Stranded Knitting: Post 11 - Weaving yarn...while turning corners

Weaving yarns…while turning corners
While the title of this post may sound like another in the list of things you should not do while behind the wheel of an automobile, it actually refers to the possibility of evening tension at a vulnerable spot of a stranded knitting project.

Here’s another image for you. Imagine several sections of fencing…you know, the white board/surround the pasture on some big farm in the country type of fencing. Ok, you can picture any type of fencing that you like…this is just what I think of. :)

Anyway…these fence sections are almost at a right angle to each other….like a fence that is running along the front of the big farm property and then has to turn to go up alongside of the driveway. Are you with me?

Now, drape a rope along the fencing from the inside…wrapping it around the vertical posts. When you come to where the fence turns up the drive, skip the post in the corner and continue up the drive.

Now look at this rather crude, but highly instructive (at least in my own delusional mind) graphic. See how the rope, if not anchored in the corner, will pull across the angle…in effect, cutting the corner.

How does this relate to knitting? Think of working on a stranded sock or mitten and you are using your favorite small circumference knitting method…dpns or two circs or magic loop.

Look at the graphic again. Think of the green fencing as one of your dpns…or one of your circs…or one part of your magic loop section. Think of the brown fencing as another dpn…or your second circ…or the second half for your magic loop section. The rope represents your unused yarn being stranded across the back of your work.

The “cutting of the corner” can seriously affect your tension at the points where the needles…or sections…join.

The solution is to weave in the stranded yarn before and after you make the turn.

  

This weaving has less to do with catching long floats and more to do with tacking down the strand so it will not “cut the corner” and cause stress on your stitches at these crucial joining places.

Here's a video attempt at a translation from fences to needles...

I find this extra weaving helpful to keep floats where they should be...you may not. The great thing about knitting is we all do things that work best for us...and we are free to try new concepts to see if we can make things work even better.

What cha think?

Next week: Using Markers...yeah, really.

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