I’ve been saying for a while that I wanted to make a video of how to do this, and I finally did it. Sorry for the slight blurriness; my arms aren’t long enough to get further in front of the camera! I’ll experiment with other set-ups some time, but this is my first video, warts and all. It was kind of fun.
I’m a thrower; I carry my yarn in my right hand. I took a colorwork class with Anna Zilboorg at Stitches some time in the 90’s. In preparation, I taught myself to knit continental style (hold yarn in left hand, pick with right needle) so I could carry a color in each hand. When I got to class, Anna showed me how to carry both colors in my right hand, which was a lot easier for me. Here it is.
Enjoy!
PDXKnitterati 
That’s pretty close to what I do. But I found that if it’s not only 1, 2, or 3 stitches of the same color I’m faster just dropping the yarn I’m not using and picking it up when I get back to it.
I should do a video, because I know I knit kind of oddly- normally I don’t tension it at all.
Great Video!
Very nice! I learned how to knit as a thrower, but because of all those years of crocheting, it felt unnatural. Then I learned about continental knitting and said Yes! this is how you knit. Then when I tried my hand at colorwork and someone said to do it two handed I was able to use both skills.
Don’t think I’ll have a video anytime soon though. Unless I start those Orion socks I want to knit. 😉
Thanks! I think whatever works for you is the way to go. I learned as a thrower a long time ago. But crocheting with yarn in left hand feels perfectly natural, too.
Glad to know ye before ye become a big star! Brava. Dee
That was incredible!!! Thank you Michele!
Great video. My only feedback is to do some of the stitches REALLY slowly at first. I know I will refer to this next time I do two colors. thanks so much
Very cool! It was fun hearing you, too. I kind of do that too if it’s short color changes.
You are something else….inspirational…always growing …glad to have you as a friend….not to mention all the knitting help you provide!
Ooohh, thanks!!!
Excellent video – although I knit continental I can still give your method a try. Right now I just pass both yarn over the top of my left index finger and just “dig out” the right color.
Thanks for the video… how did you shoot it? I’m picturing you sitting there trying to hold the video camera still under your chin whilst knitting with both hands!
That’s pretty close! But the little Flip Mino camera is on a tripod, right under my chin on the edge of the dining room table. I’m holding my arms as far from it as it can get! I may experiment with my regular camera; it does video and maybe it can macro focus during video as well as it does in stills? Not sure, but I’ll find out!
Thanks for the video! I throw the exact same way you do. I also knit with two colors the same way you showed! 🙂
Great video! I’m a righty thrower too, so this makes perfect sense!
I was knitting this morning, and remembered why I don’t tension 2 yarns around the pinky: if it’s not k1 k1 k1 k1 then they don’t play out at the same rate. Right now its k3 red, k1 white, k3 red, k1 white. Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve knit with color…
Thank you so much for your tip! All of the class requirements for the knitting retreats that I’ve been looking at said to learn knit continental and it is uncomfortable with my tendinitis. This is perfect! Thank you so much!! By the way you have a very nice voice, it has a soothing quality.
Thanks for the video – I’ll have to try this!
Wow! I have tried colorwork before but just couldn’t get comfortable with it. This technique should work for me. Thanks so much!
HEY-finally got to view this! When I first saw your post I was at work and couldn’t access it. GREAT video! I still seem to have problems with even tension in my color knitting-which is probably why I basically *don’t* do color work!-lol!
Thank you! This was so clear and made perfect sense. I’ve read several tutorials on this, but it just didn’t click until now. Thanks for making it so simple!
Just came over from Glenna C’s blog since you mentioned this video. Wow — that is *brilliant*!! I am about to embark on my very first color work project (Buffalo Plaid sweater, if anyone is curious, so pretty simple color work, really) and have been fretting about just how to do it. Even though I’ve been crocheting forever, throwing came sooooo much more naturally to me than picking that I haven’t even given it another try. THIS …. this is fabulous. Thank you for sharing it!
I’m trying to knit a scarf with two colors simultanusly and cannot find out how to do it properly (gauge etc.)