Learn the art of double knitting and create colourful reversible fabrics with this friendly, accessible guide
DEMYSTIFYING DOUBLE-KNITTING by Nathan Taylor
NATHAN TAYLOR, known by his fans around the world as Sockmatician, has been teaching the technique of double knitting for nearly a decade, and he wants to show us how much fun it can be - and how it’s not at all difficult to learn!
Double knitting creates reversible, double-sided, multi-coloured fabric, which is wonderfully warm and squishy. It typically features graphical or pictorial colourwork designs, and because the fabric has no visible floats at the colour changes, it’s great for projects that need a bit of drape, such as shawls, as well as for cowls and hats.
Nathan begins by introducing the basic concepts of double knitting - you work with pairs of stitches throughout, rather than with one individual stitch at a time. Using a two-colour coaster as a working example, he examines the construction of double-knitted fabric and the mechanics of working it, such as the two-colour cast-on, reading charts, and casting off, including the one-needle Kitchener graft.
His instructions are very clear and easy to follow, with step-by-step photographs, and Nathan’s personality and expertise shine through on every page.
Next, he looks at how to incorporate different textures such as ribbing, and explains how to work a range of single and double increases and decreases, including left- and right-leaning. Not only are these used fo
