Hello everyone! Do you know anything about double knitting? I’ve never made anything by double knitting before, so I don’t know how to do the cast on edge properly or the decreases on the inside layer of, say, a hat. Any recommendations? I believe there are probably many ways to do it, but what do you think is best?
I thought about just knitting a regular top-down hat and then switching colors at the end, going on to create a mirrored bottom-up hat that’s attatched tot he first, making a bullet shape. Then I could just flip one of them inside the other and get the same effect! That seems like taking the easy way out, though, and I want to at least know how to do it properly before choosing how I want to do it.
In other news, I finally got a job! Yippee! A real, full time job in the counseling field)! It’s at a nonprofit place nearby that predominantly does psychosocial rehabilitation, I believe, serving a majority of bipolar and schizophrenic clients that have been referred for this specific kind of help.
I’m not sure what I’ll be doing precisely, so I’m incredibly nervous. Something was mentioned about a caseload of about 15 a week and groups of up to 50 people. I think I’m going to freeze up from nerves, I really do (because I myself have social anxiety which often makes coherent speech in front of strangers nigh impossible, turns my face into a beet, and makes me forget what I’m doing). Mom says, however, that there will surely be a short training period so that I can get settled in. I think I am going to go through some of my more relevant textbooks from grad school and refresh my knowledge and skills base, just in case. I swear, I’m more nervous now than I was when I was waiting to hear yes or no! I start on the 18th so the next week and a half will be nerve wracking, I’m sure. Time to pull out some distracting activities (or as we say in the counseling field, coping skills)!
Thanks for stopping by — I hope to see you back again soon!
not your average crochet 
Can’t help with the knitting problem but great news on the job. So exciting!
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Congratulations on the new job! Wish I could help w/the hat but I am only a hooker. Hopefully someone will help you out… have you tried youtube? I found a Catherine wheel tutorial there that really helped me w/a cowl. Best of luck w/both endeavors.
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Thanks! No, I haven’t tried YouTube yet. I guess I probably should! 🙂
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Just checked, there are lots of tutorials on Youtube. Remember on your first day of work, everyone who has ever worked in the world has a first day of work so you are in great company. Breath and you will be just fine.
Linda Lucas RN MSN-CNS
“Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it”
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Thanks! That’s a much better way to look at it!
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Great news Hannah! I’m really pleased for you.
Think of all the yarn etc you’ll be able to buy from now on without guilt!
Don’t fret and forget about the red face, if you think about it it makes it worse. Accept that you flush and it’s not a big deal and it actually becomes less of an issue and lessens. I know this from of old.
We met and you didn’t seen awkward in the slightest despite us being total strangers. They’re going to feel far more anxious about how they are perceived by you I reckon. Don’t fret. Let us know how it goes xx
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Thanks! You’re right about it all — thanks for the encouragement! That really does calm me down some.
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hola buen dia, desde santa rosa, la pampa, argentina te escribo sobre tu gorrita.tenes que comprar si o si el diagrama? no te animas a hacerlo vos sola? el punto es unicamente jersey o sea una vuelta derecho y otra reves, no es complicada. en cuanto al grosor de la lana podes tejerla con dos agujas n°4, si es para un adulto pondras entre 65 y 75 puntos y la lana tiene que ser semigorda.tejes liso hasta tener alrededor de 20 cm de alto y ahi empezas a disminuir en cada vuelta derecho de tejido y cada 6 u 8 puntos.creo que ahi terminaria tu gorra. cualquier cosita escribime a moniscout@hotmail.com. un cariño a la distancia. monica
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Congratulations on the job – VERY exciting, and I am sure you will do fine. I have not tried double knitting, but I recently read Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac, and she did a chapter on it. Your library might have the book….It sounds like it could be confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, nice and simple. I HAVE done a hat the way you describe as your alternate method, and what is tough about it is getting the two halves EXACTLY the same. Not impossible, but not as easy as it sounds. One row off and you have a line of the other side showing at the hem. You could design for that on purpose, of course. 🙂
Oh, I am so glad you found a job in your field. Take deep breaths, by the second day you will be settled in just fine.
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Thanks, I’ll have to find the nearest library! That sounds helpful! 🙂
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I have the book The Principles of Knitting from the library, it’s by June Hemmons Hiatt and she explains it all in there. Haven’t tried it myself yet (except a small cellphone cosy with no shaping).
