Have you ever wondered how different patterns and textures from the patterning books were made? Why a swatch looks so different with the tuck or part buttons engaged? How to do a 3-color jacquard with a punch card? What is intarsia, anyway?

We have included a cheat sheet for programming the Brother computer machines for this KAL. Explored the full potential of the patterning unit on your punch card, or computer machine.

Class Duration:
June 13th – August 8th, 2026

Kickoff Zoom Meeting:
June 13th, 10-10:30am PST

Cost:
$60 / $55 for members of Unlimited

Registration opens on May 16th, 2026

Patterning

on the Knitting Machine

knit-along for

What will you learn

You will get familiar with different parts of the machine, learn how to correctly thread the tension unit, and ways to cast on and bind off. We will also discuss machine gauges, yarn specifically for machine knitting, and how to make a perfect tension swatch.

Week-by-week schedule

  • You will learn how a tuck stitch is formed on the knitting machine, and its characteristics in comparison to jersey.  Some dramatic, interesting and unexpected fabrics can be developed just by striping with tuck stitches.

  • We will focus on miss stitch this week, and study its structure and characteristics. We will be making swatches with miss stitch pattern, multi-color miss stitches, and as an extra credit, use the this technique to make jacquard effects with the appearance of three colors in the same row.

  • We will take a deep dive into fairisle, a two-color fabric produced using the patterning unit. A fairisle can become more complex by striping two colors, or switching colors in different rows. We will also learn how to isolate a pattern from a punch card.

  • We will be doing single motif, with tips on how to stop the stitches at the edge of the motif pull and separate from the jersey sections, and what to do with long floats.

  • We are going to start the second part of the Patterning KAL with Lace. We will also cover Punch Lace for students with the Silver Reed machine, and Fine Lace for students with the Brother machines. Make sure you have your lace carriage if you are using a standard gauge machine.

  • Weaving is a technique whereby a second yarn is laid in on selected needles; while plating is a technique using two yarns together, where one yarn appears on the face of the fabric and the other on the reverse. We will experiment these techniques and explore the effects using  different thickness of yarn.

  • Intarsia is a technique that creates color pattern-work where there are no floats on the back of the fabric. We are going to practice this technique by creating a pictorial design with multiple colors. Students are welcome to design their own intarsia on graph paper, or use one we provided. Most machines require a separate intarsia carriage.

  • Card number #1 is a very versatile design that produce many interesting fabric by using different stitch structures and techniques. Students are invited to take this simple design to the next level by applied techniques learned through out the class, and share the result with fellow knitters.

Additional Information

  • Registration closes on June 12th 11:59 PST

  • We will be hosting a 30-minute zoom meeting on Saturday June 13th, 10am PST to meet and greet everyone.

  • A digital copy of the workbook, with additional resources and assignments, is included.

  • Participants will be granted access to class material and closed forum starting May 2nd, 2026.

  • You will receive a weekly email reminder in the duration of the class, with link to lesson of the week, and assignments to complete.

  • Access to class videos and forum will remain available until August 22nd, 2026. The extra 2 weeks allows students to finish up the assignments and projects, or revisit any subjects covered in this class.

  • Email us at hello@theknittingschool.online for any questions.