double knitting

psquidy · 06-13-2008, 12:50 PM

I tried double knitting and LOVED it! But my edges were open. WTF???Can anyone help?

blueygh2 · 06-13-2008, 06:25 PM

That's normal. If you twist the yarn before starting a row, you close the edges. You have to bring the second strand (the one you're going to knit in second place) over the one you're going to start to knit with, then knit over it (like with a lifeline).

If you don't do that, you'll end up with open edges, or, if you just double knit without changing yarn position, you end up with two distinct pieces of knitted work.

of troy · 06-13-2008, 07:22 PM

Blue's got you started..

twisting the yarns on first stitch will close edge. (and consistant right (or left) twist will give you a nice edge.

alternately, you can:
pick up stitches on each edge, and make a cross knit band

begin each row with simple double knitting (K1, s1) in a single color (this will give a single color edge)

begin each row with a selvage of 2 to X (5? 7) stitches of garter, worked with double yarn (both colors held together)

there are other options--some much more complex (and prettier!) than these.

are you on Ravelry yet? there is a double knitting group there and you can check out shared projects and see other ideas (and read about them on their blogs)

Mike · 06-13-2008, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by of troy

are you on Ravelry yet? there is a double knitting group there and you can check out shared projects and see other ideas (and read about them on their blogs)

Best double knitting info I've found.
Not overly active but a lot of knowledge.

ecb · 06-14-2008, 07:14 PM

I posted about a blanket I M making for a friend, it is double knit in the middle
its about making a pregnant woman cry, if you wanna see pics

ecb

psquidy · 06-15-2008, 04:42 PM

Thanks for the info everyone. no i'm not on ravelry. To tell you the truth I could never really figure out what ravelry is. It sounds like something I would like.Could someone explain it to me?

suzeeq · 06-15-2008, 05:18 PM

It's a site where members can enter their yarn and FOs, search for patterns made with specific yarns, or yarns used in specific patterns. It has forums, at least a gazillion, but you don't have to participate in them. Go to ravelry.com to sign up; I believe the wait list to get in is only a few days now.

of troy · 06-15-2008, 07:28 PM

ravelry is what you want it to be, what you help it to be.

Its social network (if you want--there are hundred of groups, and forums)

its a pattern resourse (and Point of sale for your patterns!)

it's an idea book-- got some yarn? just 2 (or 3 skeins) don't know what to do with it? --look up the yarn and find hundreds of completed projects --(a small percentage will just use 2 or 3 skeins!)

Like a pattern--but not the the suggest yarn?

Look up FO-find hundreds of examples of the pattern--knit in everything from red heart acyrilic to silk.. you're bound to find an example in a yarn you like and can afford.

want to meet other knitters in your neighborhood? Ravelry will help.

have an (semi) obscure interest? (for me, double knitting)--find hundreds of others with the same interst.

wondering if you should buy a book? find many samples of garments knit from patterns in that book.. (do you like them? buy the book--hate them? skip it!

Ravelry works best when members ADD info. so be prepared (at first) to add FO, Yarn Stash, Favorite patterns, Books, and other info.. (the more EVERYONE adds, the more useful ravelry is)

but your info is a drop in the bucket!

thinking about knitting a clapitos? see not a few samples but thousands (in every color, every yarn, every size!)
Knit a Clapitos? add yours to the mix! (its still unique--and it will give others inspiration.

Ravelry at first is work.. (you have all those pictures to take, all that info to add.) but the payback is enormous!

wannabe · 06-17-2008, 07:26 AM

I am a little confused about double knitting. If it is to knit 2 socks at the same time, why not just put two seperate socks on the circular needles side by each. How is this double knitting thing fun? If I am correct in my understanding you are knitting two socks hanging off the needle on top of each other--is that right? Then how do you manage the yarn--2 seperate yarns yes?

Mike · 06-17-2008, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by wannabe

I am a little confused about double knitting. If it is to knit 2 socks at the same time, why not just put two seperate socks on the circular needles side by each. How is this double knitting thing fun? If I am correct in my understanding you are knitting two socks hanging off the needle on top of each other--is that right? Then how do you manage the yarn--2 seperate yarns yes?

Why use a circular to make socks at all?
You can knit a tube on straight needles using double knitting techniques. I'm sure it's possible to do some kind of heel that way.

How you manage 2 yarns is personal preference.
I like carrying them both in my left hand, the front yarn on my index finger and the back yarn on my middle finger, both wrapped around my pinky. Click this, scroll down and you can see a picture of how I manage the yarns for ribbing socks.
Some do that but carry them on the same finger and use something to separate the yarns.
Others knit Continental for one strand and English for the other.

2 Socks at once is only one thing you can do with double kitting.
With that type of double knitting you can also knit 2 sweater sleeves at once. Anything you need 2 copies of can be double knitted the way that 2 socks are done (technically you can do as many copy layers as you wanted).
If I did one sock at once I would never finish the second, and since I like DPNs I couldn't fit 2 socks side by side on them. If I did them side by side I'd be tempted to only work on one at a time.
Plus all those DPNs impress people enough, then you pull out the center sock and show them you're knitting 2 socks at the same time and they're in awe of your knitting greatness. (My niece said, "That's waaayyy too many needles." So I said, "Well look at this, it's also too many socks." She shook her head and said that my sister didn't pass that gene onto her.)

But that is just one thing you can do. You can also make double sided fabric.
It can be reversible where you used 2 colors of yarn and the one side is the mirror of the other side. That makes nice warm winter wear.
If you use more than 2 colors or you make a non-reversible color pattern your carries are hidden between the fabrics. (I have a hat in the planning stages that is red flames on one side and blue ice cubes on the reverse with the black backgrounds linking them together.)

If you only link the fabrics together around the edge you have a ready made pillow that just needs stuffed before you finish it.

There's a lot more you can do with all the varied double knitting techniques (and I didn't cover them all, because I don't understand them all).

Double knitting is fun for me because it's a challenge at first. It impresses people. It makes items that are double thick and have mirror imaged patterns and colors.