You know how the fabric may pucker when we work in a Fair Isle or other stranded colour pattern? There is a super simple way to prevent this issue. All we have to do is turn the project inside out.
The puckering happens because the yarn floats on the wrong side of the work are shorter than they should be. When we turn the work inside out, the floats wrap around the outer side of the fabric that has a bigger circumference than the inner side. This small difference is enough to keep the floats from pulling on the fabric.
You can switch to this method at any stage of knitting your project, but it is better to start working this way in the first round of the colour pattern. This will ensure an even tension throughout the whole segment worked in the colour pattern.
This simple technique is suitable only for knitting in the round but it works well for all types of knitting needles. You can use this trick when you knit with double-pointed needles, with two circular needles, one short circular needle or one long circular needle and the magic loop technique.
Here’s how it happens step by step.
As an added bonus, this simple method also takes care of the “ladders” that often form between the needles.
The best part is – both these issues are controlled on autopilot. We don’t have to worry about the length of the floats or “ladders” any more. That’s what we can call a “Happy Knitting”!
P.S. Many thanks to Rita Katz for sharing this clever trick with me in an email. Thank you, Rita 🙂
To download a 5-page PDF with the step-by-step photo tutorial about this method, click here to join the All Tutorials Club 2022.
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If you enjoyed this tutorial,
here’s something else you might find helpful:
“Neat Side Edges” Book
Learn twelve ways to make side edges of a knitted project nice and tidy. Plus, ways to fix side edges, and a way to improve edges of finished projects.
Happy knitting!
