Men Who Knit Promoting and inspiring the art of knitting amongst men.

Casting on with two colors separately

Recently I wanted to knit something using two colors of yarn from the cast-on row, but I didn't want to "wrap" the yarns. That is, I wanted to cast on 1 "stitch" of color A and then one stitch of color B.

So I did. I cast on 1 st of A, then 1 st of B, then 1 of A, then 1 of B and kept repeating that A/B/A/B cast-oning. (Might one call the Abba Cast-on?)

Then I PURLED the first row using ONLY color A. Then, turning, I purled right back in A on row 2.

Then for row 3, I purled using only B -- and purled back in B for row 4.

Hey, guys.

I've "discovered" a couple of teriffic knitting "things" recently and I want to spread it around. Feel free to tell me, "Thanks, Jerry; you're the last male knitter on earth to have discovered these."

That possibility notwithstanding . . .

The "Mistake Stitch Rib"  (apparently also called Mistake Rib)

1. # 7 using worsted for example 
2. Cast on in multiples of 4 + 3
3. Work a "normal" 2 x 2 rib (*k2, p2* 'til dizzyness sets in) EXCEPT MAKE THOSE FINAL 3 STS K2, P1.
4. Turn
5. Repeat numb 3 above EXACTLY.
1. "Exactly" means pay absolutely no attention to the the row you just completed and you're now knitting into.
2. I.e., k2, p2 across and working final 3 sts k2 p1.
3. When (not if) you loose your place, either (a) review you k2p2 progress across the row and jump back in, or (b) figure out your own keep-track method relative to the row you're knitting into: your k2's are knit into a final k and a first p.
6. That's it.  Keep repeating the pattern described in number 3 above.

This gives a beautiful and unusual sport look -- wider than regular 2 x 2 but still springy.  It's also the same on both sides (good for, say, scarfs scarves?)