How (and Why) to use Ladderback Jacquard in Your Stranded Colorwork Socks

[@jsth2breethe]

This is such a great tutorial! Thank you for being so thorough with your explanations.

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@jsth2breethe Thank you! I'm always glad to help.

[@Clubkidknitter]

O-U-T-S-T-O-U-N-D-I-N-G video on MANY levels! New subscriber!!!

[@ellyndriaknits]

Thank you!

[@bonniewerner4121]

Excellent! I viewed everything I could find on this technique to improve floats for the Unbearable Hat. Your video brought it all into understandable focus on several levels. Thank you so much.

[@ellyndriaknits]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Good luck on your hat!

[@dianegalella9149]

❤❤ Your instruction and technique is top notch. I wanted to learn the ladderback jacquard method to do a colorwork sweater with potentially long floats. I tried other methods shown on KZbin by some popular knitting instructors. They all used a M1L or similar as the base stitch of the ladder. Using their method, the first stitch after the ladder was skewed and I had a tiny hole. So I kept searching and found your video. The backward loop method is perfect! Thank you!!!

[@ellyndriaknits]

Thank you! I'm so glad it helped. Good luck on the sweater!

[@rosinagreenwell1143]

Fabulous tutorial thank you. I’m really struggling with a colour work yoke and this looks so good that I’m goo going to unpick. It’s only about 8 rows but I’m worried about it not being right. I’ve seen your sock pattern on Ravelry and think I will try them too!

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@rosinagreenwell1143 So when I am using fingering weight yarn and making socks (or something like mitts or a hat that likely has a little negative ease), I absolutely love knitting the ladder columns. For DK or heavier, and something that has positive ease (like I'm assuming your sweater does) I am finding that I do prefer to purl the ladder columns. Just wanted to throw that out there, since you said you are making a sweater! I think LBJ will definitely help you!

[@hollybethmakes]

This video is absolutely amazing! So informative and the best one I’ve found, particularly that stresses on ‘it doesn’t matter which technique you choose’ as I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the different ways - thank you so so much!! 🤍

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@hollybethmakes I'm always a fan of trying all the techniques and figuring out which ones work for you!

[@lifgrenj]

Beautiful patterns, your colorwork is so well done. I've been knitting 60 plus years and have never see the twisted stitch technique (with k2 tog in next row) used to stabilize ladders before. It lifts the project up another whole level. It's just wonderful. You did a good job teaching it, too. I wish you great success in your life and with your knitting. Thank you for the Video, to me it was very exciting.

[@ellyndriaknits]

Thank you so much for your kind words, it means so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@theknittystew]

I am so grateful for this tutorial! I've watched a few different LBJ videos but yours is "the one" that drove home the information in a way I can understand, and there is freedom in your method as well! Can't wait to give this a try! Thank you Ellyndria

[@ellyndriaknits]

That makes me so happy to hear that it was helpful! I definitely think the freedom in this method is an asset.

[@theknittystew]

@@ellyndriaknits 💯👍🏼

[@danolson6476]

So glad I watched this video. You answered all my questions. Thank you!

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@danolson6476 Glad to be helpful!

[@shigellashigella]

I started pattern which looks really nice, but has extremely long flats. I tried to avoid wrapping background thread around main, because it peeps through the hole, but then I landed with half of the row long thread. I found one video suggesting ladder, but they were these anchored ones so I was "damn, too late". now I look at your video and I think I can even repair it work retroactively, by creating ladders with the crocheting hook and then knitting forward. Thanks for the suggestions, they sound really good!

[@ellyndriaknits]

That sounds like a workable solution. Good luck!

[@SarahAndBoston]

Thank you for this video! So helpful.

[@justbewvl7280]

Wow! What great tips! I just finished my first big colorwork sock and it’s tough getting over the heel. This may help. I bought your shamrock sock pattern and this would be great for this. I need a smaller sock project area of colorwork to practice on. Thanks so much for always sharing. I always learn new things from you. 😊

[@ellyndriaknits]

Yes, I used this same technique in my Shamrockin' Socks, so I hope you'll enjoy practicing it while knitting them. 😊. Good luck, and don't forget to try them on as you're working on them! 🙂

[@tsoonklah]

Ooooooooh! LoL so THAT’S what I’m doing is called lol I did ladders naturally when I first started doing colorwork knitting & didn’t know that it was a thing already, and I did it just because I didn’t like twisting the needles this way or that to change the colors (and my patterns are knitted versions of Tlingit formline artwork which is fairly intricate) & because I didn’t like long strands of yarn just hanging there either. Glad I stumbled on your video because I was wondering if what I was doing was a method that had a name. Also I’m glad I saw how you knit socks, I’m going to start knitting them inside out too, it’s easier & makes the socks less “tight”. :)

[@ellyndriaknits]

Oo, I love that you figured out the technique on your own! I didn't know about it for several years after I started knitting, was glad when I found it.

