"I’m going to keep going until I succeed—or I die."

– Harry Potter​

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Hello there fellow knitter!

This is The Yarnist. The daily newsletter that makes you love knitting the same way hipsters love avocado toast.

Here's what we've got for you today...

• Knitspiration: Looking at 5 different colorwork techniques
• Stitchionary: A brioche stitch by any other name
• Pattern Pick: This afghan is all over the US
• PLUS: Guilty knits, knitted mandrake, and more

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Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain sponsored ads and affiliate links.
When you buy using them, you support our work here at The Yarnist, as we get a small commission.

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Knitspiration

🎨 5 Types of Colorwork Knitting

In my opinion there are two types of knitters:

Texture knitters and colorwork knitters.

Texture knitters are all about knits and purls and yarn overs and cables.

Colorwork knitters are all about...

well....

colors.

But there are a lot of different types of colorwork within the knitting world.

And since our Summer Knitting Weekend is all about colorwork, I thought we'd explore five different levels of colorwork knitting, from beginner to advanced.

1. Duplicate Stitch

This technique uses small scraps of yarn to embroider motifs on top of your finished fabric. You use a darning needle to "duplicate" the stitches using a different color.

Pros: Very flexible. Great for adding small details.

Cons: Labor intensive and time consuming.

When to use: Perfect for monograms, fixing mistakes, or adding color accents too small for Intarsia.

2. Stripes

This technique alternates between two or more colors of yarn. Stripe widths can be varied to change up the look of the fabric. Consistent stripe widths give your fabric a more bold graphic style.

Pros: Easy for beginners.

Cons: Not very flexible in what you can achieve.

When to use: Great for spicing up simple knits without much effort.

3. Mosaic

Similar to strips, this technique uses slipped stitches to create colorwork patterns. The colors from one row cover the colors in the next row, giving the illusion of connected colors throughout the fabric.

Pros: Easier for beginners. Looks complex even though only one color is knit at a time.

Cons: More flexible than stripes but still limited in its application. Fabric can be thick and dense.

When to use: Perfect for creating complex looking geometric patterns that are easy to knit.

4. Fair Isle (Stranded)

This technique uses two colors of yarn within the same row. By alternating between the two at different intervals, patterns can be created over multiple rows. Generally designs consist of small motifs of nature or animals and are presented in stripes stacked upon each other.

Pros: Good option for incorporating more than two colors. Designs can be quite complex, but you only knit with two colors at a time.

Cons: Should really only be knit in the round. Design motifs should be relatively small so yarn floats behind the work are easy to manage. Managing multiple yarns in the same row takes some getting used to.

When to use: Great for creating small, fun colorwork patterns in the "traditional" colorwork knitting look.

5. Intarsia

This technique switches entirely from one or more yarn colors in the same row. It's used to create large sections of color within knitted fabric that float independent of other colors. This makes it ideal for pixel type artwork that can depicted big letters, landscapes, or even logos.

Pros: Incredibly flexible in the types of artwork that can be created. Colorwork can be knit in a single layer of fabric.

Cons: Projects MUST be knit flat. Lots of loose yarn strands are easy to get tangled up. Loose stitches between color changes can be a problem.

When to use: Best for big graphic images in the middle of your knitted fabric or using yarn to "paint" a picture.

But Wait...There's More!

We'll be exploring ALL of these techniques in more detail, along with a whole lot more next week at the...

​Summer Knitting Weekend • August 8th - 11th​

I'll be hosting more than 20 different session all about colorwrok during this 4-day event, so if you want to join us LIVE you can register HERE for FREE!​

Conclusion

Adding color into your knits is the easier way to jazz up any project.

But what do you think?

Do you have a favorite type of colorwork?

Is there a technique you love that we didn't mention?

Hit reply (or use the button below) and let us know about your experience!

Did You Know? The Yarnist Society is now open for EVERYONE! Jump in to discuss today's newsletter

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Announcements

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Daily Stitch

Checked Rose Stitch

The checked rose stitch is a two colored stitch in the brioche family.

It’s a double layered fabric, with one color used for the front of the stitch and a second color for the back. The resulting window panes allow alternate colors to show.

The checked rose stitch is also a reversible pattern, with the inverse color coming through on the wrong side.

Like all brioche stitches, this pattern has a fluffy, thick fabric, that’s as soft as being kissed by a rose petal.

Learn This Stitch

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Yarnist Insider Bonus

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Inside the Yarnist Society

LIVE Knitting Circle (July 31 @ 8PM EST) Join us for our weekly knit together! ​​RSVP HERE​​

Work in Progress Wednesday What are you working on right now? ​Share a photo with the community​

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Pattern Pick

Lion Country Afghan by Lion Brand Studio

This pattern is not for the faint of heart.

But if you want a challenge (to test both your knitting and geography skills) then this is the project for you.

Using intarsia colorwork and 25 🤯 different colors, this epic afghan is a great way to celebrate the good 'ol US of A.

It might take you a year to knit it, but this is the type of blanket your grandkids will fight over.

Get This Pattern

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Knits & Giggles

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Thanks for reading!

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Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:

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Look at you reading all the way to the end!

Here's a bonus video with this incredible arial footage of sheep being herded. 🤯

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Made with 💙🖤🤍 in Tallinn, Estonia

Narva Mnt 15, Tallinn, 10120