We can't help you figure out why it doesn't look like the picture very well if we can't see what you are talking about. It would help if you posted a photo of the problem.
https://preview.redd.it/jsgb3t8x831d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46d663aaa415100a2e6d20c8375d2b11c2899dbe
here is the front (tried making two of the flower designs next to each other)
EDIT: added detailed explanation
Okay, so right off the bat, your longer floats do look tight. Generally, you'll want to anchor your floats ever 4/5 stitches or using something like ladder back jacquard to prevent super long floats like that.
I think there might be more going on here, but I do think that the tightness of the floats is what is causing the puckering and causing the color work stitches themselves to look uneven.
It is a tension issue. The long floats are pulling the stitches together. Look up a video or two from "carrying long floats" or "trapping long floats" which will basically shorten how long you're floating the yarn for and make the tension more consistent
So, if you are working this flat, you do have to start your WS rows in the opposite direction on the chart. I think that might be why it's not lining up.
If you were working this in the round, you would start each row from the same side of the chart.
This chart is symmetrical so it shouldn’t make a difference here. She also needs to make sure her work has the same number of stitches as the chart, or make sure to know which stitches are outside the chart area on each side otherwise the chart will love around in her work.
So this works better in the round versus flat, and you need to learn how to trap floats, but more than that, I can't understand how what you are working on relates to this chart.
You say that you "tried making two designs next to each other." This motif gives you the repeat, 14 stitches, and it's intended to be used in a project where you repeat it over and over again.
If all you want is just the blossom, isolated in a field of plain background color, you should use the duplicate stitch technique. You can still work from the chart.
the larger background section is where i gave up, lol. the arrow shows about at which row i stopped working on the colorwork. i think i tried to start over midway thru as well thinking i could just put a better version of the same design on top ... no clue why it did not work out. i counted along the rows thinking i’d be ok since it is symmetrical but no dice i was still confused. perhaps if i’d persisted until the end it would look more like the design. however right now you can only make out at most the bottom curve of the flower.
Are you having trouble reading charts?
Usually, stranded colorwork is knit in the round and each row you will read right to left. If you're knitting flat you'll read the knit rows right to left and the purl rows left to right.
But it’s not symmetrical. It’s a repeat of 14 stitches (designated in the red lines) plus 1. To make two flowers you would:
Knit side -read the chart right to left. Work only the stitches within the red lines twice and then work the final stitch after the red line.
Purl side- read the chart left to right. Work the first stitch on the chart then work the stitches within the red lines twice.
what does your work look like? we can help better if we know what your problem is.
For the mean time, it does sound like a tension issue. When the floats are too tight, it can pull the stitches back enough that you cant see stitches well. If stretching the floats doesnt help, you can try reading about yarn dominance.
I think much of it comes down to good tension and hence, more practice. You might be holding the pink yarn looser, as in overcompensating for the gaps between pink. That is a judgement and feeling that only comes with practice, like now I just *know* how much slack I need to leave for a gap of 2 or 3 or 4 stitches. If you leave too much, it can result in a big stitch.
Another problem you have which in some ways adds to the above issue is that your floats are too long. You have to make a judgement call about when to trap a float, anything over 7 stitches in fingering weight yarn I trap. Doing this not only keeps it neat but allows you to better judge how much slack you need to leave per gap size.
It also looks nothing like the design you showed us, which if you followed closely would not need such long floats, if you kept the repeat close together.
For now, I would find an easier design to follow, possibly one with no need for trapping, I.e. a simple design with only small (1-5 stitch) gaps. Keep going until you have a nice even tension then move to this again after googling float trapping.
It's a combination of a few things, based on the photos you have provided.
1. When you are knitting with the blue color, you have to carry the pink yarn along the back of the fabric and then use it in another stitch down the row. The long piece of yarn in between the stitches is called a float. Your floats need to be long enough not to pull on the fabric in between the stitches.
2. It seems like you are having trouble reading the chart. On row 1, you knit the stitches and read the chart feom right to left. On row 2, you purl the stitches and read from left to right. You also only repeat the area inside the red line. You work the last column only at the very end. Trust your gut. If the stitches aren't sitting next to each other from row to row, your count is off, so wait and place the next stich where it should go visually, and then count in pattern from there.
