Colourwork in the Round

Introduction 4
What is colourwork? 5
The colourwork tradition 5
Colourwork: who is it for? 7
Colourwork and me 7
Techniques 9

Chapter 1 - The different types of colourwork 10, In rows or in the round? 12, Stranded colourwork 13, Intarsia colourwork 15

Chapter 2 - Materials 16, Types of yarn 18, Needles 21, Knitting equipment 22, Blocking accessories 23 

Chapter 3 - Reading a colourwork chart 24, Reading direction 26, Identifying colours on a chart 27, Understanding increases and decreases 28, How to follow the rows while knitting 31 

Chapter 4 - Choosing a project according to difficulty 34, My tips on choosing your project wisely 36 

Chapter 5 - Choosing your colours 40, The colour wheel 42, Contrast 43, Choosing colours according to the pattern 44,  Choosing your colours step by step 45, Opting for a pre-prepared yarn kit 47,  

Chapter 6 - Knitting a swatch in the round 48, What is a swatch? 50, Making a swatch in the round 51, Blocking and measuring the swatch 56 

Chapter 7 - Intarsia colourwork 58, Techniques and tricks 60, Tutorial 62 

Chapter 8 - Stranded colourwork 66, Holding your yarn 68, Respecting colour dominance 71, Stranding your yarn across the back 74, Tutorial 75

Chapter 9 - Managing yarn tension 76, Finding the right tension (gauge) 78, Small diameters in colourwork 80, Correcting mistakes 82 

Chapter 10- The steek technique 86, What is steeking? 88, The best yarn for steeking 88, Steeking with a sewing machine or a crochet hook 89, Finishing the inside neatly 93, An alternative finish: the steek sandwich 94, Adding a steek to a sweater pattern 96 

Chapter 11 - Finishing your knitting 98, Working in the tails of yarn 100, Blocking your knitting 102, Washing wool 104, Storing knitwear 105, Removing fuzz 105

The patterns 106 - Blisco hat 108, Helvellyn sweater 112, Bowfell sweater 117, Scafell sweater 124, Scafell cardigan 130 

Further information 136
Anna Dervout Along avec Anna 138
Acknowledgements 140
Partners 141

About Anna Dervout

Anna Dervout is the founder and designer of Along avec Anna, and her mission is to help knitting play a creative, calming, confidence-building and all-round positive role in people’s lives by placing accessibility and sustainability at the forefront of everything she does. Passionate about all sorts of crafts since her childhood, Anna started her small business in 2017, after running her popular craft blog from 2013.

At Along avec Anna, she and her team create ethical yarn, unique patterns and custom accessories to provide beginners and experts alike with all their crafting needs. Their natural fibre bases are entirely cruelty-free and certified and they take care to work with spinning mills that respects animals, humans and their surroundings, reflecting their own values as a company.

Authentic, accessible, sustainable and creative, their approach is both human and educational. It is based on step by step, detailed patterns and accessible to as many people as possible. The patterns are size inclusive and usually available in several languages at alongavecanna.com and on Ravelry.

Anna’s goal is to share her knowledge and skills with the knitting community in an ethical, respectful and friendly way.

Visit Anna’s website (www.alongavecanna.com) to read her blog, discover workshops and events and to purchase yarns, patterns and knit kits.

Issue 182

This hand knitting book is systematically set out with chapters covering the two different types of colourwork -- stranding and intarsia -- along with reading charts and choosing colours. [...]

The charts in the book are large and clear in the colours used in the patterns. They are not too complex so should be easy enough for newcomers to colourwork to follow. There is a chapter on choosing your project, although I love the way Anna says 'not to trust blindly what you might read', meaning to do what you want to do and not to just start with a hat because it might be easier. [...]

There are five complete patterns each using one of the techniques described in the earlier chapters and they range from a simple two-colour hat to a sweater or cardigan using three colours. All of them look like useful patterns for anyone that has not tried colourwork before. [...]

This is a book I would recommend for beginners and more experienced knitters who want to improve their colourwork technique.

Knitting Designer and Teacher

A great book which has patterns ranging from a simple hat to the more complex method of steeking used for a cardigan and jumper pattern. The garment patterns come in a large range of sizes which is great for many knitters.

In the techniques section there is  a lot of useful information and, as an avid fair isle knitter, I will be trying the steeking method for a new project. Whether new to blocking, stranding or Intarsia the step-by-step instructions will guide you through the processes with written and pictorial help.

This book will be an asset for many knitters.