Help with stranding

#1

Hello all! I am new to the board and new to knitting. I am a left-hander. I am trying to work what I thought was a simple blanket pattern that has two colors. This is my first attempt at adding a second color and I am not having much luck. I made it through the first solid row and the second row of alternating colors then I realized that I am not properly stranding on the solid rows as I distorted the pattern. I need to know how to strand for an entire row of one color so that I may pick up the other color at the end.

The pattern I am working is:
7 rows stockinette in color 1
8th row purl in color 2
9th row knit alternate color 2 and 1
10th row purl in color 2
11th+ row stockinette in color 1

The pattern does not repeat until 7 rows in from the opposite end of the work approximately 13 inches from the beginning.

Thanks for your help.
Katie

#2

Does the pattern actually suggest that you strand across? I could see that as being very time-consuming and cause the back of the blanket to look a little messy. :think:

I think I’d either use a new strand on the rows where the yarns are at opposite ends, or, easier yet, change the pattern so the yarn always is changed on the same edge.

You could work the 7 stockinette as written, then purl 1 row and knit 1 row in the second color. This will bring the yarn over to the proper edge. Then you could work the alternating colors for 2 rows, work color 2 for 2 rows, etc. I don’t know how attached you are to the pattern in front of you, but this would be a workable solution.

#3

Ahhh, I remember a pattern that did something like this to me - without telling me that they intended me to use a second yarn … (not nice!!). I had to read the entire pattern book (with suggestions interspersed in the pattern text) to discover the easy solution was to roll a ball off the skein for the main color and attach it when I needed to.