Two-End Knitting

Posted on | April 13, 2008 | 8 Comments

My first exposure to Two-End Knitting was an article on the technique in Vogue Knitting’s Winter 2006/07 issue; Meg Swansen On Traditional Scandinavian Two-End Knitting. I had not yet attempted any colorwork at the time of reading the article, though I had been following the Stranded Colorwork Challenge KAL, poring over patterns and techniques (yarn dominance? stranding in the right or left hand or both? tension concerns?) and would soon begin my first project. I was intrigued by the the idea of stranding from one ball of yarn for warmth and fabric structure, and the hats in the photos shown in one and two colors had a unique look to them. I knew that I would come back to the article and technique at some point once I had a little experience.

Last fall, after completing a couple of colorwork projects, I participated in a design challenge centered on color – one of the tasks was developing creative uses for handpainted yarn. Though I was stumped on this portion of the challenge at the time, when I began swatching with Gryphon’s Eidos yarn for a pair of socks or mittens, the two ideas came together. Two-End knitting, and a handpainted yarn? I thought that the technique might be well-suited to working with the varied colors & complexities inherent in such a yarn, and fight pooling in cases where it might be a concern. I loved the effect, and it became the basis for my P.S. Mitts.

Being that the only reference point I had at the time was Meg Swansen’s article, I knew that I was using a modified version of the technique. It worked quite well however and achieved the desired effect, but I did find myself wanting to learn more and so I began doing more research on the topic. This post is a result of my curiosity, and an effort to give some background on the historically accurate method, and the modified technique used in the P.S. Mitts pattern. For lack of a better term and at the risk of sounding heretical, I’ll refer to the version used in the pattern as “Modern” Two-End Knitting. This does not indicate a disdain for what is known as the “Traditional” method, or insinuate that it is either better or worse – only that some knitters in recent years have chosen to employ a modified version of the technique (perhaps I should follow Meg’s lead and use the possibly less-inflammatory term “Non-Traditional” instead!)

First, the Traditional Method.

Two-End Knitting (or Twined Knitting – Tvåändsstickning in Swedish) is a type of traditional Scandinavian knitting used to make double-thickness mittens, socks, and other garments, but most typically accessories. It is worked in the round, according to Anne-Maj Ling, author of Two-End Knitting, using two ends from the same ball of yarn (or one strand from each of two colors) and throwing with the right hand. The ends are alternated stitch by stitch, and the strands are twisted around one another in the process. First, one stitch is knit with the first strand of yarn, then the other end of the yarn is carried over the top of the first strand to knit the next stitch. Each strand is carried over the previous one in this way as the strands are alternated producing a dense, warm fabric. This twisting of the strands over one another is the primary difference between Two-End Knitting and other types of stranding. Though the technique is traditionally performed using the right hand to knit both ends of the yarn, it can be worked using the left or the right hand without a notable difference in the fabric, and can also be worked using a combination of the two. Though I did not carry a yarn in my left hand while knitting the swatch below, I did use my left hand to assist in the twisting at times. Note the twined stranding on the wrong side of the work.

Because of the continuous movement of the ends of yarn one over another, the strands become quite twisted and require periodic untangling, my favorite method of which is detailed here - securing both ends of yarn to the ball and holding them as they spin!

**Edited to correct untangling link above, the new link includes a great photo tutorial of Traditional Two-End Knitting as well, please check it out! Thank you Theresa & Laura!**

Also due to the twisting of the strands, Two-End Knitting is traditionally worked using Z-plied yarn. A standard S-ply yarn will become more and more tightly twisted in the knitting of a piece, causing a more obvious bias of the stitches and the piece itself if the twisting should become too severe (most of the yarns typical to handknitting are S-Ply – see the links at the end of the post for references regarding S-ply vs. Z-ply yarns). For this reason, typically only small pieces such as mittens or hats are recommended to be knit using a standard S-ply yarn, so that this effect will be less noticeable and less cumbersome to work with. In contrast, a Z-ply yarn will become LESS twisted as it is worked in Twined Knitting. Those of us who are spinners as well as knitters could easily reverse the directions of our normal spinning and plying to achieve a Z-plied yarn for this purpose. This is on my list to try – I would love to see the difference in fabric worked with a Z-ply yarn instead. There is one US source for Z-plied yarns that I know of (linked below), so there seems to be rather limited availability (If you know of any other resources, please let me know, I would be happy to add them to the list!) The swatches here in this post were knit with The Sanguine Gryphon’s Eidos, a standard S-Ply yarn – You can see in the unblocked photo below the tendency of the stitches to bias to the left, a condition only partially remedied by blocking.

