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Learn How You Can Catch Floats In Fair Isle Or Stranded Knitting
When knitting a Fair Isle or multi-color project you will create floats at the back of your knitting project. In this tutorial you will learn how to the catch floats while knitting.
If your floats get too long they can easily catch things, such as your fingers when you pull a sweater over your head or put on some mittens.
To avoid this, you would want to twist the yarn every 5 stitches or so.
There are different ways you can do this. We have included two different methods in this tutorial.
The first tutorial is for the more experienced knitter who can carry one yarn in each hand.
In the second tutorial, you will learn how to twist the float when you only use one hand.
Would you like to try out this technique? Here is a great sock pattern: Starry Night Knitted Socks [FREE Knitting Pattern]
You can find more of our useful knitting tips here: Knitting Tips & Tricks.
Watch this great video tutorial by Suzanne Bryan and see how you can catch the float using two hands!
Watch this great video tutorial by Nuria and see who you can catch the float using just one hand!
Image: Knitty
Hi Suzanne – I’m newish to colour stranding and wonder if you could help me. The pattern I am working on has the background or main colour as well as 2 contrast colours in some rows. I knit as in your video where I have the main colour in my right and throw over the needle and the contrast in my left (for continental knitting). So do I carry the second contrast colour in my left also? And how do I carry the contrast colour floats when carrying one behind the other (i.e. when working one contrast colour and catching the float for the 2nd contrast)? Being a more visual person, a video is great but really I am thankful for any advice you might have.
Hi Dianne,
Thank you for contacting The Knitting Space. It would be best if you try to contact Suzanne Bryan here: suzanne@knittingsuzanne.com
She’ll be able to explain it better herself and would probably give you a few more tips.
Hope this helps, Happy knitting!
Ann