No going to lie, the kid interludes kinda made this tutorial; it switched the tone from being clinically taught to knit to the feeling of getting taught by the neighborhood knitting group and it brought back a lot of fond memories. Keep up the good content! 😁
Tell Jimmi that He made your video real. when do we ever have the perfect environment to knit. A true knitter can focus when the world is burning down around our ears. that being said ... You really took the fear of colorwork and dismissed it. I like how you gave the little tips to make it easy. 2 hands... Really genus. Thanks Joe
Thank you for an excellent tutorial. The background noise of your children was not a distraction at all for me. This is not a professional movie we are paying for, you are providing a service pro bono, and I greatly appreciate it.
Thanks for the helpful video. Five tips. 1.Photocopy your pattern so that it isn't a strong black and white as this is easier on the eyes. 2. Mark all the rows you are using with a specific colour next to your pattern, this will help keep you organized in more complicated fairisle. 3. Draw lines to create a five row grid on your pattern, this makes stitch counting soooooo much easier and helps you trace back any mistakes. 4. I use a coloured marker to draw across the completed row. This is easy on the eye to follow and prevents lost placement if your top marker slips. 5. If you have longer pattern repeats, place a stitch marker between them. It helps you check for any mistakes and can save hours of stitch counting and undoing as any pattern mistakes can be quickly spotted and corrected. I adore colour work and hope these tips add to your fun.
This looks so doable for someone who has never knitted colour so I have taken a leap of faith and bought the pattern. Looking forward to knitting my first ever patterned yoke sweater. Thank you!
To anyone talking trash about your child interrupting; to hell with them it made me subscribe! Go Mama! Go little Jimmy! It really made the tutorial for me, you sound like a wonderful mom and Jimmy is cute and adorable with his questions. Anyone saying he should be laying down taking a nap or arrange to have someone watch him- haha sounds sooooo easy and affordable, it’s better he’s there with his mama ❤️
Kaci of Young Folks Knit recommended your tutorial on color work and although I have done colorwork before, your video has given me added confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed your kids in the background as it reminded me of when my children were young. As a young mother it must be very difficult to find the time to do this but I am so glad you did! I can’t wait to make Skift for my grandchildren!
This colorwork is really nice & clear. It looks so easy but I guess you are an expert knitter. You say white & brown but I see white & grey.. It is a nice job !! Thank you so much
9.09am 29th April 2023. Thank you so much! You are a fantastic teacher. I have never done colour stitching before and really wanted to learn. Everything you showed was so clear especially with the added tips and explanations that are really useful and important. You not only know how to knit well, you also understand how people's brains work . Genius. Many thanks from Springwood, NSW, Australia.
I have always looked at color work and just told myself it was something I could never do. It just looks hard. You are a great instructor and I know I can do this! thank you for making it nonintimidating, and thanks for all the great little tips. 😊 PS I love hearing your children in the background!
Loved your tutorial and just purchased your pretty pattern. I'm pretty sure Grandma isn't in the cards for me, sadly, so I smiled when I heard the sweet Lil voices. Thank you for what you do!!
Thank you for this great tutorial. I haven’t done any color work since I was in my late teens and stopped knitting for many many years due to life’s complications. I’m now going to do a knit along with my older sister who lives in another state and is a more accomplished knitter. It was feeling a bit daunting to start in with a four color stitch until I found your video!!! All of your tips are excellent and understandable. Now I will have to practice continental knitting before I begin so that I don’t screw it up royally 😊. Love the fly and Jimmy in the video ❤❤❤
Trank you. That was a very nice and clear tutorial. I just waited for Blizzard to put both patterns in my basket. I am planning to start with Skift and move on to Blizzard afterwards.
i love your tutorial. I've never done colourwork, but feel like I could now attempt it. I'm also impressed with your picking and throwing skills. I'm a thrower but am also tempted to try a swatch and see how I go. Thanks Jessica.
This is a great video! So helpful in explaining color work. I've never knit color work before and now I think I may be able to do it. Very easy to follow. Thanks again!
Color dominance only applies to the "parallel floats" technique. If you apply rotating floats, or twisting floats (sometimes even colorwork in twined knitting) then dominance does not exist. I think this is a common misconception when speaking on the topic of color dominance. Also people ask often about how to keep the yarns from twisting. This question is assuming that the colors are changed by rotating or twisting them at each color change. If you apply parallel floats method (as in this tutorial) then your yarns will not be twisting or rotating around each other...... each color remains parallel to the other color, therefore no twisting yarns.
I always appreciate a colorwork pattern that doesn't require "catching floats." :) I have a pair of Selbu mittens that I started last year that I am working on finishing up and have given up trying to do continental and thrower's style (I'm just throwing both while maintaining color dominance order) because my tensions are just not quite the same when I do two techniques, and I could never remember how to catch the dominant yarn (catching the non-dominant yarn is easy). I'll just have to start a plain hat or something and work 100% continental to practice.
I'm getting ready to try colorwork and this tutorial was so helpful! Explanations were clear and visuals were extremely helpful. Thanks for your time!!
