Helical knitting is my most popular YouTube video. It has been viewed more than 100,000 times, so I suspect you may love it as much as I do.
This amazingly simple technique is used when working in the round. It allows you to work with two colors in one-row stripes and in doing so you have no jogs on the right side of your work and no floats on the wrong side. Doesn’t that sound nice?
Here’s how it’s done.
Start by working with your first color in the round until you're ready to start single-row stripes.
Change to the second color and continue to work in that color almost all the way around. When you reach the last three stitches of the first color simply slip those three stitches from the left to the right needle purl wise.
Now drop the second color pick up the first color and continue to work all the way around just like before until you get to the last three stitches of the previous color. Again, slip those three stitches purl wise, change colors and now continue in the previous color.
Just keep repeating this process until you have reached your desired length for the project you are knitting.
Here's a little tip: When you get to the end of a round and you're slipping those last three stitches from the previous color make sure that the tension on those stitches is even. If there's a little extra yarn give it a tug to make it snug and then continue.
When knitting in the round you are in fact knitting in a spiral. What's happening in this case after introducing the second color the two colors are taking turns and traveling together. The stitches come out nice and even as the various rounds are defined. There are no jogs and no floats. Perhaps here's the best part. When you get to the end of your project all you have are four yarn tails, one at the beginning and the end of each color.
This technique can be applied to lots of different projects. So far, I've designed a hat, cowl, gloves, a pair of socks and a sweater. What’s next? I think a little summer top for ladies would be nice.
I hope you enjoy the simplicity and the fun of helical knitting.
Cheers,
James
