Knitting stripes is a lot of fun. For some reason it seems like any knitting pattern that involves stripes goes faster than solid-color knitting would. I guess that's because I'm always eager to get to the next color change and see how the colors play with each other.
This little hat has the easiest stripes of all -- colors change each round for most of the project. © Sarah E. White.Working stripes into a knitting pattern is probably the first color knitting technique that most knitters learn, and some new knitters are a little intimidated because they don't know how to change colors in knitting to make nice, crisp stripes. It's easy to get a crisp color change in Stockinette or Garter Stitch, but if you're working a pattern like ribbing that has knits and purls on both sides, try knitting a row on the right side when you change colors, then resume the stitch pattern. It won't be that noticeable in the knit fabric and will make a big difference in how your color changes look.
Another problem with knitting stripes is having to weave in all those darn ends! If your stripes are wide or you're using a lot of different colors, you'll probably have no choice but to cut the yarn each time you change colors and weave in all those ends. Try weaving as you go or every few stripes so that you don't have the whole project to do at the end.
If your stripes are narrower and more regular in their presentation, you can carry the yarn up the side of the project so you don't have to cut it each time you change colors. You'll be able to see that carry on the back or side of the work, but it's worth it to save yourself some time at the end!
Stripes can be any width you want, and can vary within a project. You can even change colors every row or round, like I did on my adorable Simple Striped Hat for kids. And of course you can add stripes to any patten you think needs a little jazzing up -- it's a great way to customize a pattern without doing something that could change the gauge.
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