Why Is My Colorwork Puckering? Tension Tips (+ Easy First Colorwork Hats)
Have you ever finished a few rounds of two-color knitting and noticed the fabric puckering or bunching up?
You're not alone! Tension is one of the most common things that comes up with stranded colorwork, and the good news is that it's a fix you can master.
In stranded colorwork, you carry the color you're not using along the back of your work as you knit. Those carried strands are called floats. When the floats pull tighter than the fabric wants, the stitches in between can pucker. Here are four tips I share all the time.
Four friendly tips for even stranded colorwork
1. Spread your stitches out. This is the technique I use most. Before you change colors, stretch the stitches on your right needle so they sit as wide as your fabric will be. That keeps the fabric flat as you knit the alternating color. Floats that pull tighter than the fabric wants are the most common cause of puckering.
2. Pick a top color and a bottom color. Hold one color above and the other below, and keep them that way as you go around. It keeps your yarns from twisting and helps your stitches stay even.
3. Peek at the inside. Every so often, peek inside your work and look at the floats. They should lie flat and relaxed, and the fabric should stretch without the colorwork puckering. If it does look puckered, try going up a needle size for just the colorwork rounds.
4. Wait to judge until after blocking. Soak your finished project in Soak Wash (or another wool wash) and block it. Blocking is where the stitches bloom, and it evens out a lot of little tension wobbles. Need a refresher? Here are 5 easy steps for caring for your handknits.
🧶 A tip from another knitter: A reader shared that she knits colorwork in the round with the purl side facing her. The hat is inside out as you knit, but she finds she has more control over the floats when they're facing her. I don't work this way myself, but it's worth a try. You may be surprised!
💡 Remember: A little unevenness is part of the charm of a handknit. Your hands will find their way the more you practice!
Watch it in action
Prefer to see it? In this video, I walk through colorwork and carrying floats while knitting the Christmas Tree Farm Beanie. You can also watch it on YouTube.
Three friendly places to start with colorwork
If you'd like to practice, these are the three most basic and straightforward colorwork projects I offer. Each one is knit in the round in two or three colors of Wooly Worsted, our worsted weight merino yarn.
Preppy Hats
If you've been looking to try stranded colorwork, Preppy Hats are a lovely entry point. Choose from whales, bows, hearts, or elephants. The charts are logical and rhythmic, and designed to glide through your needles without the stress of complex floats. These are knit in two colors, in sizes from preemie to child, and you can knit two hats from just two balls of yarn by swapping your main and contrasting colors.
Preppy Hats Baby Yarn Kit > · Preppy Hats pattern >
Sand & Sea Hat
I designed the Sand & Sea Hat especially for someone looking to try colorwork for the first time. Three colors of Wooly Worsted shift gently from one to the next, and the hat comes in adult sizes small through large. Choose your own flowing color palette and enjoy watching the colors blend.
Sand & Sea Hat Yarn Kit > · Sand & Sea Hat pattern >
Ghosts Hat
Three rows of cute ghosts dance around a dark nighttime background in the Ghosts Hat. The floats are never more than 5 stitches, so there are no long floats to worry about. It's a Level 2–3 project, great for a hat knitter looking to try something new. The kit includes 3 skeins of Wooly Worsted and a digital AND printed copy of the pattern, with several color combos to choose from. Ghosts are welcome on needles any time of year!
Ghosts Hat Yarn Kit > · Ghosts + Widows pattern >
Ready for a little more?
Once you've tried one of those, here are two more colorwork hats to explore.
The Shade Shifter Hat isn't hard, but it's a small step up. Five colors blend from one to the next, in sizes from baby to adult large.
The Prickly Hat is a Level 3 project. It has several charts that you can pick and choose from to create your own cactus combinations around the hat.
Still stuck? I'm here to help!
If you get stuck along the way, browse our Knitting Knowledge tutorials, ask in the Secret Society of Knitters community, or email me. Happy stitching!
🐑 Heather
