Knitting Alternating Color Helical Stripes

[@WatchBarbaraKnit]

The way you have demonstrated rows using that clear cylinder is brilliant! It makes it so easy to understand.

[@thechillydog]

Thanks, Barbara! That means a lot coming from a pro 😊. It was so nice to meet you today.

[@RushBlod]

You changed my life here 😭😂😍👏👏👏! Thank you very much for this!

[@qiwu2941]

thanks❤your video is very helpful and it's so easy to understand 😊

[@babs3635]

Just staring on my journey knitting socks. I have this video saved to aid me when I get to this cross road. Thank you in advance. Knitting my way from Florida to retirement in Nova Scotia (will need warm socks 😁)

[@PennyAJDavies]

Really clear, thank you so much!

[@havuha56]

Loved the visual explanation using the jar! You make it all look easy and totally do-able. Thank you!

[@pamelanana58]

I needed a refresher on this technique so thank You!

[@dkscca]

Fantastic, thorough, clear video! Thanks for sharing. Much appreciated.

[@debsievert4766]

Mind Blown! 🤯

[@GuisborneAdmirer]

Your explanation was the best I've seen so far! Thank you!

[@siyaz]

I do love and appreciate all your videos and clear instruction.

[@mistyblue5312]

Hey Ellen… I’m back for a refresher! Thanks for this vid. Your explanations are always invaluable. Take care.❤

[@barkley013]

Your demonstrations are amazing. I have learned something new from all of them even though I am a seasoned knitter. Please continue your great work.

[@thechillydog]

That's the great thing about knitting, isn't it? There's always some new skill, technique or tip to discover. I've been learning how to double knit over the last few days and it's fascinating. Happy knitting! 💖

[@knitordi]

Very interesting technique. I have not seen this before. Some day I'll have to try it.

[@jendai8607]

Thank you for this explanation and demo. it was very clear and concise!

[@lucillereilly]

This is great! The one thing I guess I would like to see is what the netting looks like on the wrong side of the work, but I guess I will just have to try it for myself! Thank you.

[@2meow2meow2]

Thank you so much, your explanation is very helpful! ❤

[@mariannakriger7311]

Thank you so much! It was very helpful!

[@newday4936]

Thank you for the detailed example

[@dorothytaylor7127]

Excellent tutorial video. Thank you.

[@yasemingenc5385]

Thank you very much!

[@caswucher3271]

Awesome! Can you give us some tops on how to decrease when those stitches need to be slipped for the color change?

[@LiveLikeAGhost]

Very helpful for the helix instructions, but I'm utterly baffled by the "Getting Back to the Beginning of the Round" section. How can you pull the needle through like that without dropping the gazillion other stitches on the needle?

[@Enig_Mata]

Thank you. If you were to alternate every few rounds - not just one - how could one use this technique?

[@thechillydog]

Great question! If you want wider stripes, you need to use one ball of yarn for each round of the stripe. So if my stripes had been 2 rnds of blue and 1 rnd of white I would need to use 2 balls of blue yarn and 1 of white. However, as the stripes get thicker, they also become less horizontal and gradually start slanting like the stripes on a candy cane.

[@Enig_Mata]

@@thechillydog Thanks for your response... I'll have to remember this technique.

[@sugarlee7648]

Amazing!

[@dianasong4594]

thank u very much

[@wstyrsky]

Can you tell me what happens when you get to,the heal and gussets?

[@claudinebujold2001]

Merci🎉❤

[@maryseyman6738]

Great tutorial, very impressive. Can you use this technique when knitting a stitch pattern say like cables or lace, would it be possible to do a video demonstrating it.

[@thechillydog]

Hmm... I hadn't thought about that. Generally when I'm working cables or lace I wouldn't choose to also knit in alternating color stripes because it could take attention away from the stitch work. But sometimes mixing techniques can create interesting effects. I'll add it to my list of topic ideas.

[@wpbn5613]

@@thechillydog slip stitches in helical two color knitting end up only having one color and it can have stunning effects when cabled!

[@isabelwear4158]

Thank you so very much, I will try to get them….do you find them good?

[@KellySueCJ]

How did you work your toe? Is it a specific sock pattern? I have several of your patterns, but I don't think I have that toe....TIA, Kelly

[@josearle6315]

Thank you for explaining so clearly how to alternate skeins. I'm currently knitting my first sweater alternating skeins but I'n not sure how you cast off when using this technique. Maybe you can explain please.

