Customer Reviews

Notes on Double Knitting

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My only quibble with this book is that I didn't find out about it earlier. When I first started to seriously pursue knitting ten years ago, a passing comment on Usenet (from someone who had probably read this book already) alerted me that it was possible to knit seamless tubes without resorting to "weird" needles (circular or double-pointed), using ordinary single-pointed needles instead.

Gradually, I pursued this idea and elaborated on it. Finally, when discussing some of the concepts earlier this year, someone said, "Look, go buy this book. It'll tell you all about it." Whereupon I get it from Amazon only to discover that I've independently worked out most of the concepts on my own. Argh.

But the basic charm of Royce's approach remains. This book will tell you how to knit sleeves, hats, and gloves on single-pointed needles; it also expands the concept to circular needles so you can knit two tubes at the same time (frex a simultaneous pair of socks-- I was in the middle of knitting a Klein bottle hat with the same approach when the book arrived). And it has instructions for a charming (and seamless!) three-dimensional pony.

All right, I'll admit to another half-quibble. Royce defaults to singly-alternating halves of a project, whether sides of a tube or individual pieces being worked in parallel, and notes that ribbing and other non-stockinette patterns can be difficult in double-knitting. But the difficulty drops back down if the stitches are alternated in small groups-- if the pattern repeats in blocks of four or five stitches, then alternate the halves in blocks of four or five. But that's a minor complaint about a major work in the field.

All right, this book may not be everyone's bag; sure, if you've got "weird" needles already and are familiar with them (which I am now), there's probably not much reason to switch over to the double-knitting approach. But for pure conceptual neatness, this is definitely the coolest knitting book I own.

Double knitting is one of those fascinating knitting tricks. Two needles can create a tube with some chicanery involving slip stitches. In a way it's simple, slip every other stitch and work it on the return row, slipping the knit stitches. Lo, a tube is formed.

The late Bev Royce was a minor genius, figuring out how to do this on her own and then her notes were transcribed after her death for the benefit of all. Some of this is hard to understand; there are new types of cast-ons to avoid a ridge, and increasing (to make a toe of a sock, for example) is not so simple. Still, with perseverance, you might be able to make the toy pony on the cover, quite an achievement in knitting.

I first learned about this book through the Double Knitting group on Ravelry. Its available through inter-library loan. All you need to do is search for the title on worldcat.org. Its very helpful if you can't afford the high price from resellers.