Time to travel

Donna Druchunas looks at traditional Bavarian twisted travelling stitches, and different ways to work them

BAVARIA IS famous for its knitwear featuring ornate textured patterns of twisted travelling stitches. In this region of Germany, knitters used these patterns on socks in the 18th and 19th centuries, and began using them on sweaters and jackets in the early 20th century.

What is a twisted travelling stitch? First, it’s a twisted stitch. That is, a stitch knitted through the back loop so it twists and looks more like a small ‘x’ than a small ‘v’. Second, it’s a travelling stitch - it moves across the surface of the knitting on an angle, like a tiny cable, creating a delicate and intricate textured pattern.

These designs are traditionally made up of twisted knit stitches forming vertical panels on a background of purls - much like Aran sweaters, but less bulky, as they are rarely worked with more than two or three stitches. Made from lightweight yarn, the knitting draws in like ribbing, making it an excellent choice for hats.

Because only two or three stitches are involved in making the twisted knits travel across the surface of the knitting, it is possible and even desirable to work these stitch crossings without using a cable needle. There are quite a few different ways to do this. I’ve tried several, and have ultimately landed on the techniques that I found both easy to work and easy to understand. Rather than thinking about holding a cable needle to the front or the back of the work, as instructed by a chart key, I prefer to think about what ‘lines’ I am ‘drawing’ as I move the twisted stitches across the fabric background. Let’s look at how it’s done.

Special abbreviations

Ktbl: Knit through the back loop. RT: Right Travelling Stitch - twisted travelling st moving to the right over knits. LT: Left Travelling Stitch - twisted travelling st moving to the left over knits. RPT: Right Purl Travelling Stitch - twisted travelling st moving to the right over purls. LPT: Left Purl Travelling Stitch - twisted travelling st moving to the left over purls. A/B: ‘A’ number of stitches moving over ‘B’ number of stitches. For example: 1/1: One st moving over one other st 2/2: Two sts moving over two other sts

Working without a cable needle

There are two different ways you can work travelling stitches: – Reverse the order of the stitches first and then knit them in the new order. This is the same basic process that you would do using a cable needle, but you can shift the stitches around without the cable needle. – If you’re doing a 1/1 travelling stitch, you can leave both stitches on the left needle and work them out of order. Sometimes you knit two stitches together as part of this technique. It does not result in a decrease because you also work one stitch a second time.

Reversing the order of the stitches first

1/1 RT: Insert the right needle into the front of the 2nd st on the left needle from right to left, then draw the left needle out of the 2 sts, letting the first st fall free for a moment. Quickly insert the left needle back into dropped st from behind, then slide the st on the right needle back onto the left needle. The position of the sts has been reversed. Knit each st through the back loop.

1/1 RPT: Work as for 1/1 RT, working the sts as Ktbl, P1.

1/1 LT: Insert the right needle into the back of the 2nd st from right to left, then draw the left needle out of the 2 sts, letting the stitch fall free for a moment. Insert the left needle into first st from in front. Then slide the st on the right needle back onto the left needle. The position of the sts has been reversed. Knit each st through the back loop. 1/1 LPT: Work as for 1/1 LT, working the sts as P1, Ktbl. 2/1 RT: Insert the right needle into the front of the 2nd and 3rd sts on the left needle from right to left, then draw the left needle out of the first 3 sts, letting the first st fall free for a moment. Insert left needle into first st from behind. Then slide the 2 sts on the right needle back onto the left needle. The position of the sts has been reversed. Knit the 3 sts in the new order through the back loop.

2/1 RPT: Work as for 2/1RT, working the sts as Ktbl twice, P1.

2/1 LT: Insert the right needle into the back of the 3rd st from right to left then draw the left needle out of the first 3 sts, letting 2 fall free for a moment. Insert left needle into the 2 free sts at the front of the work from left to right. Then slide the st on the right needle back onto the left needle. The position of the sts has been reversed. Knit each st through the back loop.

2/1 LPT: Work as for 2/1 LT, working the sts as P1, Ktbl twice.

Working the stitches out of order

When one knit stitch is travelling across another knit stitch, I sometimes work the stitches out of order, because it is faster for me and there’s no chance of accidentally dropping a stitch. I don’t do this with purling, because I find it too complicated.

1/1 RT: With the right needle, go between the 2 sts and knit into the back of the 2nd st, then knit the first st through the back. Slip both sts off the left needle together.

1/1 LT: With the right needle, go behind the first st and knit the 2nd st through the back. Then knit the first st through the back and slide both off the left needle together.