unblocked (left) & blocked (right)

The Traditional Method of Two-End Knitting uses some very lovely and intricate stitch types which are distinctive to this type of knitting, and often are used to embellish two-ended stockinette knit in either one or two colors. The stitches can also be utilized to full advantage in the Modern Method. I have not had a chance to experiment with them yet, but wanted to give them a passing mention here as they present some very intriguing options. Anne-Maj Ling presents some gorgeous patterns in her book using the special stitches and both single color and two color Two-End textured knitting. Stitches include the Deep Stitch, the Crook stitch, and the Knot stitch – see, intriguing!

Now, the Non-Traditional or Modern Method.

The key difference here is that the stitches are NOT twisted. Knit stitches are alternated with the two ends of the yarn, first one stitch with one strand, the next stitch with the second strand and so forth. The end not in us is held to the back of the work without carrying it over the top of each previous strand. In this way it is no different from any other type of stranded colorwork knitting, except that the ends are alternated every stitch.

Normal stranding (without twisting)

This method is advocated by both Meg Swansen in the VK article mentioned above and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts in Knitting in the Old Way as more straightforward (I also understand that Sheila McGregor may have expressed a similar preference in her book Traditional Scandinavian Knitting, but I have not been able to lay my hands on a copy yet to check this) – no twisting of the yarn, no need to untangle, no need for a Z-twist yarn, but both are also clear that this method is not historically accurate, and PGR goes so far as to say it “is not true Two-End Knitting”. According to Meg Swansen, in her VK article, an experienced knitter may not be able to tell the difference between a swatch worked in the traditional fashion versus one using the non-traditional method from the right side of the work, but on turning the piece inside out, one can see which portion has been stranded and which has been “Twined”. In my experience working with the S-plied Eidos, I do see a difference from the front of the work – though it becomes more subtle with blocking, there is a difference in texture between the lower portion of this swatch (knit stranded), and the upper portion (knit traditionally). I wonder if the difference would be as evident with a Z-ply yarn?

Unblocked (left) & Blocked (right)

I have seen it mentioned (and the source for this one escapes me at the moment) that the Traditional Method produces a less stretchy fabric. I did not notice a difference in these small swatches, but I wonder if the Two-End knitting would lose some elasticity over a larger expanse of fabric particularly if using an S-ply yarn.

Although the Modern Method is simpler in terms of stranding, Yarn Dominance is one factor that is not an issue with the Traditional Method. Because of the twisting of the strands in the Traditional Method, the working yarn is always carried above the previous strand, and therefore neither strand is dominant. The difference is quite subtle with the handpainted yarn, and can really only be seen close-up – but in a single color where the Two-Ended technique produces a subtle textured stripe, I expect that it would show up more clearly.

Can you see where I (inadvertently) switched which end was carried in which hand, changing the dominant strand?

As I mentioned, I plan to do a follow up to this post with some experiments with Z-plied yarn, and an exploration of the special stitch types. Please let me know if there’s anything additional you’d like to see. Also, there are several great stranding tutorials and videos already in existence, so I have not put together videos for the P.S. Mitts as I did with the Chrysalis wrap – but if you would find it helpful, or would like to see a video of Traditional Two-End Knitting, please let me know.

Resources:

S-Plied versus Z-Plied yarns:

Why Ply?

Swicofil Twist Direction

Yarn making, twist and ply

Z-Ply Yarn Suppliers:

The Wooly West

Books & Periodicals:

Knitting Around the World by Threads Editors (OOP?)

Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts

Traditional Scandinavian Knitting by Sheila McGregor

Twined Knitting by Birgitta Dandanell and Ulla Danielsson – OOP

Two-End Knitting by Anne-Maj Ling

Vogue Knitting’s Winter 2006/07; Meg Swansen On Traditional Scandinavian Two-End Knitting

Patterns:

Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski – Minnesota Mittens

Homespun Handknit by Linda Lignon – Two End Mittens

Knitter’s book of Yarn by Clara Parkes – Double Thick Mittens by Adrian Bizilla; These are not referred to as using the Two-End technique, but use the non-traditional version of the technique.

Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush – Dalarna Socks

Website Articles:

Twined Knitting – Techniques with Theresa – Knitty Winter 2005

Examples of Traditional Two-End Knitting:

http://flickr.com/photos/tags/tvaandsstickning/

http://flickr.com/photos/tags/twinedknitting/?page=2

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