Lots of knitters have asked me about how to work multiple round stripe patterns helically. In fact, this question is one of the things that motivated me most in writing the Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting ebook. The Twiss cowls are really my answer to the question of how to work stripes with more than 1 round in each colour. The pattern includes details on how to work 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-round stripe repeats, including patterns where you work more than one round in each colour.
Helical stripes differ from traditional stripes in a number of ways… They aren’t bands of colour, but rather one continuous spiral of colour. This means that you will have all colours in the stripe pattern represented at the start of the helical section. You can see what I mean at the bottom of the Storm, Mist and Mustard (love a bit of grellow!) cowl above – each of the colours is visible next to the i-cord edging, depending on where you look.
There is also the question of slant, but we will return to that tomorrow, when I talk about the other Chapter 4 pattern, the Andrade cowl.
These cowls are so fun to knit! The options for colour combinations are endless, and they are perfect for the crisp autumn weather that we are having at the moment. Tucked into the opening of a coat, a Twiss cowl is ideal for keeping out the wind while you walk to work or cycle to meet with friends.
We have set up kits for the yarn to make your own Twiss cowls, over in our shop. They start at just £15.00 and include a project bag as well as the Something to Knit With Aran each stripe combination requires. There is also a Helical Knitting Starter Kit for £65.00 that gives you the yarn to knit 4 helical projects that are great for gift-giving and will be quick off your needles!
I’ll be back tomorrow to talk slant and share the latest video tutorial. See you then!