In lace knitting, markers and yarn-overs just don't play very nice together. Yarn-overs make markers slide around. The marked column wanders away, trailing after the sliding marker. As knitters frequently complain, it's a very common problem.
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| A sliding marker and the column it marks, wandering off together |
So, the problem is, how to keep the marker in a fixed location, so it can't slide.
What if we knit the marker into the stitch itself? A knitted-in marker can't go wandering off, even when surrounded by yarn-overs.
So far, so good. Knitting-in solves the sliding problem.
But ... now there's a different problem.
On the next round or row, that knit-in marker is going to be left behind, stuck in the original round. Another set of markers must go in once the original markers are left too far behind. At project-end, all those markers must come out. Not so practical, especially with multiple repeats.
The trick of "Tumble-Up Tails"
What if it were possible to knit in a marker BUT ALSO move that marker up into each current round? Turns out, there IS trick for that.
What happens is, the marker lets go of one needle and catches the other by its tail. Like trapeze acrobats, the marker goes tumbling from one perch to another. So that's where the name for this moving-up trick comes from: "Tumble-up tails."
Example
Here is a common lace pattern-fragment, where a stockinette stitch (red) appears between two yarn-overs. Being the start of a repeat, as well as a central column in the design, it is the stitch I wish to mark.
In non-lace knitting, I'd simply place a marker before the red K1 stitch (or after, makes no difference, as long as I am consistent). That marker says "new repeat coming up." However, because yarn-overs adjoin the K1 stitch, the marker is likely to slide out from under the YO. Now there's confusion: which stitch does the marker indicate? Mistaking the marked stitch causes the wandering column at the top of this post. Time to firmly anchor the marker to the central stitch.
Set-up: Knitting in the marker on the first round
1 : Hold a bright-colored scrap of yarn alongside the running yarn. There is no knot or loop in this scrap: it is a straight-line scrap of yarn.
2: Catch the running yarn + scrap yarn over the working (here, right) needle.
3: Knit the stitch using running yarn + scrap. This draws the red scrap through, together with the stitch it marks.
4: View from back at end of row: The scrap, which started as a straight length of yarn, is now bent into a loop, anchored by the head of the stitch below. Trapped, the tails of the marker stick out and cannot wander off. Now, the beginning of the repeat (center stitch) is firmly marked.
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| Via steps 1-4, a scrap of yarn has been knit together with the central K1, between the yarn-overs. The beginning of the repeat is firmly marked, held in by the head of the stitch below. Click picture to enlarge. |
But! In the next row or round, the knit-in scrap can't readily be slipped "up" into the next round. This is where the trick of tumbling tails comes in.
How to (or skip to video)
Step A: insert through the marked stitch with the knitting needle
Begin by inserting the knitting needle into the marked stitch. BUT! DON'T catch the marker yarn. In other words, use the working needle (right needle, usually) to split between the stitch and the scrap of yarn, inserting ONLY into the stitch. The marker yarn remains looped around the barrel of the holding needle (left needle usually). Don't knit the stitch yet, however.
Step B: grab ONE tail with the knitting needle, and ALSO grab the running yarn
--Next, use the working needle to split between the tails, so only ONE tail is over the needle.
--Keeping that tail over the needle, also pick up the running yarn over the needle.
--Holding the single tail AND the running yarn together, knit both through the stitch.
This 6-minute video summarizes.
If videos aren't your thing, skip to the photo illustrations which highlight the important part (splitting) frame by frame. Also, English-style (throwing) instructions are below video.
https://youtu.be/ZlVD6h2c51Y
Here's the splitting sequence, frame by frame. Click HERE for super-enlargement.
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Set up: the needle has been inserted through the stitch to be knit, catching the stitch only, not the marker. 1: left fingers hold BOTH marker tails under tension 2: working needle (right) splits between the tails, catching ONE over the needle 3: with the single tail firmly over needle (blue arrow), the working needle goes on to catch the running yarn (green arrow). At the end of the sequence, scrap AND working yarn are on right needle, and through the entire sequence, both tails remain under tension from the holding fingers. Once the tail + working yarn are around the needle, both are drawn through the stitch below (pink arrow). This knits the new stitch plus tumbles the marker up into the current row or round. |
Throwing
For English-style (right hand throws yarn around needle) still tension the tail with the left hand and catch a single tail, per frames 1 and 2. After tail is caught, throw yarn around needle with right hand. Alternatively, ignore frames 1 and 3, throw yarn first and then split and catch the single tail. If your left hand simply won't cooperate, use right had to grab the single tail to hold together with running yarn.
Purl tumbling
So far, all tumbling has been on the knit fabric face. Worked in the round, every lace round is knit-side stitches. However, worked back and forth, every other row is a purl-side stitches. Tumbling up from the back (purl) is identical to tumbling up from the front (knit) except the tail + running yarn together are PURLED through the stitch to be marked.
Troubleshooting
If tails are too short, tumbling up can pull the marker out of the fabric. If too long, there's tangling. Cure: start the tails longer, gradually snipping them shorter, until marker length works for you.
Best is non-splitty yarn which won't fray when repeatedly tumbled. My choice is SOCK REINFORCEMENT YARN: a wool + nylon yarn meant for strengthening sock heels. Thin enough to avoid distorting most lace knitting, it is tight-spun, leaving no wisps behind. For very delicate work, substitute a single strand of cotton embroidery floss or cotton sewing thread. Polyester or silk is too slippery.
Sometimes, a repeat starts with a decrease column surrounded by YO's, rather than a single stitch. Knitting a marker into a decrease causes a problem when the right needle goes to split out the marker from the stitch in the tumble-up process. Instead, find the nearest consistently single-stitch (K1) column and mark that instead. This yields two options.
--OR (and this is easier) use the marker as a consistent landmark from which to count, so the repeat headed by the decrease actually starts "X" number of stitches (3? 5?) before (or after) the marker.
Other uses
Lace columns are not the only ones tending to wander off center. Raglan columns, located between increases (top down) or decreases (bottom up) also get the itch to wander. Keep a raglan column centered by knitting a marker into the center K1 between raglan shaping on either side, then tumble it up the column with each new round.--TK
--Upside: no messing around with grabbing the tails with left hand.
--Downside: a lot more contortion + running yarn and/or marker loop frequently slips off.
However! Your hands may succeed where mine failed, so maybe try and see if this shortcut works for you.