How to catch Fair Isle floats

Keep your Fair Isle knitting neat and tangle-free with these simple steps from Faye Perriam-Reed.

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Faye Perriam-Reed

Published: February 8, 2021 at 1:31 pm

Anyone working Fair Isle for a while will know that it can be a bit tricky keeping your yarn floats neat across the back of the work. Luckily, with the help of what feels like a few ‘new’ stitches, this becomes much quicker and easier, with the added bonus of your balls of yarn staying tidy and not getting tangled up.

Note that to work these steps, you need to be working Fair Isle with one yarn continuously as the upper yarn and one as the lower yarn in order for the floats to come out correct, and that the position of the upper and lower yarns will change depending on whether you are working on the right or wrong side of the fabric.

One-handed Fair Isle, yarns held in the right hand

When you are knitting with both yarns held in your right hand, the upper yarn will be the yarn closest to you, on your index finger if you are using different fingers, or the one on the right if both yarns are held on the same finger.

When you are purling, the position of the two yarns will change - the upper yarn will now be the one furthest from you, if you are holding the yarns on two fingers, or the one on the left, if both your yarns are held on your index finger.

You will need:

Yarn
Knitting needles

Catching the upper yarn on the knit side

Step 1

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit.

Catching Fair Isle floats 1

Step 2

Wrap both yarns around the needle knitwise.

Catching Fair Isle floats 2

Step 3

Unwrap the upper yarn and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 3

Catching the lower yarn on the knit side

Step 1

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit and wrap the lower yarn around the needle in the opposite direction to how you would normally knit.

Catching Fair Isle floats 4

Step 2

Wrap the upper yarn around the needle knitwise.

Catching Fair Isle floats 5

Step 3

Unwrap the lower yarn and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 6

Catching the upper yarn on the purl side

Step 1

Go into the next stitch as if to purl, and wrap the upper yarn round the needle in the opposite direction to how you would normally purl.

Catching Fair Isle floats 7

Step 2

Wrap the lower yarn around the needle purlwise.

Catching Fair Isle floats 8

Step 3

Unwrap the upper yarn and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 9

Catching the lower yarn on the purl side

Step 1

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to purl, and wrap both yarns around the needle purlwise.

Catching Fair Isle floats 10

Step 2

Unwrap the lower yarn and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 11

One-handed Fair Isle, yarns held in the left hand

Please note – while catching floats on the right side of the work with both yarns is straightforward, it’s not quite as much fun on the wrong side. As a result, there isn’t a consensus among experts on how to do this! These steps are from Stitch ’n Bitch Superstar Knitting, by Debbie Stoller.

When you are knitting with both yarns held in your left hand, the upper yarn will be the yarn closest to you, on your index finger if you are using different fingers, or the one on the right if both yarns are held on the same finger.

When you are purling, the position of the two yarns will change – the upper yarn will now be the one furthest from you, if you are holding the yarns on two fingers, or the one on the left, if both your yarns are held on your index finger.

Catching the upper yarn on the knit side

Step 12

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit. Point the needle up and angle it over both strands of yarn to the right, then back under both strands, catching the lower yarn on the back of the needle (13), making a new stitch. Bring the new stitch through the loop, underneath the upper yarn to complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 12

Catching Fair Isle floats 13

Catching the lower yarn on the knit side

Step 14

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit, go under the lower strand, ‘pick’ the upper strand and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 14

Catching the upper yarn on the purl side

Step 15

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to purl, go over the upper yarn and ‘pick’ the lower yarn to complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 15

Catching the lower yarn on the purl side

Step 16

Insert the needle in the next stitch as if to purl, taking the needle over the two yarns, then under the lower yarn to grab the upper strand (17), making a new stitch. Bring this stitch around and under the lower strand and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 16

Catching Fair Isle floats 17

Two-handed Fair Isle

When working on the knit side, the yarn held in the right hand will be the upper yarn, and the lower in the left. On the purl side, this will remain the same.

Catching the yarn in the right hand on the right side

Step 18

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit and wrap the yarn held in the right hand around, but don’t drop the stitch. Wrap the yarn in the left hand around the needle. (19) Unwrap the right-hand yarn and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 18

Catching Fair Isle floats 19

Catching the yarn in the left hand on the right side

Step 20 and 21

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to knit, going underneath the strand held in the left hand. Knit with the right strand and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 20

Catching Fair Isle floats 21

Catching the yarn in the right hand on the wrong side

Step 22

Go into the next stitch as if to purl, and wrap the yarn in the right hand in the opposite direction as you would to purl (coming up from underneath the needle).

Catching Fair Isle floats 22

Step 23

Wrap the yarn in the left hand around the needle as you normally would to purl.

Catching Fair Isle floats 23

Step 24

Unwrap the yarn held in the right hand and finish the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 24

Catching the yarn in the right hand on the wrong side

Step 25

Insert the needle into the next stitch as if to purl and wrap the yarn in the left hand around the needle.

Catching Fair Isle floats 25

Step 26

Wrap the yarn in the right hand around the needle as if to purl.

Catching Fair Isle floats 26

Step 27

Unwrap the yarn held in the right hand and complete the stitch.

Catching Fair Isle floats 27

Faye Perriam-Reed

Knitting Designer & Technical Editor

Faye Perriam-Reed is a knitwear designer and technical editor, having worked and designed for both The Knitter and Simply Knitting. She enjoys exploring construction and finishing techniques to achieve neater results.