Beginner knitter wants to do three color scarf. Help?
October 15, 2018 8:54 AM Subscribe
I'd like to do a scarf with three colors because I like them together and I often wear them together, so I think it would be a nice, unifying item (black, brown, and white-like a calico cat).
Plus it would fun and challenging. But I don't know how!
Can I get some help with my options?
I want:
-Reversible, or at least, wrong side not offensive to the eye (it's a scarf)
-Not having to weave in ends over and over -- I know I could, but if I were changing colors every three inches or so, it would be kind of a pain in the end
-To use three balls of yarn (ie. not something that is pre-dyed those three colors, although if anyone knows where I can find that yarn, let me know! I'd like to use it for something else--as of now, though, I already bought the yarn, and I'm interested in challenging myself)
-I'm not really afraid of failure or frustration. I'll watch a hundred videos. I'll start over. Whatever is necessary.
I am an okay knitter despite my previous question in which I failed to follow directions on a scarf the entire way through.
I can knit on double-pointed needles, circular needles, regular needles. I have knitted two basketweave cat blankets, scarves-successful ones!, a variety of samplers of different stitches, a two-color scarf, and several deformed socks.
I have fantasies of a bi-color cable on a single color background, but I really don't even know the terminology and honestly, I'd like to just try to gather my options.
One thing I considered is just making an insanely long stranded scarf, folding it over to hide the floaters in the back, and sewing it together as one. The yarn is a little heavy for that. Still, if it's the best way to go, I'd do it, and maybe make pattern a bit more narrow than normal.
So knitters: what are my options here?
Can I get some help with my options?
I want:
-Reversible, or at least, wrong side not offensive to the eye (it's a scarf)
-Not having to weave in ends over and over -- I know I could, but if I were changing colors every three inches or so, it would be kind of a pain in the end
-To use three balls of yarn (ie. not something that is pre-dyed those three colors, although if anyone knows where I can find that yarn, let me know! I'd like to use it for something else--as of now, though, I already bought the yarn, and I'm interested in challenging myself)
-I'm not really afraid of failure or frustration. I'll watch a hundred videos. I'll start over. Whatever is necessary.
I am an okay knitter despite my previous question in which I failed to follow directions on a scarf the entire way through.
I can knit on double-pointed needles, circular needles, regular needles. I have knitted two basketweave cat blankets, scarves-successful ones!, a variety of samplers of different stitches, a two-color scarf, and several deformed socks.
I have fantasies of a bi-color cable on a single color background, but I really don't even know the terminology and honestly, I'd like to just try to gather my options.
One thing I considered is just making an insanely long stranded scarf, folding it over to hide the floaters in the back, and sewing it together as one. The yarn is a little heavy for that. Still, if it's the best way to go, I'd do it, and maybe make pattern a bit more narrow than normal.
So knitters: what are my options here?
One really easy way to make a multi-color stripey scarf is the Noro scarf pattern, where the yarn is carried up the side and not woven in for each color change. The pattern uses two colors, but maybe it wouldn't be too hard to use three instead.
Twining is another way to do colorwork and carry at least one extra strand along - basically, you twist the strands after every stitch, so the front and the back both look good. It can be slow and it makes a pretty dense, less stretchy (but warm and wind-resistant) finished product.
posted by adiabatic at 9:23 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Twining is another way to do colorwork and carry at least one extra strand along - basically, you twist the strands after every stitch, so the front and the back both look good. It can be slow and it makes a pretty dense, less stretchy (but warm and wind-resistant) finished product.
posted by adiabatic at 9:23 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Flat knitting (a single layer of fabric, knit back and forth): There are lots of reversible scarf patterns out there (if you do a pattern search on Ravelry, one of the attributes you can specify is Fabric Characteristics -> Reversible), so that's not a big problem problem at all.
Horizontal colour changing: Weaving in ends is just a part of life if you're doing flat knitting with wide horizontal stripes; generally I weave them in as I go along so it's not waiting for me at the end (down side to that: it's a real pain in the arse if you have to rip back past a point where you've already woven in an end).
Vertical colour changing: multi-colour cables are fun and beautiful! but with vertical colour changes, you're going to get floats on the back of the scarf, so you'd be looking at knitting a tube - knitting in the round, instead of back and forth. This'll give you a toasty-warm scarf with two layers of fabric. Here's a little short video somebody put up, to give you an idea of how that's done - click this YouTube link
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 9:37 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Horizontal colour changing: Weaving in ends is just a part of life if you're doing flat knitting with wide horizontal stripes; generally I weave them in as I go along so it's not waiting for me at the end (down side to that: it's a real pain in the arse if you have to rip back past a point where you've already woven in an end).
