Double knitting, sometimes called double sided knitting or double faced knitting, is a technique used to knit two layers of a knitted piece simultaneously. Two-color double knitting is a colorwork technique that produces a reversible, double-thick fabric with inverted colors on either side.
Watch the video below to learn how to do it!
Note that double knitting (DK) yarn weight, although named the same, is separate from the double knitting technique. The double knitting technique can be done with any weight yarn.
Free Counting Sheep Potholder Pattern
To practice your double knitting, download my free Counting Sheep Potholder pattern below.
Download FREE Counting Sheep Potholder Pattern:
A Simpler Cast On / Bind Off
I recommend using the invisible cast on and bind off shown in the video above, but if you’d like a simple cast on and bind off to get you started with double knitting (a little easier than what’s shown in the video), I suggest the following single color cast on and bind off. The main drawback is that the color you use to cast on and bind off will show on both sides and it’s not as seamless.
Cast On
A single color cast on that works well with double knitting is the cable cast on. Use the cable cast on to cast on twice as many stitches as there are squares in your chart. For example, if the chart you’re working is 30 stitches wide, then cast on 60 stitches. Make sure to cast on tightly rather than loosely to help prevent the cast on edge from flaring.
Then start working your chart. When you need to use the second color, just start working with it and leave a tail to weave in later.
Bind Off
The following bind off is a good match for the cable cast on mentioned above. Bind off using the same color you used for the cable cast on. We’ll call that Color A. The other color, Color B, will no longer be used, so leave a tail to weave in later and then cut the yarn.
Before binding off, work one row with only Color A for both the knits and the purls: (K1, P1) all the way across.
Then bind off using Color A:
- Setup: K1, P1
- K1, pass the right-most stitch on the right needle over the other two.
- P1, pass the right-most stitch on the right needle over the other two.
- Repeat steps 2-3 until all the stitches on the left needle have been worked and 2 stitches remain on the right needle.
- Pass the right-most stitch over the second, then cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull the tail through the last stitch to secure.
More Patterns!
I have many more double knitting patterns available. Check out the full pattern list!
