double knitting workshop

On Saturday, I tutored a two-stranded double knitting workshop for the Blue Mountains group of the Knitters’ Guild of NSW.

Double knitting can mean one of three things:

1. a term for the weight of yarn; in US it’s called DK (double knitting), here in Australia we call the same weight 8ply
2. using two yarns together to knit is sometimes, incorrectly, called double knitting
3. a technique whereby a two-sided fabric is produced

It is the latter technique which was the subject of my workshop.

This is the sample I designed and knitted in DK pure wool (unblocked); the participants were given this pattern in the workshop. The finished size is 10.5cm x 12cm (4” x 4.5”) so it could be used as a coaster.


Below are the other samples I have knitted. The first is also in DK wool. I can only take credit for the knitting of this one; it was designed by Elizabeth Evans (Ravelry link). Ravelry tells me that I knitted this back in 2010.

The other side is a beige teapot on a blue background.

The second sample was designed by Laura Ponce de León as the Cubic Scarf (Ravelry link) but I felt it was too thick to wear as a scarf here in Australia. Perhaps in climates where it gets very cold, one could wear it as a scarf. Also my knitting created a very dense fabric which didn’t have the drape I prefer for a scarf. I intended it to be a bib for Older Grandson (who had not yet been born when I started it in 2010) but being 4ply (fingering) acrylic it had zero absorbency, something I soon realised was needed in a bib!

I also showed the workshop participants this teeny pincushion/needle-holder I knitted as a prototype in December 2012. It is knitted in the double knitting technique but in a single strand of sock weight yarn on 2.00mm (US 0) needles.
 
I am thinking I will make a bunch of these (perhaps a little bit bigger) for my classmates Christmas gifts in 2013. Don’t be fooled by the size of the photo. That is a Size 8 embroidery needle.This one is a perfect size (4cm – 1.5”) to fit into my embroidery kit which is contained in this cute little tin, which itself is about 10cm x 6cm (4” x 2.5”).

Now I’m hooked on the possibilities of double knitting – a reversible hat, a bag, and a drapey scarf.

Would it be possible to do it in entrelac?
What  about lace? The decreases may be an issue!

So many ideas – so little time! So many UFOs/WiPs to complete!