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Thanks for the recommendation! I applied for a library card toady, so hopefully they’ll have it!
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I have only ever used double knit on a knitting loom and a knitting machine, so don’t know where to start with needles. There are heaps of videos on Double Knitting on Youtube.though which look like they would be helpful.
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Thanks! I’ll head on over there and do a search. 🙂
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Hi, Hannah. I can’t help with the knitting, but thought I could encourage you a bit about the social anxiety. I know exactly what you are going through – I was also there some years ago. It will definitely subside as you get desensitised over time. Just accept that it will take a bit of time, but in the end it is the act of speaking itself that makes the problem go away. I have found that it works to concentrate on the subject I talk about and not to think about how I feel while standing there. You will also find that people are eager to listen to what you have to say and that they look up to you. Good luck!
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Thank you for the reassurance! I’ll try thinking about what I’m talking about then. Thanks!
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Double knitting is fun and this hat wouldn’t be too hard. If you can do ribbing k1, p1 you can knit this. The main trick is keeping the yarn straight and not tangling it on the inside so the inside and outside are separate. This is such a fun trick to learn and it makes such a lofty thick cushy fabric. I am knitting a fun cowl right now using this technique.
As for knitting the hat from the top down and then continuing to knit to the top of the inside cap what might be easier is to cast on provincial style from the brim knit a hat to the top. Then work the second cap from the p.cast on to top. A lady at our knit group just brought in a hat she knit for charity doing just that. It was lovely grey with white snowflakes worked on on side and then white with grey snow flakes on the other side. She even made matching grey fingerless mitts – there will be one lucky child staying very warm this winter. And I wouldn’t worry about a little if the inside color peeping out if the hats don’t match exactly. It will still look charming on you.
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Thank you for the tips, that’s really helpful! I hadn’t thought of that!
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I can’t help on the knitting, either, but I wanted to pop in and wish you all the best with your new job. I’m sure you’ll learn to put your ‘work hat’ on and develop a whole new persona just for work 🙂 Just remember – the clients are coming to see you because you have skills to help them. Focus on that and you may well forget your nerves. Good luck!
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That’s true, thank you very much!
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I just saw this post…did you ever try the hat? I recently learned double knitting and love it…i’ve done a blanket square, a pair of socks knit at the same time, and am now working on some scarves…I can point you to some of the tutorials I used if you like 🙂 once you do a small swatch you’ll have the hang of it – it’s really a lot easier than it looks and the results are fantastic!
btw, remember the fabric ends up being twice as thick, so I wouldn’t recommend going any heavier than a DK or light worsted yarn.
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I haven’t tried it yet but I’m planning on it, so any tutorials you could point me toward would be great, thank you!
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ok, here’s a cast on to get you that nice smooth, seamless edge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lrn3qoZzfo – it’s fiddly at first but goes really fast once you get it, just try not to let the stitches twist around on the right needle. This is the best tutorial I’ve found for this as she goes REALLY slow so it’s easy to pick up.
Here’s part 1 of a 4 part tutorial on double knitting in general. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3pNhvSKp8 I don’t know why but after a few other tutorials, this is the one that clicked for me…but there’s lots out there.
If you’re just doing a solid color on each side though, you may want to start with this tutorial instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8wbRvveTGQ
I sometimes like photo tutorials instead of video, and I found this article helpful http://www.annkingstone.com/files/Double_knitting.PDF
Since you’re doing the hat in the round, you won’t have to worry about neat, joined edges, so it will be easier 🙂
Finally, here’s a tutorial on my blog for working decreases in double knitting – it’s really easy, I promise!
http://stitchesnscraps.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/how-to-work-a-decrease-when-double-knitting/
I would start the hat from the bottom and work up rather than top down. that way you don’t have to worry as much about the cast off, you can just draw the tail through the remaining live stitches to seal them off at the top.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH! That is so helpful!!!
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btw, I just looked at the blog post for that pattern and it’s not double knit – it’s made exactly as you suggested, top down, switch colors, then knit back up again.
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Oh really? Well I’ll probably try the double knitting anyway!
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I would! it’s addictive 🙂 a few rows in, once you get the hang of it, you can even play with switching the colors a bit to get a pretty little border design – like switch every 5th stitch on one row
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Ooooo that’s a cool idea! It’s like there is a whole new world of possibilities!
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🙂 it’s addictive, i’m tellin ya! give it a week or two and you’ll be making your own colorwork charts lol
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