Knitty Couture

Are you as glad as I am that the election is over?  Did you also heave a sigh of relief, knowing that we can all finally move on with our lives? Read the news a little less?  Stop obsessively checking the polls?  No more spending hours upon hours reading articles and news reports?  No more thinking, breathing and dreaming about what may or may not happen on election day?

Well, I can tell you, my hubby is definitely happier now that I’ve finally returned to a bit of normal.

Although I was unable to think about anything else during the election, at least my fingers were knitting away.  First up…

This Latvian-inspired colorwork hat was knitted at Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp.  In addition to practicing colorwork, one also learned how to create the fringe and braid, which is typically found in Latvian-style garments (e.g., mittens, hats, etc.).

The first hat was knitted in Shetland spindrift or jumper-weight and used six colors.

Shetland yarn is wonderful for colorwork knitting due to the crimpness of the fibers which permits the yarns to “lock” into one another.  It is also an incredibly durable yarn and despite its initial roughness, Shetland yarn does become softer with handling.

Because we carry Shetland DK, a heavier weight, I had to create a different pattern for the second hat.  (I’ll try to make the pattern available after the new year.)  I maintained the braid, but omitted the fringe.  Both techniques are taught in the Colorwork I class to those who are interested.

Also, rather than six colors, I chose to knit the hat with three.  There actually is no limit to how few or more colors one can use.

The key, I found, in working with multiple colors is ensuring that your tension is loose.  A tight tension will result in the fabric puckering up which, obviously, is not visually appealing.  Some puckering during the knitting process is expected, and this can be remedied during blocking.

For colorwork pieces, I generally steam block.  To do so, I place a damp towel over the knitted piece and iron the towel.

There is no one way to knit with multiple colors.  While some may choose to hold the strands with the left fingers (e.g., me), others may chose to do so with the right fingers and even some do a bit of both.  I recommend that you test drive various methods and select the one that suits you best.

Happy Knitting.