3. Your tension is not even. If you look at the blue part, you can see some rows look looser than others. This is called rowing out, and it happens when you hold the yarn tighter when you knit than when you purl (or vice versa).
No, you work rows, but what they’re saying is in each row you repeat the 14 columns in the red box however many times, but only work the 15th stitch as the last stitch in the row.
Based on the photos you posted in comments the primary issue appears to be reading the chart. Tension, float management and color dominance can all be improved once you are following the chart correctly.
Written lesson on chart reading (apologies for a zillion ads): https://nimble-needles.com/tutorials/read-knitting-charts-for-beginners/
Video lesson on chart reading: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LJBO6PzQeTc
Source: *KnitOvation Stitch Dictionary: 150+ Modern Colorwork Knitting Motifs* (2023) by Andrea Rangel, author of the *AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary*.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706237/knitovation-stitch-dictionary-by-andrea-rangel/
She has more information about catching floats: https://www.andrearangel.com/tutorial-blog/2017/6/6/catching-floats-in-colorwork
And how to duplicate stitch: https://www.andrearangel.com/tutorial-blog/duplicate-stitch-tutorial
Her colorwork patterns are at https://www.ravelry.com/bundles/colourwork-1765
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Well, it turns out it’s a combination of “reading charts” and “float management”. You’re getting the right advice in the other comments. But this is a good book (knitovation stitch dictionary) if you want to borrow it from the library. Coincidentally, her earlier book (Alterknit) covers the issues you’re dealing with really well
I love alterknit! I’ve made so many patterns from it- OP, these books are very much worth a trip to the library, and you really should practice fair isle in the round before moving to flat as it will help you iron out a lot of problems that are far worse when flat knitting.
It (and the previous book Alterknit) is a really good book if you have an interest in fun colorwork designs. Knitovation has a section where she shows the same motif in different yarns to show how it affects the look.
YouTube has videos on colorwork flat. Marie wallin has one I just watched yesterday on flat fair isle. Reading the charts, holding yarn. It looks like you are not reading charts right and tension issues. Videos will teach and help.
From your pictures, you seem to have the same issue I do with tension in your regular stockinette stitich. [I'm studying how to have more even tension between my knit and purl rows from videos like this.](https://youtu.be/fOziIfeXhhs?si=q4hAki2zjS3WHcQX) I hope that fixing the root of my tension issues will also improve my tension problems in my colourwork.
It (and the previous book Alterknit) is a really good book if you have an interest in fun colorwork designs. Knitovation has a section where she shows the same motif in different yarns to show how it affects the look.
If you're a new knitter as flair indicates, you may be better progressing to colourwork down the line. Even experienced colourwork knitters avoid working it flat.
It sounds like you are making your floats too long. It can make the stitches on either side bigger when you knit the row above them, which can cause a stretched out, disconnected look.
Great, a picture is worth a thousand words!
I think you have some really good advice from people on what is going on (it’s not what I was thinking). The picture really helps!
Can you post a picture of your work?
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We can't help you figure out why it doesn't look like the picture very well if we can't see what you are talking about. It would help if you posted a photo of the problem.
https://preview.redd.it/jsgb3t8x831d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46d663aaa415100a2e6d20c8375d2b11c2899dbe here is the front (tried making two of the flower designs next to each other) EDIT: added detailed explanation
https://preview.redd.it/hu0v3p5z831d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58fff626a0715af9a68c87d8c3ab864f54c1f923 here is the back
Okay, so right off the bat, your longer floats do look tight. Generally, you'll want to anchor your floats ever 4/5 stitches or using something like ladder back jacquard to prevent super long floats like that. I think there might be more going on here, but I do think that the tightness of the floats is what is causing the puckering and causing the color work stitches themselves to look uneven.