[@thechillydog]

I think the simplest solution would be to finish a stripe in one color, cut/break that yarn and weave in the tail (or wait to weave in until your bind off is complete), then work your preferred bind off in the second color.

[@josearle6315]

@@thechillydog Thank you I'll give it a try.

[@miroslavakimlova1818]

Excelent!Wonder,if is a similar method for two rounds stripes?

[@thechillydog]

Sort of. The trick is that you need a yarn ball/cake for each round of each color. So if I were knitting 2 rounds of blue and 1 round of white I would need 2 balls of blue yarn and 1 ow white yarn.

[@miroslavakimlova1818]

@@thechillydog Thank you very much.That's brilliant.

[@Jjj333ke]

Hello! It seems you might be using 2 circular needles if I see that correctly? Is it possible to do this technique with magic loop? Just trying to figure out how to readjust my needles in magic loop to get back to the beginning of the round?

[@thechillydog]

Yes. You can certainly use magic loop for this (or 2 circular needles, 4-5 dpns, 3 flexible dpns, or even a single short circular needle). It works no matter what type of needles you prefer for small circumference knitting.

[@atrinka1]

This technique only works with two circular or double-pointed needles, no? Because you don't want to slip stitches in your front pattern. I'm knitting a sock with two different yarns and a pattern on the instep and stockinette on the sole and was confused at first. Thanks!

[@thechillydog]

The style of needles you're using should matter, but you need to pay attention to where the patterned instep stitches and striped sole stitches are located. You have a couple options when you've slipped so many stitches that you reach the instep. First, technically you can slip stitches across the instep, but it means you really need to keep track of where you are in the design because you'll be working one rnd with one color and one rnd with the other color. (Not for the faint of heart.) The second option is easier. Instead of trying to work a nearly complete rnd, think of it as working nearly half a round. Just concentrate on the stripes at the bottom of the foot and reposition the transitional spot. It is likeley going to involve slipping some unworked stitches, but you're less likely to mess up the pretty instep design.

[@heatherbertrand5165]

How do you deal with the jog in the first stitch of navy after the white on the toe

[@thechillydog]

Because you're working in single rnd stripes, there's not much that can prevent that very first jog.

[@isabelwear4158]

Please, can you tell me what type of addis are those, and where you purchase them….thank you.

[@thechillydog]

They are the addi Rocket2 [squared] needles. They're available at many local yarn shops and if you don't have a shop near you, you can get them at Makers' Mercantile online, www.makersmercantile.com/.

[@barbaralawry5728]

Can you use this same process for 2x2 helical stripes?

[@thechillydog]

Yes and no. Yes, you can use basically the same process, but instead of using 2 yarn sources (1 blue, 1 white) you would need 4. There's 1 ball of yarn for each round of the stripe. So if a stripe is 3 rounds wide you would use 3 seperate balls of yarn in the same color. And with wider stripes, the stripes will start to noticeably slant like a candy cane.

[@angelasmith7308]

7”

[@elizabethlaban1621]

Is it possible to use more than two colours?

[@thechillydog]

Yes, it is. For the best results, I recommend starting all the colors in the same round of knitting, spaced evenly apart. So if you're using 4 colors, you would start each new color 1/4 rnd apart. Then you'd knit in Yarn A to 2-3 sts before Yarn B, slip those sts (purlwise), knit in Yarn B to a couple sts before Yarn C, slip those sts, knit in Yarn C to a couple sts before Yarn D... and so on.

[@elizabethlaban1621]

The Chilly Dog thank you - might have to have a little play!

[@heatherbertrand5165]

How do you deal with the jog in the beginning when going from white to your first stitch in navy.

[@juliegogo2941]

Your not doing the whole round then.. right?. Because of you aren't knitting those every round they would be most definitely be off.... or am I missing something..your saying you are not spiraling then? I think your tutorials are grand but I am not a pro.....Thanks

[@thechillydog]

Eventually yes, you end up doing a full round of sts, just not all at once like we normally do. You stop a few sts short of the round then work the next color. When you go back to the first color, you start by finishing what could be considered the last few sts of the previous rnd. It's a slightly different way of thinking of things than what we're used to in knitting.

[@woah6958]

Best tips I've seen on this topic. Thanks for your generosity.