Quick answer: Hold both strands in your dominant hand as if they were one yarn and work every stitch through both. Always swatch with two strands — gauge changes dramatically.
What it is
Holding two strands together means treating two separate yarns as one thicker yarn. This increases weight and warmth, and can blend two colours for a tweedy effect.
When to use it
- Two balls of the same yarn to use up both at equal speed
- To increase yarn weight (two DK strands ≈ one Aran weight)
- To blend two colours for a heathered effect
How to do it
- Wind both yarns from separate balls (or pull inside and outside of same ball).
- Hold both ends together and make your slip knot through both.
- Cast on and knit treating both strands as one single yarn.
- Always swatch with both strands before starting — gauge will be completely different.
- Go up 1-2 needle sizes compared to a single strand of either yarn.
Common mistakes
- Dropping one strand mid-row — check both are present before each stitch
- Not swatching — the gauge shift is significant
- Tangling the two balls — use a project bag with two compartments