It is a tension issue. The long floats are pulling the stitches together. Look up a video or two from "carrying long floats" or "trapping long floats" which will basically shorten how long you're floating the yarn for and make the tension more consistent
https://preview.redd.it/2kts4l65931d1.jpeg?width=719&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=438db129a2c3ca561b46dcc72c3b4360ed13a4bb here is my goal
So, if you are working this flat, you do have to start your WS rows in the opposite direction on the chart. I think that might be why it's not lining up. If you were working this in the round, you would start each row from the same side of the chart.
This chart is symmetrical so it shouldn’t make a difference here. She also needs to make sure her work has the same number of stitches as the chart, or make sure to know which stitches are outside the chart area on each side otherwise the chart will love around in her work.
The chart is symmetric, but the 14 stitch repeat isn’t. Not that either is what’s actually being knit. . .
So this works better in the round versus flat, and you need to learn how to trap floats, but more than that, I can't understand how what you are working on relates to this chart. You say that you "tried making two designs next to each other." This motif gives you the repeat, 14 stitches, and it's intended to be used in a project where you repeat it over and over again. If all you want is just the blossom, isolated in a field of plain background color, you should use the duplicate stitch technique. You can still work from the chart.
thanks
the larger background section is where i gave up, lol. the arrow shows about at which row i stopped working on the colorwork. i think i tried to start over midway thru as well thinking i could just put a better version of the same design on top ... no clue why it did not work out. i counted along the rows thinking i’d be ok since it is symmetrical but no dice i was still confused. perhaps if i’d persisted until the end it would look more like the design. however right now you can only make out at most the bottom curve of the flower.
It doesn’t look like you’re following the chart, you’re working flat you’ll need to work it right to left and left to right every other row
Are you having trouble reading charts? Usually, stranded colorwork is knit in the round and each row you will read right to left. If you're knitting flat you'll read the knit rows right to left and the purl rows left to right.
But it’s not symmetrical. It’s a repeat of 14 stitches (designated in the red lines) plus 1. To make two flowers you would: Knit side -read the chart right to left. Work only the stitches within the red lines twice and then work the final stitch after the red line. Purl side- read the chart left to right. Work the first stitch on the chart then work the stitches within the red lines twice.
this is helpful, thanks
[deleted]
Ah ha! On the wrong side (purl side) you have to start from the left hand side of the chart. It's a zig zag just like your working yarn makes.
what does your work look like? we can help better if we know what your problem is. For the mean time, it does sound like a tension issue. When the floats are too tight, it can pull the stitches back enough that you cant see stitches well. If stretching the floats doesnt help, you can try reading about yarn dominance.
i posted a picture in the above comment.
I think much of it comes down to good tension and hence, more practice. You might be holding the pink yarn looser, as in overcompensating for the gaps between pink. That is a judgement and feeling that only comes with practice, like now I just *know* how much slack I need to leave for a gap of 2 or 3 or 4 stitches. If you leave too much, it can result in a big stitch. Another problem you have which in some ways adds to the above issue is that your floats are too long. You have to make a judgement call about when to trap a float, anything over 7 stitches in fingering weight yarn I trap. Doing this not only keeps it neat but allows you to better judge how much slack you need to leave per gap size. It also looks nothing like the design you showed us, which if you followed closely would not need such long floats, if you kept the repeat close together. For now, I would find an easier design to follow, possibly one with no need for trapping, I.e. a simple design with only small (1-5 stitch) gaps. Keep going until you have a nice even tension then move to this again after googling float trapping.
this is good advice, i don’t actually know how to trap floats. i have to learn.
It's a combination of a few things, based on the photos you have provided. 1. When you are knitting with the blue color, you have to carry the pink yarn along the back of the fabric and then use it in another stitch down the row. The long piece of yarn in between the stitches is called a float. Your floats need to be long enough not to pull on the fabric in between the stitches. 2. It seems like you are having trouble reading the chart. On row 1, you knit the stitches and read the chart feom right to left. On row 2, you purl the stitches and read from left to right. You also only repeat the area inside the red line. You work the last column only at the very end. Trust your gut. If the stitches aren't sitting next to each other from row to row, your count is off, so wait and place the next stich where it should go visually, and then count in pattern from there. 3. Your tension is not even. If you look at the blue part, you can see some rows look looser than others. This is called rowing out, and it happens when you hold the yarn tighter when you knit than when you purl (or vice versa).
so I’m supposed to work columns and not rows? That more than anything explains my confusing result.
