technique!
Hi maryna, you cannot imagine how much I already learnt a lot from your video’s :) Thanks for all of them ! I have a question: do you also use this method of knitting every row twice with the colors (intarsia) when you are working the body and sleeves (long rounds of more than 250 stitches?) or do you use a different method then? Tnx for your help, Dona from Belgium
Thank you so much for the kind words, Dona! I'm happy you enjoy my tutorials and find them helpful. Thank you :-) As to this technique, it won't be helpful with intarsia, because segments of intarsia pattern are worked in the same colour, so there is no need in working the same segment twice. If you add intarsia element to a piece worked in the round (like a sleeve), you still have to somehow get the yarn back to the right side of the intarsia element. It could get tricky. That's why, in most cases, intarsia is worked back and forth.
I've tried this technique in the past but was unhappy with the looks of the elongated slipped stitch. Instead I carry the other color along but wrap it around the needle to tack it down on every other stitch. Takes practice but solves all those problems.
That's an interesting solution! if you carry the yarn along, you probably don't need to slide the stitches on the needle to get to the beginning of a row and work it again with the other colour. Most likely, you turn the work after each "run". Thank you for sharing this adjustment with all of us :-)
So brilliant!! This marriage of the best solutions makes color work manageable. Thank you both!!!
how do you manage long floats with this method?
This method works best for colour patterns that don't have long floats. I explain this in the full tutorial at www.10rowsaday.com/easy-fair-isle
I have worked and just finished a sweater using fair isle pattern..before watching this video..I have never used slipped stitches and 🥺😔..2 pointed needle..I knitted and purled my stiches as of the pattern..is it wrong ?? But my work looked great..BUT I WISH I WATCHED YOUR VIDEO BEFORE I STARTED MY WORK !!
Of course, there is nothing wrong with making Fair Isle pattern the conventional way. The little trick explained in this tutorial is just an alternative. The main thing is that your work looks great. That's the only measure of success :-) Happy knitting!
@@10rowsaday Thank you .
I love the sweater you are wearing, if you don’t mind can you please provide the pattern?
Thank you, Lonny :-) I whipped it up some time ago. And though I do have my notes, I never actually got to writing a formal pattern. Sorry.
10rowsaday : I understood, thank you for replying though. 😊
Hi Maryna, thank you for your video tutorials.
Do you know of a good way to make decreases in a fair isle knitting in the round for a hat?
I have run into a problem with a hat pattern I was following.
The pattern says to gather all the stitches together (about 100 stitches) and tie them up to close the top.
I would like to ease the pattern into gradual decreases.
The pattern is a 1-3-1 diamond pattern. Thank you.
Hi Beronica, I agree - tying 100 stitches to close up the top will look a bit messy. It is a good idea to give some shaping to the crown before you finish off the hat. Decreasing in pattern is always a creative task. You could make the first set of decreases within the 3 stitches in the same colour in your diamond pattern. The diamond will not look the same after the decreases, but the pattern will stay consistent. In a few rounds, make another set of decreases within the 2-stitch sections. That should bring the number of stitches down enough to neatly close the hole at the top of the hat. I usually work a few more rounds after the last round of decreases and close the top only then. I find that those few rounds make the shaping better. Good luck :-)
@@10rowsaday Maryna, thank you very much for the advice. It helped me.
I love to knit fair isle but I don't understand why you slip the off color yarn.....is it to keep the yarn from getting tangled?
Robyn, the idea is simple - instead of working a row (or round) once using two colours at the same time, you work the row twice, each time using only one strand of yarn. It takes about the same amount of time, but because you manage one strand at a time, it's less complicated. Give it a try :-)
Here''s a free pattern for eight charted stranded patterns for Christmas stockings using size 7 circular needles with worsted yarn. Have fun! www.cascadeyarns.com/patternsFree/W104_220.pdf
Thank you for sharing :-)
May I ask what is the difference between this and mosaic knitting is?
I guess we can call this little technique a simplified version of mosaic knitting :-)
@@10rowsaday thank you! I'm new to mosaic knitting so I was a little confused. This does look simpler than catching floats
I think these two are different, though this one uses the slip stitch technique. The mosaic knitting lifts a slip stitch over two or more rows, and keep it.
So does this mean we don't catch floats?
It does. It's good because we don't have to worry about twisting yarns every now and then. But on the other hand, it's not so good for patterns with long floats. That's why this technique works best for patterns with short floats.