Beginning Stranded Colorwork

Let's demystify stranded colorwork knitting! We will create a small cowl to explore the many aspects of stranded colorwork knitting. Holding one yarn color in each hand will be a focus in class; however, other options for yarn management will be included as well. There will be ample time to experiment with different stranding techniques to discover what works best for you. With a little patience and practice, you will be well on your way to creating stunning colorwork pieces!

During this two session class we will discuss the following:

• Brief review comparing stranded colorwork to other colorwork methods
• Color dominance
• Understanding parallel floats in colorwork
• Working with two colors of yarn in the round
• Adding in a new color
• Reading written colorwork instructions
• Reading a colorwork chart
• Catching floats in dominant color vs non-dominant color
• Correcting colorwork errors
• Weaving in ends
• Blocking colorwork

Materials

• Copy of Songbird Neckwarmer pattern by Emma Kerian (free on Ravelry) https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/songbird-neckwarmer
• US #7 (4.5 mm) 16” circular needle – needle size may need to be adjusted based on your knitting tension
• Worsted weight yarn – 135 yarns for main color, 100 yards for contrasting color or 50 yards each for two contrasting colors. In stranded colorwork tradition, a high contrast in yarn colors and choice of a more rustic, “sticky” yarn can be particularly helpful (and striking!) in learning colorwork.
• 16 solid ring stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Small sticky note or highlighter tape may be helpful for chart reading

Homework

• Cast on and complete the first nine rounds in the main color as directed in the Songbird Neckwarmer pattern. With ribbing complete, you will be ready to jump right into the colorwork fun!