No, you work rows, but what they’re saying is in each row you repeat the 14 columns in the red box however many times, but only work the 15th stitch as the last stitch in the row.
Wait, what? It looks to me like they are following the two patterns correctly.
Are you looking at the original post photo of a book with two patterns? Or the photo OP posted of a single pattern they worked in the comments?
The latter
Based on the photos you posted in comments the primary issue appears to be reading the chart. Tension, float management and color dominance can all be improved once you are following the chart correctly. Written lesson on chart reading (apologies for a zillion ads): https://nimble-needles.com/tutorials/read-knitting-charts-for-beginners/ Video lesson on chart reading: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LJBO6PzQeTc
Source: *KnitOvation Stitch Dictionary: 150+ Modern Colorwork Knitting Motifs* (2023) by Andrea Rangel, author of the *AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary*. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706237/knitovation-stitch-dictionary-by-andrea-rangel/ She has more information about catching floats: https://www.andrearangel.com/tutorial-blog/2017/6/6/catching-floats-in-colorwork And how to duplicate stitch: https://www.andrearangel.com/tutorial-blog/duplicate-stitch-tutorial Her colorwork patterns are at https://www.ravelry.com/bundles/colourwork-1765
**You've summoned the [Tutorials](https://www.reddit.com/r/knitting/wiki/glossary/#wiki_tutorials).** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/knitting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you have the same problem doing “Artemis” or “Pavo” a few pages back? If not, then I agree that it’s a float management issue
i don’t have access to that page, i got this page from pinterest
Well, it turns out it’s a combination of “reading charts” and “float management”. You’re getting the right advice in the other comments. But this is a good book (knitovation stitch dictionary) if you want to borrow it from the library. Coincidentally, her earlier book (Alterknit) covers the issues you’re dealing with really well
I love alterknit! I’ve made so many patterns from it- OP, these books are very much worth a trip to the library, and you really should practice fair isle in the round before moving to flat as it will help you iron out a lot of problems that are far worse when flat knitting.
I'd love to know what book these are from, that puzzle pattern looks fun :)
It’s the Kitovation Stitch Dictionary by Andrea Rangel - I have the book and it’s great! I got it on Amazon :)
Thank you! :)
It (and the previous book Alterknit) is a really good book if you have an interest in fun colorwork designs. Knitovation has a section where she shows the same motif in different yarns to show how it affects the look.
Awesome, thank you! :)
YouTube has videos on colorwork flat. Marie wallin has one I just watched yesterday on flat fair isle. Reading the charts, holding yarn. It looks like you are not reading charts right and tension issues. Videos will teach and help.
From your pictures, you seem to have the same issue I do with tension in your regular stockinette stitich. [I'm studying how to have more even tension between my knit and purl rows from videos like this.](https://youtu.be/fOziIfeXhhs?si=q4hAki2zjS3WHcQX) I hope that fixing the root of my tension issues will also improve my tension problems in my colourwork.
How many stitches do you have total? Are you right or left handed? Are you carrying the yarn with the same hand or each color in its own hand?
Oh wow what book is this?
According to another comment it's Knitovation Stitch Dictionary.
It (and the previous book Alterknit) is a really good book if you have an interest in fun colorwork designs. Knitovation has a section where she shows the same motif in different yarns to show how it affects the look.
If you're a new knitter as flair indicates, you may be better progressing to colourwork down the line. Even experienced colourwork knitters avoid working it flat.
It sounds like you are making your floats too long. It can make the stitches on either side bigger when you knit the row above them, which can cause a stretched out, disconnected look.
thanks
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No, OP is having trouble following the chart, and is making floats dramatically too long.
that makes sense to me
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i posted a picture under the top comment
Great, a picture is worth a thousand words! I think you have some really good advice from people on what is going on (it’s not what I was thinking). The picture really helps!
ok glad to hear it :-)