Knitting stripes

[snakeling]

I want to start a scarf, that I would knit in 1x1 ribbing. I mean to do stripes in two colours, 6 rows of one (red), 2 of the other (yellow).

I'm going to weave the red yarn on the side of the yellow stripes, but I'm unsure what to do about the yellow yarn. I started weaving it on the side, but it definitely shows. Is there a trick to hide it, or should I cut the ends every time?

Comments

[james]

Since you're doing more than 2 rows of the red, I'm afraid there's no good way to hide the yellow yarn if you tried to carry it up. (This is why I make my striped scarves of two rows for each color, so I can carry the yarn and not have to cut and weave in.)

The only thing I can think is if you did a tube scarf (knit in the round) you could carry the yarn on the inside where it wouldn't show. That's twice as much knitting, though it makes a nice thick warm scarf.

[snakeling]

Damn, I was afraid of this answer. :/

Knitting a tube would make the colour changes obvious, though, wouldn't it?

[pinesandmaples]

You could carry the red up and pretend you don't see it. I doubt that will work, ja?

You'll have to swatch with this technique, but try knitting in the ends of the red yarn. It makes the cut much less painful because you don't have any ends to weave in. In a 1x1 rib, I'm not sure how invisible the technique would be.

[snakeling]

Yeah, it's really obvious and awful-looking :S

Hmmm, knitting in the ends... *ponders*

[pinesandmaples]

I knit a pair of striped socks with two different colors of fingering weight yarn (for someone I really loved). Knitting in the ends made the prospect of finishing them much more pleasant.

Also, if you do the tube thing (as several other commenters have mentioned), look up the technique to do a jogless jog or jogless stripes. (Same technique, two different names.)

[havocthecat]

Have you been told already to weave it through the yellow stripes?

[snakeling]

Oh, yeah. Weaving it through the narrow stripes is no problem.

[anatsuno]

you could give your scarf icord edges and hide the yarn that you're pulling up inside the icord?

what I mean is, at the end of each row, bring the yarn forward and slip the last three stitches purlwise without knitting (or purling) them. then on the beginning of the next row, make sure your unused thread of yarn comes up over your working yarn before you pull the working yarn in to start knitting. This should create an icord edge at each side, and on the side whre the yarn changes, allow you to hide it.

[girlpearl]

HUH. I like this. I might have to try it next time I make a scarf. Do you have any pictures, by chance?

[anatsuno]

I have actually never tried this! I've done icord edges like this several times, but never with stripes, so I've never tried to hide yarn in them before. I'm tempted to do a swatch later though. :)

[snakeling]

I've tried it, and I'm not enamoured of the end result :/ Though that may be because my i-cord edging technique is not up to speed, but still, it doesn't work so well with 1x1 ribbing.

[anatsuno]

Aw, sadness. Well! It was worth a shot...

[evilawyer]

If the yarn is thin enough, you could knit it in the round on circular needles (i.e., a tube). That would carry all the yarn on the inside of the tube. Bulky yarn, not as good, unless you're trying for a really thick scarf.

Good luck.

[snakeling]

Yeah, but the color change would be really obvious, wouldn't it? *thinks about it*

[anatsuno]

google 'jogless stripes' for ways to make the color change not that obvious at all - there are several techniques. :)

[evilawyer]

There would be a stark contrast between the yarns on the outside of the tube, yes. If there is any wool content in the yarns you're using, you might try splicing the yarn, which is a lot like spinning the ends together. I've never had much success with it, but I've heard tell it's a good way to blend the yarns together so that you don't get stark contract.