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Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

The Invisible Stranding technique explained:

Some call it ladder-back and for some again that name covers another technique, where you only make the

back-side netting over areas in your garment that has very long floats, anyway:

This is an awesome colorwork knitting technique for when you have to deal with long floats, as in motif

knitting.

I find it far easier to work with 2-4 colors at the same time, than

any other in-the-round technique (4 seems to be the maximum, else

the backside layer will bulge out over your frontside stockinette in

the length).

The technique also makes a more elastically fabric, than for

instance Fair Isle, which is extra nice for me as a sock designer.

You can combine this technique with for instance Fair Isle in the

same round, for instance Fair Isle for the steek or on the Deer Socks, toe, sole and heel is in Fair Isle,

rest is in this technique.

Link to the video, where I first learned this technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAYujJI6Rc&t=601s

It is long and not that easy to hear, but below are my notes on how it is worked in the video + my ovn

notes/suggestions:

You can understand it as working 2 layers of fabric at the same time:

- The front layer is the intarsia (multicolor stitch) pattern.

- The back layer are all the looong floats, that are held together by singular spaced out purls. You can see the

effect of the purl stitch if you follow the link to youtube and do not press play, just look at the picture in the link.

My notes: purling the floats makes the smoothest back side of your garment, but if that doesn´t matter much,

knitting the floats together might be easier for you – try it out and decide for yourself

1st set up round.

Use only the base color yarn (BC)

*K5, yarn over*, repeat from *to * in the full round.

My notes: you are not increasing the circumference of your knitting, the yarn overs are the basic stitches to make

your back layer.

You can have more or less stitches between you yarn-overs, depending on your gauge or the pattern – for the

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
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Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

practice balls, 4 worked out best for me

2nd set up round

Worked with BC and the first color you will use in your stitch pattern (PC)

*K5 with BC, turn the yarn-over on your left needle to avoid holes, P1 with PC* repeat from *to * in the full round.

My notes: make sure that you do not twine BC and PC. If you knit continental style, place both yarns on your index

finger with BC upmost.

I find it easier and a bit better looking to work the yo-s in Ktbl

Knitting the intarsia pattern

*K5 in the intarsia pattern, purl all floats together in one stitch* repeat from *to * in the full round.

When you have finished the stitch pattern and either continue in one yarn or in a stich pattern with shorter

floats:

1st closing round

Only with BC: *slip 5, P1* repeat from *to * in the full round.

Ny notes: I consequently k this stitch instead of p, as it makes a nicer transition in the next round

2nd closing round

*Knit to next backside-purl, knit next frontside stich + the backside purl together*.

2 advices for making the best looking outcome:

- tighten the stitch before and after the backside stitch a bit, to avoid laddering.

- if first stich after a backside-stitch is in a new color: put new color to the front of work and then purl (or knit)

all other colors together

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Easy practice ball: 2 colors

Yarn and needles: any as long as needle size matches yarn weight/meters pr 100 grams.

If you prefer to work by charts: Cast on 12 stitches with white (W) in your favorite way. Repeat chart 4 times for

a full round and follow texted version lines 15-23 for the Invisible Stranding instructions.

If you prefer to work by text: it might still help you in the process to look at the chart: the vertical red line

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
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Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

marks where you work your back-side layer and anchor your floats invisibly. The chart is repeated 4 times in the

round.

Pattern as text

NOTE: repeat the instructions 4 times in each round, advice: put in markers or change DPNS after each

repeat.

With W, cast on 12 stitches in your favorite way.

Round 1: Knit while distributing the stitches to your needles and join to work in the round. (3 sts)

Round 2: K1, yo, k2. (4 sts)

Round 3: K1, k tbl, k2.

Round 4: K1, yo, k2, yo, k1. (6 sts)

Round 5: K1, k tbl, k2, k tbl, k1.

Round 6: K1, yo, k4, yo, k1. (8 sts)

Round 7: K1, k tbl, k4, k tbl, k1.

Round 8: K1, yo, k6, yo, k1. (10 sts)

Round 9: K1, k tbl, k6, k tbl, k1.