Vertical colour changing: multi-colour cables are fun and beautiful! but with vertical colour changes, you're going to get floats on the back of the scarf, so you'd be looking at knitting a tube - knitting in the round, instead of back and forth. This'll give you a toasty-warm scarf with two layers of fabric. Here's a little short video somebody put up, to give you an idea of how that's done - click this YouTube link
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 9:37 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm curious if you're specifically not wanting to use variegated yarn (which would produce clumps of the colors) or if you know that there's also self-striping, i.e. yarn with long enough stretches of the colors that it'd fade between them.
As to cables...Cabling isn't hard but it's fussy and time-consuming. A tri-color cable sounds like a nightmare to me, an intermediate or so knitter, but I'll leave it to someone fonder of color work than I am to say if it's doable. I assume it is.
The two-sided thing shouldn't be a problem. Most things are going to look fine on both sides, though perhaps different on each.
posted by Smearcase at 9:48 AM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
As to cables...Cabling isn't hard but it's fussy and time-consuming. A tri-color cable sounds like a nightmare to me, an intermediate or so knitter, but I'll leave it to someone fonder of color work than I am to say if it's doable. I assume it is.
The two-sided thing shouldn't be a problem. Most things are going to look fine on both sides, though perhaps different on each.
posted by Smearcase at 9:48 AM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
My 'I hate weaving in ends' solution is to tie on the new yarn a good row or so out, and then knit the ends into the piece for a few stitches, matching like color with like. You might have to fiddle a bit to line it up exactly with ends (maybe knit to the end of the row, tie on the new color, and tink back 4 or 5 stitches then redo them with the tail included), but I've found that this doesn't disrupt the fabric and makes my life 100% better.
posted by kalimac at 11:32 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kalimac at 11:32 AM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
My first instinct would just be a garter stitch, striped situation (though I realize my love of garter stitch and the way the "wrong side" of color change rows look in it may not be universal). If that's too boring, maybe entrelac? The back side doesn't look terrible, though there's a clear "right" side. In the past I've sewn jersey fabric onto the back of entrelac pieces if I want to hide it. Also, seconding the Noro stripe scarf pattern above, especially the advice to carry the non-working yarn up the side when striping.
posted by quatsch at 11:46 AM on October 15, 2018
posted by quatsch at 11:46 AM on October 15, 2018
Wait I was half awake earlier and I think said something dumb. Color work does present reversibility problems.
posted by Smearcase at 11:47 AM on October 15, 2018
posted by Smearcase at 11:47 AM on October 15, 2018
Best answer: I have fantasies of a bi-color cable on a single color background, but I really don't even know the terminology and honestly, I'd like to just try to gather my options.
What you're talking about there would be a combination of cable and intarsia, and trying to do both as a self-described beginner will probably make you cry. (I mean, those techniques are each achievable, but you will be feeling frustrated several times before you finish and may throw the whole mess into a closet in frustration at some point.)
Instead: I have an easy idea for how to sort of splice together the three balls you already have, if those three balls are wool or some kind of animal fiber. This will also spare you having to weave in ends.
* When you get near the end of one of the color stripes - say black - cut the yarn, but leave a really long tail, long enough to do most of one more row with the black.
* Get the ball of your next color ready (let's say you go with brown).
* Now, take the end of the black yarn, and untwist the plies about an inch or two.
* Do the same with the end of the brown yarn.
* Wet the untwisted plies of both the black and brown yarn (dip them in water, stick 'em in your mouth, whatever you prefer).
* Then - overlap the untwisted plies of both ends of the yarn, lay them in your palm and rub them together back and forth. Or lay them on your leg and roll them back and forth across your leg. Keep doing that until it seems like the plies have started felting back together.
* Then go on to knit - proceeding kind of carefully when you get to the point where you spliced the black to the brown. It should hold well enough to get you underway.
There's an illustrated version of this trick here. I've used this trick on older slightly moth-eaten wool yarn that broke on me; I just spit-spliced the ends back together and was underway again.
If you're really ambitious you could do this to DIY yourself a self-striping ball by pulling out a big long length of the black, spit-splicing it to a big long length of the brown, then splicing that to the white, then the black again, then the brown, then the white, etc. and then winding it all back up. But that would take a while.
