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What’s The Secret?
DISCOVER TOP TIPS FOR TRICKY TECHNIQUES
Q
There seem to be
lots of different
terms for eyelets – can
you explain them?A
n eyelet is an
intentional hole in
your knitting used
in lacy patterns and even
small buttonholes. They
are usually made after
working two stitches
together, then creating a
new stitch by putting your
yarn over your needle. On
the next row, the loop of
yarn over the needle is
worked as a normal stitch
creating a eyelet or hole.
There are a number of
different instructions for
creating the new stitch in
patterns, sually seen as
‘yo’, ‘yfwd’, ‘yon’ and ‘yrn’.
‘Yo’ means ‘yarn over’
and is used anywhere you
create a stitch by bringing
the yarn over the needleThe Yarn
Doctors
JULIET AND BRONAGH FROM THE
UKHKA OFFER THEIR EXPERT ADVICEIntarsia colourwork
For creating picture knits or colour blocks follow the chart or written instructions
provided, with each colour worked using a separate ball or small bobbin of yarn.
Here’s we show you how to neatly change colours on knit and purl rows:1
Manage your yarns by keeping the
bobbins as separate as possible when
you are knitting, and also try to have them
quite close to the work to stop yourself
getting in a tangle.3
To change colour on a purl row, purl
to the colour change, bring the next
bobbin up from underneath the old colour
to create a twist, then purl to the end of
that colour section.2
To change colour on a knit row, knit to
the colour change, then bring the next
bobbin of yarn from underneath the old
colour to create a twist, then knit to the
end of that colour section.4
Try to weave in your yarn ends in the
appropriate colour section to ensure a
neat and non-bulky finish, and without your
tail end showing through stitches of other
Work your intarsia colour colours on the right side.
changes cleanly on Sarah
Moncrieff’s Flower Power
Sweater. Find the pattern
on page 25THANKS TO JULIET
AND BRONAGH
FROM THE UKHKAWhen you get to a colour change, twist the strands of yarn together otherwise
you will end up with an unsightly hole between the two yarns.Top Tip
before working the next
stitch. Between two knit
stitches bring the yarn
forward (yfwd) between the
needles, then back over the
right-hand needle. Between
two purl stitches, take the
yarn to the back over the
right needle and then
return it to the front under
the needle. And between a
knit and a purl, bring the
yarn to the front between
the needles, then to the
back over the right needle
and finally back to the front
under the needle, ready to
purl the next stitch.
In some patterns you
will see ‘yon’ for ‘yarn over
needle’ to indicate a yarn
over between a purl and a
knit stitch, and ‘yrn’ for ‘yarnround needle’ for ones between
purl stitches or between a knit and
a purl. This is because the yarn
ends up going round the right-
hand needle rather than just over
the top. Once you have practised
making yarn overs between
different stitches which one to use
should come naturally to you.