How To: Catch Floats in Colorwork

When knitting stranded colorwork, the unworked yarn color "floats" behind the worked stitches in the back of the work. For just a few stitches, this is fine and tidy! But if you're not working one color for a longer bit, that float can get so long that it is at risk of snagging on things (like fingers or earrings) or pulling and stretching your work. No good!

Ideally, as a rule of thumb, you want your floats (those unworked strands that end up behind your work) to be less than 1"/2.5 cm. To accomplish this, you need to invisibly tack down or "catch" the float on the wrong side of your work as you knit with the working yarn. It might sound daunting, but once you get the hang of it you'll be sailing in no time. :)

Here's a video from Tiara the Unicorn explaining three different ways to catch floats, followed by written directions below that.

Method 1 - Simple Twisting

This will work for any way you knit colorwork (one-handed or two, English or Continental).

  1. Bring your float yarn behind your working yarn.
  2. Twist your float yarn around your working yarn.
  3. Hold your float yarn away from your working yarn as you knit your next stitch.

Method 2 - Working Yarn in Left Hand

Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your LEFT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your RIGHT hand.

  1. Insert your right needle into the next stitch like normal.
  2. Bring your float yarn (right hand) behind and around the right needle as though you are going to knit but don't complete the stitch.
  3. Bring your working yarn between the needles as though you are going to knit but don't complete the stitch.
  4. Move your float yarn over the working yarn and back around behind the right needle.
  5. Complete the stitch with your working yarn.

Method 3 - Working Yarn in Right Hand

Use this method when your WORKING yarn is in your RIGHT hand and your FLOAT yarn is in your LEFT hand.

  1. Insert your right needle into the next stitch, making sure to go BEHIND your float yarn. This positions your float yarn in between your needles.
  2. Wrap your working yarn (left hand) around the right needle as though to knit but don't complete the stitch yet.
  3. Move your float yarn out of the way of your working yarn to the right of the right needle, keeping it behind the left needle and in front of the right needle.
  4. Complete the stitch with your working yarn.