[@therealtomkreider]

Super LBJ tutorial 🎉🎉🎉

[@ellyndriaknits]

Thanks!

[@juliethompson8533]

Thank you for such a wonderful tutorial! I’m so excited to give this a try! For your last tip, I was wondering why you would set the ladders up in Row 1 when you don’t have more than 4-5 stitches of one color until Row 4. Is this preference or just easier? Also, if you have to catch a float in two consecutive rows, after the first row should you move the ladder over one stitch to catch it in a different spot on the second row?

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@juliethompson8533 If you're asking about Heartsplosion specifically, in the first row there are long stretches of the background color and only a few stitches in the heart color, so I start ladders to carry the heart color until I need it. (Actually, I don't start the heart color until the first few stitches of it, but I'll need to carry that color on the back of the sock as well during the long stretches of background color, so I'll set up ladders there.) There's no reason to move the ladders over by a stitch unless it makes sense to, such as you have a larger space on one side so you want to move the ladder so that there's no more than a 5 stitch stretch without it being broken up. The ladders are completely invisible from the outside. The only thing that can happen, if you were knitting something with positive ease, is that you might see a little bulge on the outside where the ladder is on the inside... But since socks have negative ease, they are stretched on the foot, therefore any extra thickness from the ladders are undetectable.

[@juliethompson8533]

@ Thank you so much!! That all makes perfect sense. I’ve only knit 2 color work patterns and I trapped my floats. They turned out *fine*, but not great. I’m so excited to try this technique and improve my skills. I watched your video first and then took your advice from the video and watched other tutorials. I can honestly say, yours was the best for brain’s my thought process in explaining and executing this technique. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I think my next color work project will be these charming heart socks. ♥️ I hope you have a lovely day!

[@skraterfield]

I adore both of these socks. I never heard of LBJ, but this makes me want to master it. Where can I get the pattern for the green viney sock?

[@ellyndriaknits]

That one is called Madeline, by Kate Poe, and you can find it on Ravelry.

[@Michelleb1808]

Your video helped me so much! Thank you!! One quick question, I had to make one and then close it on the next row and it left a tiny bit showing on the right side. Is it better to just catch it the other way or maybe work it once and then close it? I am totally new to this method so maybe it was user error? Thanks again!

[@ellyndriaknits]

@@Michelleb1808 As with the any of the methods, there is the possibility of a tiny bit of the yarn in back showing through to the front, however, in my experience, it shows less with this method than with the other methods I've used. However, there is the possibility that you pierced the yarn and split the ladder stitch with your needle, so that it is not falling to the back properly, and so it will show more. This is something I've done before. If you want to check this, you can just pull a little bit on that ladder yarn to see if it will come away from the front stitch a bit. If it seems like it's caught, then it might have happened. Without actually being able to see what happened, I want to say that this is a high possibility. Generally I do not have any difference in visibility no matter how long or short the ladders are.

[@rosaliecovello441]

I have attempted to stitch the cat on your Stitches Brew pattern, but only on the front. W hai I ended up with was a very tight sock top that could not get over my foot. Followed your instructions LBJ. Took it out and will try again with size 2 needle and more focus on the floats. Any suggestions, love the pattern?

[@ellyndriaknits]

Did you duplicate stitch the whole cat, or just the stitches marked as duplicate stitch? (Just trying to figure out what's going on.). When you are doing the duplicate stitch, don't pull tight, first of all. Go in rows back and forth as much as you can. If you have to skip a lot of stitches because there's a space, consider cutting the yarn instead, because if you skip a lot of stitches, remember you are essentially creating a float, and the more floats, the tighter it is. I think going with the LBJ and the size 2 needles sounds like a good idea if you're having trouble, as well as knitting it inside out. Remember to keep the stitches spread out on the right hand needle too. Generally you need to make sure the floats are more loose than you think they need to be. You can test it while knitting it by putting your fingers inside the sock and stretching it to see if it is stretchy. LBJ makes my socks pretty stretchy.

[@pusqstik]

That is the best tutorial for LBJ. I haven´t seen so much useful information in any another video. Thank you so much. I have only one question: can I use this technique wiht three or more colours?

[@ellyndriaknits]

Thank you! And I haven't tried 3 or more colors personally, but I don't see why you couldn't. You might need to pay extra attention to where you place the ladders to make sure the ladders for the two colors you're carrying are spaced out. Let me know how it goes if you try it.