Round 10: K1, yo, k8, yo, k1. (12 sts)

Round 11: K1, k tbl, k8, k tbl, k1.

Round 12: K1, yo, k10, yo, k1. (14 sts)

Round 13: K1, k tbl, k10, k tbl, k1.

Round 14: K1, yo, k12, yo, k1. (16 sts)

Round 15, first setting up round for Invisible stranding: K1, k tbl,

k2, [yo, k4]x2, yo, k2, k tbl, k1.

Round 16: Second setting up round for Invisible Stranding.

Introducing second color: B (for blue).

The backside layer is underscored to help understanding.

Tighten the 2 stitches to each side of the backside purls, to avoid

laddering.

[Wk4, Bk1 tbl]x4

Rounds 17 and 18: [Bk1, Wk3, Bp1, Wk3, Bk1, Wp1]x2

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
 Page 4 of 7
Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

Rounds 19 and 20: [Bk2, Wk2, Bp1, Wk2,Bk2,Wp1}x2

Rounds 21 and 22: [Bk3, Wk1, Bp1, Wk1, Bk3, Wp1]x2. When done, break W yarn.

Closing of round and from here on in B yarn only: [slip4, k1]x full round (this round to make avoid the W showing

through in next round)

Round 23, here you join front and back layer: k4 [k2tog, k3]x full round

Round 26: K last stitch from round 23 ad first stitch of round 26 together, ssk, k11, k2tog. (14 sts)

Note: now might be a good time to start filling the ball with some pillow filling and continue doing so, regularly

over the next rounds, while you still have ample space to do that.

Round 27: Knit.

Round 28: K1, ssk, k9, k2tog. (12 sts)

Round 29: Knit.

Round 30: K1, ssk, k7, k2tog. (10 sts)

Round 31: Knit.

Round 32: K1, ssk, k5, k2tog. (8 sts)

Round 33: Knit.

Round 34: K1, ssk, k3, k2tog. (6 sts)

Round 35: Knit.

Round 36: K3, k2tog. (4 sts)

Round 37: Knit.

Round 38: K2, k2tog. (3 sts)

Round 39: K2tog, k1. (2 sts)

Fill more stuffing into ball, if necessary, eventually make a (crochet) loop for hanging, break yarn ad pull through

stitches

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
 Page 5 of 7
Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

Bit more complicated: 3 colors

Chart only, but having worked the first ball, you should be able to work this

one with no problems.

You can work the motif on all 4 sides or combine with other motifs of your

own choosing – lots to be found on this board:

https://www.pinterest.dk/citasteinmeier/julekugler/

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
 Page 6 of 7
Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

Advanced Ball: Invisible Stranding with structure knitting (chart only)

Right in the pic are a pair of socks that I designed. They are worked toe-up, with embossed travelling stitches and

purls on the foot and I wanted that part to merge into the knits-only leg and then merge back to structure in the

cuff.

It is 6 rows of rather concentrated knitting, to avoid twisting the 2 yarns, you really have to observe where the

point of your needle goes before it catches your yarn.

And very difficult to describe in the pattern – especially if it is the first time you work Invisible Stranding, so I

came up with these 2 balls for practicing … not quite solving my writing problem, so today (May 2020) they have

waited about 6 months for a pattern.

But the ball is still a good way to practice the technique and to explore its many options.

How to work the cross- stitches (Embossed traveling stitches or faux 1/1 cable)

Cross-left: Slip first stitch, turn it anti clockwise and put it back on your left needle.

Take your right needle behind that stitch and knit the next one, but leave it on the needle.

Go into both stitches as if to purl, but knit them together.

Cross-right: Knit both stitches together but leave them on our left needle. From the left side, knit the rear stitch

and slip both to your right needle.

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.
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Knitted ball – to practice the Invisible Stranding technique.

Cast on 12 stitches while distributing them on needles to work

in the round.

Repeat chart 4 times for a full round

Note: the vertical red line marks where you work your back-

side layer and anchor your floats invisibly. The chart is

repeated 4 times in the round.

Written in May 2020 by Cita Steinmeier, https://www.ravelry.com/designers/cita-steinmeier

This instruction/pattern may freely be shared to wherever you find it useful.