How To Change Color Knitting In The Round

Knitting jogless stripes in the round

A step by stride tutorial on how to knit jogless stripes in the round the easy mode – 4 different methods.

Stripes are the easiest colorwork technique in knitting. Unlike intarsia or Fair isle, it doesn't crave any special joining techniques. Just when you are knitting in the round things get a bit problematic. Every time you change colors, you are creating a little step or jog. So, here's everything you need to know near knitting jogless stripes.

Note: If you want to polish up your knitting, read my guide with x tips and tricks to knitting with double-pointed needles like a pro. And don't forget to check out my list of the best knitting tips for beginners and advanced knitters.

Why is in that location a jog when knitting stripes in the round?

a little swatch with jogs after each color change when knitting stripes in the round — A swatch in the circular with visible jogs with every color change

First of all, I want you to understand the reason why these little unsightly steps are created when you lot join colors in the circular. It's quite simple: You lot are actually knitting in an upwards spiral.

Yous are not finishing one row and and so information technology's onward to the side by side. No, it's one continuous line of (knit) stitches corkscrewing towards the top. So, when yous offset a new circular, you have to bridge the gap between the previous round with ane stitch and this gap becomes visible when switching colors.

Note: I earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this article.

Instructions

At present, let'south get downward to the nitty-gritty. It'southward actually quite easy to knit stripes without jogs and you just demand to learn one stitch. I'one thousand calling it K1tog RL – knit 1 run up together right loop. Don't exist scared, it sounds atrocious technical but information technology's actually super easy to knit.

But please, also recall to roll farther downwards, because I'll prove y'all a couple of dissimilar techniques for different circumstances.

Agile Time 5 minutes

Total Fourth dimension 5 minutes

Notes

As I said, information technology's really simple. It doesn't require whatsoever run up markers or stitch counting, you just need to remember to knit together that first stitch, and y'all are washed.

A swatch with jogless stripes in the round compared to the jog the standard knitting technique creates

There are two problems with this technique:

Due to the lifted stitch, the transition becomes structurally visible. From a certain bending, you volition notwithstanding come across the departure.
This method won't work for projects where yous want to change colors every round.

On the plus side, it's almost the simply technique that actually works if you only want to add one contrasting stripe (similar in the middle of a projection).

Simple helix stripes

a swatch with jogless stripes knit in the round using the helix knitting method

If y'all want to knit 1-stitch-high stripes in the round, you lot demand to revert to helical knitting. This tin exist incredibly complicated, but there is actually quite a elementary solution every bit long as you simply desire to knit with ii colors. This technique will leave absolutely NO jog.

Stride 1: Knit one circular in color A

Step two: Change colors and knit in color B upwards until iii stitches before the end of that row.

knitting until thee stitches before the beginning of the next color to start the helix

Pace 3: Drop yarn B and slip the final iii stitches in color A purlwise.

dropping the yarn and to slip three stitches to start your helix knitting

Step 4: Continue knitting with yarn A up until iii stitches earlier the end of that row.

knitting the next segment of the helix with the next color as normal

Footstep 5: Drop yarn A and slip the last iii stitches in color B purlwise.

Continue repeating steps 2-5 until yous reached the desired length.

So, essentially you are moving the get-go of your round 3 stitches back with every color change. There'south just ane thing y'all need to recollect. Don't cantankerous the yarn as you change colors. This will be key for a neat finish.

And there is one more than trouble with this technique. At that place will be quite a visible jog at the start of your helix. At present, if you are knitting a nice pair of socks you lot tin easily hibernate that start on the inside of your calves. And that i big jog is certainly better than fifty smaller ones in the rows to follow.

the very visual start of the helix knitting stripes — The jog at the start when you are doing helix knitting in the round.

However, information technology won't exist a skilful technique for just a small number of stripes because you will get the aforementioned kind of jog at the very end of your helix likewise. Y'all tin also knit a helix with multiple colors, but and so the technique gets a fleck more complicated.

Picture-farming

a swatch showing picture framing method for jogless stripes — A swatch with a geometrical Off-white Isle blueprint using the picture framing method to hide the jog

1 incredibly piffling style to avoid jogs when knitting stripes is redesigning your project in a way that at that place is no continuous line of stripes. Lots of knitting books will call this picture-framing. Why? Well, when y'all are knitting fancy stranded colorwork designs (=flick) a cavalcade of 3 or 4 stitches in always the aforementioned color will wait a bit similar a frame around that movie.

This method becomes even smarter, when you are knitting a cardigan (or a sweater with a zipper) where you will want to do a steek (cut through a peculiarly prepared line of stitches).

Sounds too like shooting fish in a barrel to be true? Well, for pure stripes it is a bit more complicated because you are non knitting with one background color in every round (unlike in Fair Isle). So, what you would have to add is a little Intarsia console right at the beginning of your round.

The proficient news: Intarsia in the round is a nightmare to knit, but as your fiddling frame should only be ii or a maximum of four stitches wide, you can get away from dragging the bobbin dorsum to the beginning with each row. This will create a petty bladder on the behind and it might pucker a bit if you don't knit with a lose plenty tension.

Traveling jogless stripes stripes

A swatch knit with traveling jogless stripes

The last method I want you to be aware of is called traveling jogless stripes. I am a scrap reluctant to mention it because I am not a big fan of it. Basically, information technology boils down to moving the offset of your round by one run up with every colour modify. This will brand the jog less visible. By slipping one sew together it will also make it less pronounced.

Step 1: Knit one full round in the new color equally normal.

Pace 2: Sideslip the first stitch of the second circular purlwise, place a stitch marker after it (this will be the new showtime of your round and continue knitting as normal).

Step three: Start your next colour right after the marker and slip the first stitch of the 2nd round again and movement the marking one sew forward every bit you lot practise.

Continue changing colors in that manner.

This technique to avoid jogs when knitting in the round will appear in quite a lot of old books just there are three problems with it:

The start of your round moves by one stitch for every color change. If you are knitting plain stockinette sew together, then that's no problem, but for more than complicated repeats information technology will be quite a nuisance.
As you skid the sew together, you are creating a little float on the wrong side. And this bladder risks puckering in that place making the color change structurally visible
Because the start of your round travels, the gap you need to bridge with the yarn across the stripes gets bigger (a camber is always longer than a direct line) and you are creating tension in a management that is unnatural in knitting (stockinette sew has tension towards the acme).
(it also doesn't piece of work for stripes that are 1 or two rounds loftier)

So, I feel it'south kind of an outdated method of knitting jogless stripes in the round. But I yet didn't desire to skip it for the sake of consistency and to show you the difference. Mayhap it's easier for you to knit.