How to Work Twice Knitting
The editorial team at Interweave has nearly 100 years of knitting experience between us, so it’s not often we come across a technique that none of us have encountered before. When designer Hiroka Shinokawa submitted a proposal for a cowl featuring twice knitting, we were excited to learn this technique. And now we’re excited to bring it to you!
What is Twice Knitting?
In twice knitting, each stitch is knit or purled together with both the stitch which precedes it and the stitch which follows. This produces a dense, sturdy fabric that lays flat. As a bonus, twice knitting will not unravel if you cut it! Twice knitting is often used for utilitarian projects, such as rugs, placemats, and potholders.
In Hiroka Shinokawa’s Baserri Cowl, twice knitting is contrasted with eyelets and elongated stitches in a soft, fluffy yarn to create the illusion of ruching. This design uses twice knit garter stitch in the round, alternating a twice-knit round with a twice-purled round.
How to Twice Knit and Twice Purl
Watch Now
Our digital editor, Andrea, made a video so you can see this technique in motion. For more detail, read on for the step-by-step photo tutorial.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Twice knitting compresses the stitch gauge of knitted fabric, making a fabric that is very dense and firm. For our sample, we’ve used a needle one size larger than we’d normally choose for this yarn to produce a fabric that’s a little more supple. We’ve also used k1, p1 ribbing at the beginning and end of our swatch to try to equalize the stitch gauge and prevent the edges from flaring.
1
Insert needle into the first two stitches and knit them together (Photo 1) . . .
2
. . . but only drop the first stitch off the left needle (Photo 2).
3
Insert the needle into the next two stitches (one of which is the stitch left over from the previous k2tog) and knit them together (Photo 3) . . .
4
. . . but only drop the first stitch off the left needle (Photo 4).
5
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until only one stitch remains on the left needle (which has already been knit together with the stitch to its right). Knit this stitch to complete the row (Photo 5). Although you’ve worked k2tog all across the row, you have the same number of stitches you started with!
6
Now we’ll work a row of twice purl. Insert the needle into the first two stitches and purl them together (Photo 1) . . .
7
. . . but only drop the first stitch off the left needle (Photo 2).
8
Continue as for Steps 3 and 4, but purl instead of knit, until only one stitch remains on the left needle (which has already been purled together with the stitch to its right). Purl this stitch to complete the row (Photo 8).
Twice Knitting: Stockinette vs. Garter Stitch
Note that this is just a visual slant; the fabric does not have a bias twist.
Twice knit garter stitch, much like standard garter stitch, looks the same on both sides and has a distinct horizontal ridge.
With just a little practice, you’ll find that twice knitting is a quick and easy way to produce a knitted fabric with unique qualities. We’re confident you’ll enjoy adding twice knitting to your knitting repertoire.
Are you intrigued? How would you use twice knitting in a project? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you to Ancient Arts Yarns for providing the yarn used for these samples. This sample was made with Herlig.
Sandi Rosner is the technical content editor for all things yarn at Interweave. When she isn’t knitting, she usually has her nose in a book. You’ll find new technical content from Sandi nearly every week at www.interweave.com.
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