Stripes in the round give us a challenge when changing colors, since circular knitting is a spiral. A “stairstep” or “jog” appears when a new color enters a row—and the search for a “jogless jog” magic trick has led to some inventive techniques. This class explores 5 of them, discussing when to use a particular technique. We also will learn how to do a perfect mattress stitch, for when you want to work flat and use seaming to join the striped pieces for any reason.

Swatch #1: Cast on 28 sts with A. Work a few rows of stockinette, ending with a WS row.

Swatch #2: Cast on 30 sts (10 sts on each of 3 dpns, or a circular needle if using Magic Loop method) or the number of sts you feel comfortable with working in the round. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist sts.

Yarn in at least 2 colors, and suitable needles. Worsted-weight yarn and US size 7 or 8 are recommended for ease of knitting, but any weight yarn and suggested needle size for that yarn is fine. Stripes (and jogs) are easiest to see if both colors are solid, and if the colors contrast with each other. For example, white and black are going to show jogs much more prominently than 2 shades of pink.

Notions: Scissors, yarn needle, locking markers, stitch markers.