Knitting this way adds a variable, which some people are ok with and others dislike. Because it implements 2 stitch orientations instead of 1, it helps to learn how to read one's knitting earlier to be able to identify the parts of stitches and see how they can sit on the needle differently and how the loops interact in stitch patterns. Instructions that could be generalized under 1 stitch orientation now may have caveats depending on the background stitch pattern and if it was worked flat or in the round. Whether it's worth this effort depends on the individual. Some find it considerably more comfortable so it's worth it. For me, I did it this way by accident at the start and just assumed that the things I did to account for the extra variable were commonplace, so it was never a hardship to have to reinterpret instructions (Combined resources in English were not really a thing when I was starting out). I got good at this long before I had any potential incentive to change and I had to train my hands to do it the other way comfortably. Now I flip back and forth at will because I have practiced conventional knitting for situations where there is something worth it, but Combined remains my default unless I have a compelling reason not to. Generally, the only reasons are 1) one orientation is interacting poorly with the twist in the yarn. Usually Eastern causing the twist to get noticeably loose, but sometimes added twist is bad, too. And if I'm working with unspun roving I'll pick one orientation so I don't cancel out any added twist. 2) The stitch pattern needs a specific setup and all the slipping gets tedious; mostly this defaults all Western because most of the stitch patterns I access are written for Western oriented stitches, but it has occasionally worked out that all Eastern works out better, too. 3) I'm demonstrating something and I don't want to introduce the variable. Being able to do both is my preference because it's the most flexible, but it's certainly not necessary to getting good at knitting.

@@djinnj a very comprehensive, interesting and helpful reply. Thank you so much. I think I'll bookmark this to come back to when I've progressed up to intermediate. I'd love to be able to have both abilities and be able to switch without making mistakes. We'll see in time I guess. Thanks again!

If you are unintentionally twisting stitches (working into the trailing legs) then you may be tightening up your gauge too far. If you are not, then you should still check your gauge because different knitting styles will impact outcome. If your knitting is tighter in Combined, then you may have shifted far enough in gauge to need a larger needle for the yarn. That said, socks are typically knit at a dense gauge which can make things that put the working stitches under more tension like cable crossings more difficult. In cases like that, I often go *down* in needle size so I can work with less tension in my hands, relying on the needles to get the smaller stitch size. Needle material can also make a big difference. Too slippery or not slippery enough, too pointy or too blunt, etc, can all make or break the experience. So, I'd consider if the needles are right for this project, in terms of gauge, shape, and finish, and also double check that no stitches ate getting unintentionally twisted. If it's a Bavarian cable pattern, then the facing knits will be twisted but the facing purls should not.

So, in color dominance "main" and "dominant" aren't necessarily the same thing. Main usually refers to the color of which there is the most in the design. So, for this mug cozy, green is the main color. Dominant, however, refers to when the way one knits causes one color to look like it is more in the foreground than the other. The dominant stitches seem more prominent and don't get pulled to the back as much, and that will happen (at least for me and others) with the yarn I hold in my left hand. The reason I made the contrast color the dominant color is to make it look sharper against the background main color, especially since the difference between the two colors is so strong.

@@djinnj thank you so much for clear my misunderstanding. Now is so clear!

More space would definitely alleviate this problem.

Can you be more specific? Are you looking for a CDD over brioche to maintain pattern, or a CDD over Combined stitches, or a CDD in general? I have a video about CDD already, but it's kind of long and it's about working it from the back which is probably not what you're looking for.

Turns out I did a basic English style CDD video (working from the front). It's framed with a yo on either side to balance the loss of 2st, but if you don't need to increase directly next to it you don't have to. I normally don't work English, so I'm a little clumsy about it, but perhaps it will help. If it doesn't, let me know more specifically what it is you need addressed. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bH-7qqiuaNeCbM0