Hello Geek-A-Long Nation! We are just 1 week out from the release of the first clue of the On Board Sweater, and I can barely contain my excitement. It’s also a weird feeling. I’ve been thinking about it and working on it for so long that now that it’s here it feels a bit surreal. It’s strange to be able to openly talk about it after keeping it a secret for so long. I’m all hyped up to start sharing clues, but before we jump in next week I have one more round of tutorials for you, to get your double knitting skills in fighting shape ahead of casting on the first sleeve next week.

The 2nd practice swatch – Railroad – is available for download now. Click HERE to view the pattern on Ravelry. On the pattern page, click the link to download the pattern and select “add to my library.” Every time a clue releases, the pattern will automatically update in your Ravelry library. We will also be releasing each clue here on the blog. Those will always be found at the bottom of that week’s Geek-A-Long blog posts.

• 2021 Geek-A-Long Sweater: On Board Project Sheet.
• 2021 Geek-A-Long Sweater FAQ
• Practice Swatch 1: Electric Company

Lattes & Llamas Presents: Geek-A-Long Academy

Although the finished sweater is an absolute majesty to behold, and looks incredibly complex, there are only a few special double knitting stitches you need to learn.

Increases

The sleeves will be worked first. They are knit in the round from the cuff up, and you’ll use Double Knitting Increases to give them shape. There are 2 ways to approach those increases: The KFB increase and the M1 increase. I used the KFB increase for my sleeves, and that’s what the pattern will call for. However, I encourage you to try out both the KFB increase and the M1 increase. You can use whichever one is more comfortable for you. I think the KFB increase is a bit easier, but that’s just personal preference. There is no difference in execution of either of when working in the round vs. working flat.

The main difference between them is that the KFB increase is more visible as it creates 1 stitch in the 2nd color to appear on each side. So, if you are working with white as your main color and black as your contrast color, it will cause a black stitch on the white side and a white stitch on the black side. Using the KFB on the sleeves was more a style choice than anything else. I like the way the off color stitch line looks running up the back of the sleeve. If you don’t like the way it looks you can substitute the M1 without making any changes to the pattern.

The KFB Increase: Because each double knitting stitch is made up of 2 sts (a knit followed by a purl creating the 2 sides of your work), increases and decreases must also be worked over both halves of the double knit stitch. To work the double knit KFB increase, we will work a KFB into both the front (knit) stitch and the back (purl st).

On the stitch indicated, bring both yarns to the back and KFB into the next knit st with the color indicated in the pattern. Then, bring the color used to work that KFB forward, leaving the color not used to work the first KFB in the back. Work a second KFB into the purl using the color not used for the first. You now have 2 adjacent KFBs and will proceed working the chart as directed in the pattern, bringing the first color back again to work the knit of the next st, then bringing both yarns forward to purl. On the next row/round the 2 KFBs will be treated as 2 separate double knit stitches.

The M1 Increase: This follows the same rules as the KFB (to increase one double knit stitch you must increase twice), but rather than increasing into an existing stitch, we’ll increase between two stitches. The M1, or Make One, is a common knitting increase that is worked by picking up the bar between the stitch you just worked and the stitch you are about to work, and knitting into that bar. That same technique is used here, but is done on both sides of the work.

Decreases

Just like the increases, there are two main ways to approach a decrease for double knitting: The K2tog Decrease and the Cable Decrease. Decreases will be used in the yoke of the sweater, which is worked last, so you have plenty of time to perfect your technique. I used the Cable Decrease, which is an invisible decrease. You can substitute in the K2tog Decrease if you prefer it. I love the “blips” created by the KFB increase on the sleeves, but didn’t want those on the yoke. You should choose the one that feels most comfortable to you, or that you prefer the look of.

The K2tog Decrease: This is a very simple technique, using first a K2tog (Knit two together) followed by a P2tog (Purl two together. Here, you’ll be knitting together the next knit along with it’s adjacent purl, then purling together a knit and purl. The result is 1 knit followed by 1 purl, where previously you had KPKP.

The Cable Decrease: This is admittedly a little more fiddly than the K2tog decrease, but I love the nice clean look of it. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze. The big thing here is you will really want your double pointed needles to be a size or 2 (or more) smaller than your working needles. You will only be using them to slip stitches off of the working needles, and then back onto them. You won’t be knitting off them. If they are smaller than your working needles, slipping the stitches around is much easier.

View Swatch 1: Electric Company by clicking this link or download it by clicking the button below. When you download the pattern from our website instead of through Ravelry, you will NOT receive automatic updates. You will have to come here and download the next clue every time. Please download it via Raverly if you are able, so you have immediate access to the clues as they are released and any errata that may appear.

~Megan-Anne

7 Days.

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