shaking it up with color

 

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of the dream,
Wandering by lone sea breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams
; —
World losers and world forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems

– Arthur O’Shaughnessy, Music and Moonlight

THE LO-DOWN

the first time we laid our eyes on 2 color shaker stitch, we thought it was a miracle.  vertical stripes appear while knitting horizontally, it almost seems as if accomplished through intarsia, in which colors changes occur after every stitch.  and, when we flipped it over, we were even more impressed by how the color variation subtlely shifted. shaker stitch fabric is double layered and has got a lot of stretch, making it perfect for anything comfy and cozy.

that said, 2 color shaker stitch can be a little tricky at first and can seem a bit counter intuitive; you’re actually knitting into these things that look like purls and vice versa.  once you’ve got a few rows under your belt, however, it whips up in a breeze.  we’ve provided a step-by-step tutorial that will hopefully clear up any confusion.

THE LO-LO-DOWN
YARN J&V Moo Cotton
COLOUR Studio White and Watermelon
NEEDLE US8 / 5mm (either dpns or circulars)
SIZE (WxH) 4 x 4”  steam blocked
STS 12 sts x 32 rows
LEVEL Intermediate
TYPE Knits & Purls
ABBREVIATIONS
C1: Color 1 (Watermelon)
C2: Color 2 (Studio White)
P1B: purl 1 below.  purl the stitch in the row below the current stitch
K1B: knit 1 below. knit the stitch in the row below the current stitch
SWATCH CONSTRUCTION

With C1, CO 12 sts (a 2 sts repeat); knit flat.

R0: With C1, K12 [turn]
R1
: With C2, *K1, K1B, repeat from * to end [do not turn, slide sts to right side]
R2: With C1, *P1B, P1, repeat from * to end [turn, both yarns are on the same side]
R3: With C2, *P1B, P1, repeat from * to end [do not turn, slide sts to right side]
R4
: With C1, *K1, K1B, repeat from * to end [turn, both yarns are on the same side]

Repeat rows 1-4 for the pattern. The swatch above was knit over 32 rows.
RELATED PATTERNS

Bounce – a baby blanket


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.