Knit with Colour
Slip stitch colourwork CREATE BEAUTIFUL COLOURWORK EFFECTS THE EASY WAY
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fter stripes, you might like to try some of the other colour techniques out there. Fair Isle, intarsia and Swiss darning allow you to add all sorts of patterns, motifs and characters to your knits, transforming them from drab to fab! But there is a simpler way to create amazing colour effects.
Slip stitch colourwork techniques can create a similar effect to Fair Isle, but much more simply and no one will know the difference. All you need to do is change colours and slip stitches – this is where you pass stitches from the left to the right needle without knitting them. The key thing to remember is not to pull too tightly on your ‘floats’ (the
1 After your border, *join in colour 2 (light pink) and knit the first 2 sts. Slip the next 2 sts across from the left to the right-hand needle, without working them. Repeat this ‘k2, sl2’ to the end of the row.
3 Turn and join in another ball of colour 2. Using colour 2, work ‘p2, sl2’ across the row, making sure you are purling a different set of 2 stitches to the ones you worked in step 1.
strands of loose yarn that run behind the stitches). Keeping them loose will keep the tension even and avoid puckering. To practise the technique below, cast on a number of stitches that’s divisible by 4, such as 24. Using your first colour, work four rows in garter stitch, rib stitch or moss stitch, to help keep the fabric flat, then start your colourwork.
2 Turn and, using colour 2, purl only the stitches in colour 2, slipping the other stitches to the right needle without working them. Turn, change to colour 1 and knit all the stitches in the next row (as above).
4 Turn and, using colour 2, only knit the sts in colour 2. Turn, change to colour 1 and purl all the stitches in the row (as above). Repeat from * in step 1 and you’ll create a simple checked effect.
Beginner’s Guide to Knitting & Crochet
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