Easy on the Double

"Using smaller needles and yarn held double..." Does the idea of knitting with two (or more) strands of yarn at the same time give you the spooks? We're hear to tell you that, despite the day that's in it, there's no need to fear! Pictured above are Nadia's two Barley hats, a lovely Daddy and Daughter set, knit using two strands of 4ply held together. In this case Nadia had the perfect yarns in mind from her stash (Camden Tweed and Hedgehog Sock Yarn) but needed to make them work for a pattern knit at a much thicker tension. Thankfully using two strands created the perfect fabric for this design (which calls for a worsted or aran weight yarn). But wasn't it awkward? Did she find it hard to identify each stitch? Were there lots of snagged and dropped stitches? Actually, not at all! As you can see above the two strands of yarn actually end up quite snug together, and sit quite neatly at the top of their respective columns of stitches. Each stitch is readily identifiable and, should you ever accidentally knit in to only one strand, it's a quick thing to catch and fix. And what about the look of the fabric? Do we get uneven stitches, a muddle of texture, gaps and lumps? Again, nope! You'd have to look very close indeed to see that two strands were used, and we're actually quite in love with the effect of Camden Tweed held double. The resulting fabrics are plush and soft, and just perfect for keeping everyone warm this Halloween!