Note that this technique only works with animal fibre yarn, however. If you have acryllic or cotton this won't work. However - you could choose a reversible textured stitch that is good for hiding knots (I've totally done this - instead of weaving in ends, if the pattern I've chosen is kind of chunky and lumpy I just securely knot the two ends of yarn together and then clip the ends, and the knot hides in the knitting).
Or! Or you could do the linen stitch - this is a stitch that has a sort of weird magic affect on combining colors and making it look like they work together. It's a two-row pattern using both knit stitches and slipped stitches, and if you do each row in a different color the pattern ends up looking kind of mosaic-y. If you knit lengthwise, then you can even leave the ends free at each end and use them as fringe! There's a tutorial here, with tips for how to do this with three colors (I think the black, brown and white would be gorgeous in that stitch).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:58 PM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
What you're talking about there would be a combination of cable and intarsia, and trying to do both as a self-described beginner will probably make you cry. (I mean, those techniques are each achievable, but you will be feeling frustrated several times before you finish and may throw the whole mess into a closet in frustration at some point.)
Instead: I have an easy idea for how to sort of splice together the three balls you already have, if those three balls are wool or some kind of animal fiber. This will also spare you having to weave in ends.
* When you get near the end of one of the color stripes - say black - cut the yarn, but leave a really long tail, long enough to do most of one more row with the black.
* Get the ball of your next color ready (let's say you go with brown).
* Now, take the end of the black yarn, and untwist the plies about an inch or two.
* Do the same with the end of the brown yarn.
* Wet the untwisted plies of both the black and brown yarn (dip them in water, stick 'em in your mouth, whatever you prefer).
* Then - overlap the untwisted plies of both ends of the yarn, lay them in your palm and rub them together back and forth. Or lay them on your leg and roll them back and forth across your leg. Keep doing that until it seems like the plies have started felting back together.
* Then go on to knit - proceeding kind of carefully when you get to the point where you spliced the black to the brown. It should hold well enough to get you underway.
There's an illustrated version of this trick here. I've used this trick on older slightly moth-eaten wool yarn that broke on me; I just spit-spliced the ends back together and was underway again.
If you're really ambitious you could do this to DIY yourself a self-striping ball by pulling out a big long length of the black, spit-splicing it to a big long length of the brown, then splicing that to the white, then the black again, then the brown, then the white, etc. and then winding it all back up. But that would take a while.
Note that this technique only works with animal fibre yarn, however. If you have acryllic or cotton this won't work. However - you could choose a reversible textured stitch that is good for hiding knots (I've totally done this - instead of weaving in ends, if the pattern I've chosen is kind of chunky and lumpy I just securely knot the two ends of yarn together and then clip the ends, and the knot hides in the knitting).
Or! Or you could do the linen stitch - this is a stitch that has a sort of weird magic affect on combining colors and making it look like they work together. It's a two-row pattern using both knit stitches and slipped stitches, and if you do each row in a different color the pattern ends up looking kind of mosaic-y. If you knit lengthwise, then you can even leave the ends free at each end and use them as fringe! There's a tutorial here, with tips for how to do this with three colors (I think the black, brown and white would be gorgeous in that stitch).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:58 PM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
You could do a bi-color cable on a contrasting background using intarsia. If the cables and background both are done in a 1x1 rib, it should look ok from either side. (Caveat: I have never done this myself.)
posted by heatherlogan at 12:59 PM on October 15, 2018
posted by heatherlogan at 12:59 PM on October 15, 2018
As a beginner, I suggest you go to a yarn store or boutique which will be able to supply a fabulous variegated yarn or self-striping yarn and most likely a million ideas to help you out. I was at a yarn show and was astonished by the variety of materials listed, and the kits available. The self-striping sock kit especially caught my eye.
posted by Enid Lareg at 1:33 PM on October 15, 2018
posted by Enid Lareg at 1:33 PM on October 15, 2018
The stockinette tube knit on a circular (like the classic Hogwarts scarf!) is by far the easiest way to do this (infinitely more easy than knitting flat and sewing up the side!), though you might die from boredom by the end.
I agree that a fibonacci sequence is a really easy way to add interest. Bonus to a tube: any ends are totally hidden within the tube. Just knit in the new color along with the old for a few stitches when you switch stripes.
Note: knitting stripes in the round you can end up with little 'jogs' in the stripes where you change colors--there are several simple methods to avoid that, just look up 'avoiding jogs in circular knitting' or something similar and there are a million youtube videos.
I find multi-color cables usually end up kind of muddled and blah, with the colors competing with the cables for attention, unless the color shift is very slight and gradual, like an overall ombre (and even that can end up not being as impressive as you might want). Same for lace + multi-colors.
