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Hand knitting › Texture and colour

Slip-stitch mosaic

Bold geometric patterns in two colours, with only one colour in each row: stripes of 2 rows, broken up by stitches slipped up from the stripe below. Each pair of rows is knitted in one colour.

What you work it with

Hand knitting · Tools: Needles for the yarn; two colours with strong contrast; no bobbins and no stranding.

Symbol chart

One or two repeats of the stitch pattern, drawn as seen from the right side.
12345678Knit on RS, purl on WSSlip 1 purlwiseRead from the bottom: RS rows (odd) right to left, WS rows (even) left to right.

Steps

  1. Cast on with colour A and work 2 rows.
  2. RS row in colour B: knit the stitches shown as k, slip the stitches shown as sl purlwise with the yarn at the back.
  3. WS row in colour B: work the same stitches again: purl the knitted ones, slip the slipped ones with the yarn at the front.
  4. Change to colour A and work the next 2 rows the same way.
  5. Carry the unused colour up the side.

The full card

What it looks like
Bold geometric patterns in two colours, with only one colour in each row: stripes of 2 rows, broken up by stitches slipped up from the stripe below.
How it behaves
Slightly thicker and firmer than stocking stitch, and shorter, because each slipped stitch is pulled up over two rows.
How it works
Each pair of rows is knitted in one colour. A stitch that should show the other colour is slipped instead of knitted, so the stitch from the row below (in the other colour) is pulled up into this stripe.
Tools
Needles for the yarn; two colours with strong contrast; no bobbins and no stranding.
Parameters
The edge stitches are always knitted, never slipped. Slip no more than 1 stitch in a run for a smooth fabric, up to 3 for bigger shapes.
Steps
1) Cast on with colour A and work 2 rows. 2) RS row in colour B: knit the stitches shown as k, slip the stitches shown as sl purlwise with the yarn at the back. 3) WS row in colour B: work the same stitches again: purl the knitted ones, slip the slipped ones with the yarn at the front. 4) Change to colour A and work the next 2 rows the same way. 5) Carry the unused colour up the side.
Charting
Read from the right side: each pair of rows uses one colour; sl squares are slipped purlwise with the yarn on the WS. The WS row repeats the RS row's slips.
Limits and common problems
Slipping with the yarn on the RS leaves a bar on the front. Too many slips in a row pull the fabric in; use a larger needle.
Combines with
Stranded colourwork, two colours, Garter stitch, Stocking stitch (stockinette)
Pieces and assembly
Blankets, cowls, bags; easier than stranded colourwork for a first two-colour project.

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

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