Knitting with more than one colour

Norwegian circular knitting

In Norway and e.g. the Faroe Islands, the west coast of Sweden and in Estonia clothes were often knitted in simple geometrical patterns in two colours. The garments were knitted in the round on double pins and later circular needles. Armholes were cut open when the knitting was finished.

The easiest way to manage two colours when knitting in the round is to hold both strands over the left index finger and pick the right colour for each stitch. You always pick the yarn in the back over the one in the front, so that the strands on the back become straight. Let one of the threads pass over the middle finger as well and hold them firmly inside the hand. The strands should never be twisted, unless you want to tie up a long float on the back. To attach the float you can either wrap the strands round eachother or knit one stitch with the yarn in the back under the one in the front. It is easier if you make sure that the colour with the longest jumps between stitches, usually the pattern, is placed in the front.

Knitting back and forth from the front side

If you want to knit in a border on a flat pieace and don't have to make the whole piece in the round it is sometimes easier if you can see the pattern from the front side all the time and avoid purling. Then you can knit the knit rows as described above and knit back backwards.

When you arrive at the end of the knit row the threads stay in the left hand. Put the left needle into the last stitch on the right needle. Throw the yarn round the left needle and pull the thread through. Make sure you don't twist the strands when changing colours. It is possible to hold both yarns at the same time, but it is easier to let go of the one not in use. Also make sure the yarn goes the right way round the needle so that the new stitches don't get twisted when you are going to knit back again.

Fair Isle technique

On Fair Isle, by the Shetland Islands north of Scotland, there is a very peculiar pattern tradition. Here many colours are used in knitting, but usually only two on each row. The garments are knit in the round, like in Norway, but some of the knitters have a different method for keeping track of the colours. Since influences have come from both Norway and England the techniques from these countries have been combined.

The left hand holds one colour which is knit as in Scandinavia. The other thread is held in the right hand and thrown as in England. It is recommended that the colour of the pattern is held in the left hand and that it is knit from below. Consequently the background colour is held in the right hand and goes over the other. It is this method of throwing that is used to knit backwards in the text above, and it is also used in two end knitting. It is easiest to keep an even tension if the threads are wrapped around the little fingers, because there is a lot to keep track of here. The advantage with this technique is that, after some practise, it becomes easier to get an even result when there is a big difference in the number of stitches knit in the two colours.