Reversible colours

I suppose it is natural to think about working reversible stitches in just a single colour, but in fact there are many stitches where a choices of two or more colours can give great results. In an earlier post, I noted just how good Roman Lace looks when worked in two colours. In fact it is hard to tell which is the right side and which the back, as you can see here!

And the photo above shows another reversible striped scarf. This is the Avebury Scarf which is worked in Northern Tape Stitch from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. However, there is an important different between this scarf and the Chalfont Scarf in Roman Lace.

In that one, you can hardly see the colour transitions. But in the Avebury Scarf, there are very definite bi-colour purl bumps when the colours change – but these just enhance the graphical nature of the Northern Tape Stitch. I used tonal shades of denim blues here and that has certainly given a wonderful interplay of texture and shade.

Then on the left above is another colourful reversible knitting stitch. This is Three-Colour Linen Stitch and is a variation of the better-known Linen Stitch, which you can see on the right. As its name implies, it is worked in the same way as Linen Stitch but uses three separate yarns.

In the sample above, for example, a natural colour has been teamed with a pale blue and a blue-green to give a fascinating blend of the three shades. The stitch produces triangles or dots of colour throughout the fabric but you can hardly see the pale blue as it merges with the slightly stronger greens to give a lovely effect.

The colours have enhanced the textural nature of the stitch and given an added dimension on both sides. On the Right Side, the coarse cloth-like structure of  Linen Stitch has been replaced by an intricate pattern of colours, while on the Wrong Side the colours serve to emphasise the strong seed-like stitch arrangement.

Yet another variation of Linen Stitch gives an even more surprising result when two colours are used. This is Chalk Stripe which has subtle horizontal lines across the front but shows really strong verticals on the back!

That is certainly unexpected and would create some wonderful opportunities for double-sided fabrics, such as pocket-cuffs, turn-back collars and handbag flaps.

Here is another example of where the use of two colours has, in my opinion, enhanced this particular reversible knitting stitch no end.

The photo shows the Winsford Stroller Blanket which features Wide Garter Columns from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. This was worked in two glowing pumpkin colours from the Knit Picks 'Wool of the Andes' range to match the Halloween season that was then in full swing.

​The Wide Garter Columns stitch is easy to work and gives a really nice result, even when worked in a single colour. However, it really comes into its own when two colours are used because it produces an intriguing pattern with strong banded columns interspersed with blended bi-colour bands. This creates a dynamic – and again quite unexpected – fabric.

Then lastly, here is Spice Stitch, also taken from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. I have worked this using the same two colours as in the blanket above.  However, here we see a stitch which produces vertical orange lines to the front and yellow-golds to the back, giving another wonderful two-colour look from the same fabric.

The stitch is worked with slip stitches and it is these that have produced the interesting  double-sided colour sample. ​Spice Stitch is a strong fabric which would be great for bags and tech gadgets, and the use of the two colours has once again enhanced the basic qualities of the stitch.

So, I hope that has helped you to see the joys of experimenting with colour the next time you think about using a reversible knitting stitch. Our book contains lots of other examples, but I am absolutely convinced that some experimentation would produce some great results with other stitches that we haven't tried yet.

Have a go with a small swatch, as Anna did with the Twined Stripe pattern above, and you might just come up with a winner!

​If you would like to read more about our Reversible Knitting Stitches book, then please click here. There's also lots of information about the book on my website, including details of what's in the various chapters here and some more notes on reversible knitting in general here. 

Happy knitting!

Moira

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Reversible Knitting Stitches book, ​please click the Patterns tab above.

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