Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Nancy Dubblestyne — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:57:40 GMT

Fair Isle tips...Twisting and weaving is great for carrying across long rows with two or three colours, but those large Fair Isle motifs using several colours over fifteen to twenty stitches and several rows are a real challenge.

My trial and error solutions? First of all I use a fold up music stand to hold the graphs I enlarge at the copy shop. Secondly, I always cut yarn lengths that will suffice for any motif that does not go right to the edge of the work. It is then easy to pull them out of the wooly "fangle" created while moving back and forth, drawing the wool up the rows instead of across. Thirdly, knitting chartwork is seductive but tiring. As I like to get as much as possible done at a sitting, I don't want to worry about tails at that point. Instead i knot the remaining strands loosely as i finish with them, and cut them with two to three inch tails.

I get all my stranding sorted in quick bursts throughout the day, or when I put my feet up before dinner. I loosen the little knots, interlock the tails so they go in the opposite direction from each other, and whip stitch and inch or two of each yarn tail with a double strand of medium grey cotton thread and a 2-3 inch milliners needle. The needle is sharp enough to pierce the wool without distorting the pattern and simple sewing thread does not add bulk. Grey seems to work with almost any coiour. A good tack stitch to tie off the thread finishes the job neatly and securely. You can then trim the tail ends without fear of slippage.

Kitchener stitching might be good for sock toes, but I use buttonhole weight thread to sew irregular Fair Isle seams. I unpick the knots formed with wool changes at the edges and tack them as I do in the body of each piece before seaming. I find sweaters and accessories have fewer wobbly seams, and with the patterns carefully matched thanks to the finer sewing, they look almost "store bought, not handy hands at home".

Thanks for sharing your tips- I have learned a lot of great tips from your newsletters.

Nancy Dubblestyne, Stratford, Ontario, Canada

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

msweeney19 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:35:40 GMT

Thank you!!! I've heard about this technique of weaving in ends as you go, but could never quite get it til I saw this video. If there's one thing that will keep me from finishing a project, it's weaving in all those ends!!

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Suzanne77 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:20:49 GMT

Can anyone tell me why I can never watch videos like this- I just get a big blank square with a little square in the upper left corner. I thought I downloaded the latest version of everything. Very frustrating. Thanks.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

jdewan — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:27:14 GMT

My comment refers to all the videos on the web. There are some of us poor slobs who have neither cable nor access to DSL. Budget constraints and/or country living are a couple of the causes for such lacks. I realize not everything can be sketched out and printed, but it would be nice if as many of these nice hints (weaving in ends as you go) as is possible were to be available on paper as well as in video.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

JodiW — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:49:16 GMT

Thank you Sherrey . . . for the link to www.philosopherswool.com. What a great video. I can tell already that her her stitch three and four methods of weaving the yarn in to avoiding the strands/floats is about to transform my fair isle knitting. And no more concern for puckering. I have avoided fair isle in socks because of the strands but no more. And it is a MUCH easier way to weave in ends as you go than I was using.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

RITA GOSSELIN — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:50:43 GMT

IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GET WEAVING IN ENDS IN WRITHING INSTEAD OF A CD THANK YOU

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

ewe2lambs — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:33:47 GMT

My grandmother taught me this weaving in method at the age of 98, she was an extraordinary knitter and crocheter, however across here in scotland we very rarely use circular needles and tend to knit flat on 2 needles or for circular knitting 4 or 5 open ended cable needles, I'm inspired to knit with circular needles now and am looking for my new project now - lol.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Nuffin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:27:34 GMT

Could you please explain what you mean by "throw" the contrast and "pick" the main. I've heard the term "throwing and picking" previously but can't figure out what it means. Thanks

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Justine — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:43:46 GMT

Great tip! Are there any instances where this method wouldn't work? Loose gauge items, I suppose...anything else?

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

MARQUEII — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:22:44 GMT

Your link does not work!! I've tried 4 times.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Martha Puccio — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:19:23 GMT

I make a lot of Norwegian mittens on four needles that have two colors. I have found the best way to avoid puckering is to work the mitten with the right side inside. In other words, after I complete the cuff and start the pattern work I rotate the knitting so the right side is inside and the wrong side is outside. This seems to leave just enough carried yarn to prevent puckering.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

toty — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:12:06 GMT

thank you

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

RMHkidsx4 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:51:07 GMT

To keep yarns separate, I take a clear, heavy plastic zippered bag (saved from the purchase of bed linens/curtains) and insert grommets near the top of the bag, about 3-4" apart. Thread each skein through a different grommet, it keeps the yarn from getting tangled while keeping all the skeins in one place.

Thanks for all of your great tips & instructions; I am a third generation knitter and still learning more!

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

Frani@2 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:41:07 GMT

Couldn't play the video for weaving in the ends.

re: Fair Isle Knitting: Weaving in Ends

TerryD@9 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:15:53 GMT

I can't get the video to play either:(