Easy Two-Colour Slip Stitch Knitting Pattern for Any Project
Two colours, four rows and nothing harder than slipping stitches. It looks woven and complicated, but you only ever knit with one colour at a time.
This two-colour design looks like it takes real skill, but it's very easy. You never carry two colours in the same row. On each row you knit with one colour and simply slip the stitches of the other colour past. I used a slightly thick wool for the sample, but any wool you like will work.
Cast on extra stitches
This pattern pulls in a little and gets tighter once it's knitted, because of all the slipped stitches. So cast on more than you normally would. If your project would usually be 100 stitches wide, take about 140. You can also knit your border on the normal count and increase after the border so the design doesn't shrink or tighten.
Stitch count
Multiples of 4, plus 2. I teach it on 14 stitches; the finished swatch in the video is 54 stitches.
What you'll need
- Yarn in two colours: a main colour (A) and a second colour (B). Wool, merino or acrylic all work
- Knitting needles to suit your yarn
The 4-row pattern
- Row 1 (RS, colour B):right sidecolour B
Watch this row carefully. *Slip 2 without knitting, knit 2 with colour B.* Repeat across. The last 2 stitches are slipped stitches, so leave them and turn.
- Row 2 (WS, colour B):wrong sidecolour B
Knit the 2 colour-B stitches with the yarn at the back, then bring the yarn to the front and slip the next 2 without knitting. Take the yarn back again. Repeat across, ending with 2 slipped stitches.
- Row 3 (RS, colour A):right sidecolour A
Knit the first stitch. Then work the stitches in crossed pairs: change the order of the next two stitches, knit the colour-A stitch and slip the colour-B stitch without knitting. On the next pair, cross them the other way. Repeat across, and knit the edge stitch.
- Row 4 (WS, colour A):wrong sidecolour A
Purl every stitch, both colours. Nothing is slipped on this row.
Repeat these four rows. On every row, you knit each stitch with the colour it belongs to, and the slipping does the rest.
Where to use it
Because the fabric is firm and slightly dense, it's good for kids' sweaters and cardigans, jackets, bags, cushion covers and mufflers. Choose two colours with good contrast so the pattern really shows.
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