Plating is a wonderful effect I never seem to use often enough. It’s also a very easy technique with the Kniterate.

Generally, plating requires a separate guide, hole, or slit in the yarn feeder to hold the plating yarn in a constant relationship to the main yarn. The yarns knit simultaneously. Since the relationship between the yarns remains the same throughout the knitting, interesting effects can be achieved, especially on rib fabrics.

On the Kniterate the two cotton yarns are threaded through separate tensioners then come together at the guide above the lateral tension unit. The yarns are separated again with the peach yarn threaded through regular knitting hole and the yellow yarn passing through the plating slit, as seen in the picture above.

For my peach and lemon sherbet sweater, I used the technical back as the public side . The peach yarn is heavier than the lemon and possibly increases the peach flash through effect on the public side. Single tuck loops on alternate rows give a little added dimension to the peach ribs.

Though I totally enjoyed the catch stitch hand embellishment between selected ribs (seen more clearly in the picture at the top of this page), I admit to being pleased with the minimal amount of shaping required for this boatneck drop shoulder sweater.

O!

As a Kniterate ambassador I’d be happy to give you a virtual tour of the machine. If you’re a Kniterate owner, you may be interested in my prerecorded Designing with Kniterate classes.