I have started a new project. I went to Gauge Thursday night for a knitting group. I bought yarn and started a hat. A very cute hat that requires me to do fair isle. I have only done this, kind of, on Knitty's Center Square.
So, this hat is knit on US2's and I am using 4 ply yarn. It may take me awhile. I am also worried that it will be small despite the fact that I got gauge. I have a big head and I seem to knit tight when knitting fair isle. I love the colors I am using and would hate to have to give this away. Is that wrong? :)
Anyway, question.
How do you hold your yarn when you knit fair isle? Do you pick up and drop the yarn with each color change? Do you hold both strands on one hand? Or do you knit English and continental with your two yarns?
Which is the best way to keep tension even?
I taught myself to do two-handed knitting for fair-isle. I'm an English knitter, so it was extremely difficult to try to get my left hand to do continental. It is well worth learning though because once you get the hang of it, it makes your fair-isleing go loads quicker. Picking up and dropping takes ages.
ReplyDeleteDid you do your gauge swatch in the fair isle pattern and in the round? If you didn't and don't want to (I wouldn't blame you lol), it might be worth going up a needle size. Fair isle doesn't give you a lot of stretch because of the stranding along the back.
While it took a little longer to get comfortable with, I did English and continental. I'm pretty happy with the time it saved in the long run. It was definitely frustrating at first.
ReplyDelete