Thank you! I want to try this. I’m a newby when it comes to colorwork-this is very helpful and I will purchase your pattern when I’m ready for a new project-thanks again!
You make working with two colors at once look deceptively easy. I can knit solely English style and have tried to learn Continental style to no avail, so I know I wouldn't be able to do this. Thank you for a very clear tutorial, though.
You can hold both colors in one hand, too. This is only one way to do colorwork. If it helps, you could get a Norwegian yarn thimble to hold both colors at the same time on one finger
Thanks for this, Ive done colorwork before (I just jumped in and did it!) and it was NOT perfect! 😂🤦🏾♀️ I will use your tips next time and Im sure I’ll have a better experience!
I am a first time listener to your video. loved this video as you were very clear with your instructions. I ordered your pattern and I am looking forward to making this blizzard pattern. I have only made one color work pattern so definitely looking forward to adding this one to my wardrobe. ❤
Loved this video and also loved Jimmy interrupting and eating peanut butter! Ha! Keeping it real! Thanks for showing us how to hold both colors at the same time.
I’m new to your channel and absolutely love it! Thanks for sharing this tutorial. I ‘m a newbie knitter and this tutorial really inspires me to give color works a try😊
Im so happy to have found you, just whant I needed to continue my knitting journey. BTW, I tried to swat that fly off my computer screen lol little buggers
This was the perfect tutorial for me as I launch into colorwork. The video was a good pace and the explanations clear and concise. Plus the pattern is lovely. So glad I found your channel, Jessica, and am looking forward to watching more of your videos!
The How to Knit Your First Sweater tutorial has a section explaining the short rows. You can find the specific chapter in the description section so you can watch what you need.
This was really helpful & am hoping to start Blizzard soon. Would you be able to show us how you join the German twisted cast-on so seamlessly for this sweater?
I'll need to make a tutorial for that! When I join in the round for magic loop, I knit that first stitch with both the working yarn and the tail from the beginning of the cast on. Then I pull them snuggly together for a seamless join.
Hi thank you so much for a clear and constructive lesson in how to do colour work for the first time. My question is as a English knitter do I have to learn how to knit continental first or do English knitter hold there wool differently. Sorry to be a pain but I am English 😂 Blizzard will be my first attempt at a colour work jumper
I'm an English knitter and what I do is hold the dominant yarn in my left hand, but instead of "picking" it Continental style, I "throw" it with my left hand. That works for me.
Hello, I am still new to knitting stranded colorwork. I am wondering if whenever you have time can you make a video tutorial or maybe can answer it here in the comments, how do you knit repeats in a colorwork chart? Thank you.
Thanks so much for this video. While your instructions are very clear, I have a question as a person new to color work, and also new to reading patterns. At your first increase row in the color work, I can see on the pattern that it needs to be increased to 8 stitches (2 more than the previous 6). My feeble brain translated that to mean 2 extra stitches after each of the 6 stitches (i.e., one on either side of that original 6 stitch grouping). Sorry if this question sounds dumb. I just can't see that an increase is made every three stitches looking at the pattern.
Thank you so much for all your helpful videos! Your designs are beautiful and I'm working on Woodsmoke right now. I also would humbly request (from one busy mom to another...but also as a complete newbie knitter) editing out the inevitable parenting moments if possible. The "Jimmy" corrections were as distracting as the "Mommy" comments.
I love this sweater! I am going to make this soon. I would like some opinions. I have a sweaters quantity of plutolopi in black and cream. I know most people hold plutolopi double but I'm wondering if I could do it single strand and use it on this pattern. I have no idea how it would behave. I just wanted to expand my knitting horizons and knit with this unique yarn.
This is the first time I watched your video. It was good very well explained. Do you think it's possible for me to get the entire pattern from the beginning about how to make this sweater? Thank you so much.
You can find the pattern for Blizzard on my website. It will give you the instructions for the entire sweater. www.jessicamcdonalddesigns.com/patterns/p/blizzard
Loved the video, wonderful inspiration!!! Blizzard is on my radar! However, I have never knitted a sweater…..how difficult is the actual sweater to knit? Thank you for your time!
It's not too hard! If you know the basics of knitting and purling, you can do it. Blizzard is very clearly written so it will be a good choice for a first sweater.
If you add in the How to Knit Your First Sweater tutorial (also here on this channel), you will have help with the sweater construction process. Then use this tutorial for the colorwork portion. The two tutorials together will have all the information you need.
Hello I am making my first yoke sweater its called fern and feather. I made the colourwork yoke then increased the back using wrap and turn technique. I have separated the sleeves and worked few rounds of the body from underarm area. But its bulging where the yoke pattern is. What should i do to fix that or what did I do wrong for the sweater to bulge? Please help
Hi, I'm new here and trying my first color pattern project ever! If I am reading my pattern correctly, it sounds like I need to do my short rows while alternating colors, but I'm not sure if that is possible? This will mess up the colors, right? Thank you