[@lalaleelou1]

This is the best explanation and technique I’ve seen. Thanks for sharing.

[@bine9526]

Hello and thank you for that video. My English is not so well, but I have understood the most. It sounds a little tricky. But I really wonder why it is necessary to do the ladder back by the last easy chart you showed us. Because when I change the color so often, all stitches are stretchy enough, you know? So, why do you do that in this case? I see that it is good to do it by the heart pattern. Best wishes , Sabine

[@ellyndriaknits]

The last easy chart was mostly to demonstrate how to mark a chart to keep track of the LBJ if someone wanted to. I didn't want to give away a paid-for chart in my demonstration. However, most people don't like floats to go longer than 4-5 stitches, so if there's a span of 6 stitches or more, most people like to break that up. Some people don't like to go beyond a 3 stitch float. So it all depends on what a person is comfortable doing.

[@bine9526]

Ahh, I see. It was only for a demonstration. And I think the ladder back is very important for a pattern like the heart pattern. And I didn't know this methode before. Ir is stetchier than that, what I did before. Thank you for your answer. ♥@@ellyndriaknits

[@HappyLadybug-fz2qg]

Where can I get the Exploding Hearts sock pattern? I love your tutorial on this. Thank you

[@ellyndriaknits]

It's called Heartsplosion, and if you look at the info box below this video, I have links to it!

[@HappyLadybug-fz2qg]

@@ellyndriaknits thank you so much

[@kaalthoff]

Thank you, this is so helpful! I have knit colorwork socks before and never had a problem. But as soon as I tried superwash wool I am really struggling to get the floats to be stretchy enough, despite trying all the other tricks of stretching my stitches out to oblivion and knitting inside out. Crossing my fingers that this will be the thing that helps, because I'm not sure I can start this sock a 10th time otherwise 😆

[@ellyndriaknits]

I think LBJ is definitely a must for long floats on socks. My old socks where I didn't use LBJ on the long floats convinced me! Good luck and I hope you have good results!

[@Janstone77]

The socks are lovely and this technique is great! Thanks also for all the tips, so useful! Did you use mini skeins for the hearts or is that some other type of yarn? I’d like to knit one exactly like these so color names would be helpful. Thanks again. Ps: I did purchase the pattern!

[@ellyndriaknits]

I did use miniskeins for the hearts. Unfortunately the ones I used were leftovers... some were from the Watermelon Sugar minis from Moonglow Yarn Co, and a couple were leftovers from other sock sets I had from her. She isn't currently selling those sets, but she does have some Lovebird Lane Mini Skeins available in her shop right now that would be similar and work great for these!

[@emmaday3066]

Thank you so much for making this video ❤ Can I ask, do you knit the ladder back stitches with the same tension as the other stitches?

[@ellyndriaknits]

I would say yes. It's just like knitting the other stitches.

[@emmaday3066]

@ellyndriaknits That's great 😀 Thank you for your reply 😊❤️

[@jvallas]

Are there more considerations if you'll be knitting flat?

[@ellyndriaknits]

If you're knitting flat, I think I would definitely be purling those ladders on the right side of the work and knitting them on the wrong side, because it will make them easier to see on both sides. I've never actually done LBJ flat, as I've only done a small amount of stranded knitting flat, as it is not my favorite. But LBJ is in the same family as double knitting, if you've ever done that, so you just have to watch where your yarn goes to make sure the wrong color doesn't get trapped where it's not supposed to be. So if you're on the wrong side, you would bring the color that's supposed to show to the back (away from you) before knitting the ladder in the ladder color, then you can bring the color that's supposed to show toward you again so you can continue purling with it. Clear as mud?

[@jvallas]

@@ellyndriaknits Actually quite clear, thank you! Probably because I do double knit, so I can kind of picture what you're outlining here. I'd better copy/paste it somewhere so it'll make sense down the road when I try it! 🥴 Thanks again! (I keep thinking of President Lyndon Baines Johnson in the U.S. when you say LBJ!)

[@gonuanubasar6005]

What does LBJ stand for?

[@ellyndriaknits]

Ladderback Jacquard

[@denizebartolo]

Lindas!!! ❤

[@jvallas]

Would it be goofy to make ladderback stitches all the way down always in the same place? So say, every single 6th stitch, do a ladderback? Oh, I see that you did address this.

[@ellyndriaknits]

Not goofy, it all depends on what you want to do! I remember I had testers who did that.

[@jvallas]

@@ellyndriaknits This is a really well-thought-out tutorial. ❣️