Double-sided Knitting Patterns, a Book Review

Double-sided knitting patterns

I am pleased to share a new knitting book with you all today, that teaches you the new Twigg stitch, and gives you beautiful double-sided knitting patterns!

So, maybe some of you are experienced knitters and have previously tried knitting a two-color rib. I had never done this until last week. If you have done so, you’ve seen that unused colors are carried across the back of the fabric (not that I know this from my own experience, but it’s what I hear through the grapevine) and therefore, the fabric is not reversible. So, it works fine for sweaters, which you aren’t going to wear wrong-side out, but not so great for scarves and cowls, where people will inevitably see the wrong side, unless of course you’d like to glue it to your shirt.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for details.

Author Vicki Twigg, spent some time tinkering with this stitch because she was driven to find a way to produce a two-color rib that would look nice on both sides. She succeeded! Not finding anything else like it “out there” she named the stitch after herself — Twigg stitch, which produces a double-sided knit fabric that is ribbed!

Get Twigg Stitch, the book here!

So I tried it

I was intimidated by the idea, given my lack of experience with colorwork knitting. However, I did it! I made a swatch in Twigg stitch! Here is one side.

And here is the other. My swatch is a little bigger since taking this, but this is where I captured a picture of it.

Vicki states in her book that a slippery yarn is best for Twigg stitch, because it “settles into the stitches” better, and I was using cotton here, I think too that an animal fiber would be more elastic and pull the columns of the same color together, which will give each side a more uniform color than my swatch does. I think if I were trying out one of the projects, I’d go with a different yarn, but this worked to figure it out.

Good instructions are key!

Vicki gives lots of instructions and pictures to explain how to hold everything, how to maneuver your yarn, how to cast-on, etc. The instructions were great! She shows you how to hold your yarns in separate hands, or both colors in your right hand, or both colors in your left hand. I usually hold my yarn in my left hand, so I tried that way first, but really struggled to hold two different colors tightly enough and still keep them separate this way. I had much better results by holding the colors in separate hands.

I’ve always struggled with keeping enough tension on my yarn when purling…not sure why, just one of my weirdnesses, I guess. That was even harder with Twigg stitch. It will take more practice to get comfortable with it.

And beautiful projects sell it, don’t they?

There are several lovely projects in the book. My two favorites are…

Fan Shawl (swoon!)

Brooke Beret

Gorgeous, aren’t they?! I have some yarn that I think will be perfect for the Fan Shawl. I hope you also enjoy trying out these double sided knitting patterns! Which of these patterns do you like best?

Purchase Twigg Stitch here!

Happy knitting,

PS – Have you joined my Facebook group yet? Come be a part of the community! Join the Facebook group.

Save this for later with Pinterest!