If you don't want to knit a tube, just find a reversible stitch you like (there are a ton of collections both in books and online of just stitch patterns) and swatch it up to see how many repeats you'd need for how wide you want the scarf. I'm a fan of a moss stitch scarf in a really nice wool. So elegant and simple!
posted by lovecrafty at 1:36 PM on October 15, 2018
I agree that a fibonacci sequence is a really easy way to add interest. Bonus to a tube: any ends are totally hidden within the tube. Just knit in the new color along with the old for a few stitches when you switch stripes.
Note: knitting stripes in the round you can end up with little 'jogs' in the stripes where you change colors--there are several simple methods to avoid that, just look up 'avoiding jogs in circular knitting' or something similar and there are a million youtube videos.
I find multi-color cables usually end up kind of muddled and blah, with the colors competing with the cables for attention, unless the color shift is very slight and gradual, like an overall ombre (and even that can end up not being as impressive as you might want). Same for lace + multi-colors.
If you don't want to knit a tube, just find a reversible stitch you like (there are a ton of collections both in books and online of just stitch patterns) and swatch it up to see how many repeats you'd need for how wide you want the scarf. I'm a fan of a moss stitch scarf in a really nice wool. So elegant and simple!
posted by lovecrafty at 1:36 PM on October 15, 2018
An alternative to knitting a tube or sewing together a long rectangle is to do double knitting. This entails knitting a two sided piece all at once by interleaving the stitches on your needle. There is no 'wrong' side, no seaming, and unlike a tube it will lie flat. You can (relatively) easily generate cool inverted color schemes on both sides of the piece.
It may not be a great match for your current project since it does make a double layer, but I thought I'd mention it anyway in case it piques your interest for a future project.
posted by esker at 2:02 PM on October 15, 2018
It may not be a great match for your current project since it does make a double layer, but I thought I'd mention it anyway in case it piques your interest for a future project.
posted by esker at 2:02 PM on October 15, 2018
Saliva works better than water for spit-splicing, FYI.
posted by praemunire at 2:06 PM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 2:06 PM on October 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I really want to try this triple-check scarf.
It’s ribbed so Double sided, has no weaving of ends.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 4:33 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Valancy Rachel at 4:33 PM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
The more I think about it the more I think a linen stitch is the way to go, especially because of the ends-become-part-of-the-fringe-so-yay-no-weaving angle. Here's pictures of what such a scarf would look like.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:43 AM on October 16, 2018
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:43 AM on October 16, 2018
Response by poster: Great options here! Thanks everyone. I didn't even think of a tube--that's a great idea. I really like double-pointed needles so it is win-win.
Regarding the potential for tears of frustration -- my standards for success are low, and if I get really confused I just stick it in a Ziploc bag and work on something else for a month until I'm emotionally ready to fix my mistakes. I set the bar really low, despite the lofty challenges.
I know about self-striping yarns and variegated yarns -- I just wanted to learn more, even if it turns out kinda shitty, and the little bit of cabling I've done seemed fun.
BUT---If anyone *does* know of self-striping or variegated yarns in those three colors I would love to buy some. This need to bind those three colors comes up a lot for me and a pile of scarves would be a helpful thing for me to me to make for myself. So if you're aware of any yarns that say 'calico cat' to you, send them my way!
Thanks everyone!
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:26 AM on October 16, 2018
Regarding the potential for tears of frustration -- my standards for success are low, and if I get really confused I just stick it in a Ziploc bag and work on something else for a month until I'm emotionally ready to fix my mistakes. I set the bar really low, despite the lofty challenges.
I know about self-striping yarns and variegated yarns -- I just wanted to learn more, even if it turns out kinda shitty, and the little bit of cabling I've done seemed fun.
BUT---If anyone *does* know of self-striping or variegated yarns in those three colors I would love to buy some. This need to bind those three colors comes up a lot for me and a pile of scarves would be a helpful thing for me to me to make for myself. So if you're aware of any yarns that say 'calico cat' to you, send them my way!
Thanks everyone!
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:26 AM on October 16, 2018
Response by poster: I guess I should add--I'll do a proof of concept with some cheap bits of yarn lying around, I'm not planning on diving in -- I'm not quite that devil-may-care about it.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:31 AM on October 16, 2018
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:31 AM on October 16, 2018
« Older What is this old collegiate plaque? | Does a 100% abnormal sperm morphology preclude... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Liesl at 9:13 AM on October 15, 2018 [2 favorites]