Helix Knitting
Helix Knitting is a fun and simple technique for knitting single row stripes in the round with many colors! It not only creates jogless knitting, but you don’t even have to worry about carrying up the various yarns as you go. Check out our video tutorial below for a step-by-step explanation of this technique!
Check out our free Helix Tube Scarf pattern to give helix knitting a try! Or if you want to explore this technique on your own, use any number of yarns and make sure you cast on a multiple of that number. In order to determine your pattern, you will divide the cast-on number by the number of colors, and you will knit that number stitches for each color in each round. For example, if you have 9 yarns and you decide to cast on 63 stitches, each round you would knit each color for 7 stitches because 63 divided by 9 is 7. Let us know if you have any questions… We’d be happy to help!
I am not comfortable knitting in the round although I have tried many times. Can this tube scarf be made using straight needles?
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately helix knitting cannot be done flat; however, you could use a Helix Tube Scarf Bundle to knit our Stripey Tube Scarf, which would be quite easy to knit flat and then seam into a tube!
Best,
Julianna
I’m curious as to why you suggest turning it inside out to show the purl side rather than the knit? Is it part of the technique or just preference? I love this and want to try it!…but I love the knit side better. Would it still work? Thanks.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for writing in! This is truly a matter of personal preference! Helix knitting is attractive from both the knit and purl sides, so you can certainly choose to wear the scarf with the knit side facing out. It’s really quite fun to knit, so I hope you give it a try soon!
Warmly,
Julianna
How is it that the video demonstrator is knitting, but the result is purling? It is called ‘reverse stockinette,’ but I don’t see how it happens?
Hi Judy,
Thanks for reaching out! For our swatch and for our Helix Tube Scarf, since the projects are worked in the round, we knitted every stitch to make things easier, but then turned the finished tube inside out so that the purl side is showing for the finished piece.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
This is a fun process and am anxious to use up those stray skeins and leftovers so I have room for more yarn. My question ladies, how do you close up the gaps created when you change colors on the first row?
After numerous unsuccessful attempts, I finally twisted the yarns as I normally would. Also, why no tugs as you knit through the additional rows?
I love your tutorials, you site is my go to for instructions. Thank you
Hi Lorraine,
Great questions! It’s actually totally normal and somewhat unavoidable to have a hole in your work when you first join a new color – you’re not doing anything wrong! When you weave in your ends, you can cross the two tails across the hole or, in the case of helix knitting when there is only one tail, pull it across the hole to close it and then weave it in to secure everything. Since each color only rises by one row or stitch at a time in this method, there’s usually no need to do anything to adjust the tension of the previous stitch or float, but if you find that the last stitch is coming out loose, you could give it a gentle tug when starting with a new color – just be careful not to pull too hard on the stitch!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
If I wanted to introduce additional colors later on, where in the row would I do that? Thank you!
Hi Inna,
Thanks for writing in! If you want to keep using the colors you started with and add more colors, I don’t think that will be possible without having to cut and re-join all your colors and creating some jogs or inconsistencies in the stripes. However, if you want to replace a color with another one, that should be fairly easy! Once helix knitting is established, you can easily switch out one color for another by simply joining the new color at the beginning of a section of the color that is going to be replaced and carrying on as usual.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi. Is it possible to have a color go for 2 or 3 rows with helix knitting? So you need 2 or 3 balls of that color yarn?
Thanks
Hi Heather,
Thanks for reaching out! That should work! If you want to work bigger color sections you could use multiple balls of one color! Just be sure to keep in mind the number of colors corresponds to the cast on multiple!
Please let us know how this turns out!
Warmly,
Gianna
I’m a helix knitter from way back, but have only used 2 or 3 colors at a time. Recently I started a hat with 5 colors, and somewhere along the line, I got everything all muddled, so that now my spiral is no longer nearly horizontal. All the colors start/end at the same place with one exception, so I have one 14-stitch segment and one that’s 70 stitches. At the end of the larger segment, there’s a pretty substantial difference in height; on the left side there are five more rows than on the right, so I can’t just pick up and knit the first stitch of the small segment, there would be a huge gap. I’ve no idea how to go about fixing this other than somehow playing catch-up and knitting only the small segment until the two line up.
IK this is probably difficult to understand from the description. I don’t really use ravelry other than to find patterns, but I’ve uploaded a picture there so you can see it. I hope this works.
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/VikingKvinna/helixhat/edit?prepared=true
Any ideas of how to get out of this pickle I’m in would be much appreciated. 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for reaching out! To better understand what may be going on, please send a photo or two of your work to our team at customerservice@purlsoho.com and we can troubleshoot further from there!
Warmly,
Gianna
I am helix knitting a sleeve with 4 colors with each row a different color, over and over. I have to increase up the arm. I started with 10 stitches per color but as I increase the number of stitches will vary per color. Does that matter?
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out! That is a great question, I believe it should be fine and shouldn’t cause any problems while you increase and you should be able to achieve the helix patter that you desire!
Warmly,
Gianna