Knitting with 4 strands at once

Dear knitting friends,
I have a wonderful, easy-to-follow pattern for a women’s sweater right here. The sweater is
supposed to be knitted with 4 different strands of yarn. I’m worried the strands will constantly
get tangled up???? Do you have any tips? I’d really appreciate any feedback, because
I’d love to get started. Thanks.
Best regards, Heidi

Hi Heidi,

It works quite well if you wind all the balls of yarn beforehand. If you work with balls of yarn, you need to find the center first and then start from there.
When I work with several balls of yarn, I just put the yarn in a bowl so they don’t roll away.

Best regards, Marion 

What exactly does that mean:
Wind all the balls beforehand?
Sorry, I don’t understand it right away 
The bowl is a good tip. Thanks 
Best regards, Heidi 

It’s very simple. Just unwind the yarn from the ball by hand.
That will form a little ball.

Marion, what’s the point of unwinding the yarn? A ball of yarn is already wound up, isn’t it? With a skein of yarn, you have to wind it into a ball, sure, but with a ball of yarn?

I’m so embarrassed, but I still don’t quite understand. Do I unwind
all the balls of yarn and then make one ball with the 4 strands?

I usually wind the leftover yarn from the skein by hand.

When you’re working with multiple colors at once, I find it just more practical to work with balls of yarn. That way, I can knit faster.
I don’t have any trouble working with skeins either, but only when I start from the center.
If you take the yarn from the outside, it just doesn’t go as fast, and you have to turn the skein more often.
But that’s also a matter of personal preference.

Heidi, if you want to wind the yarn by hand, check out YouTube—there are videos there.

Or try Googling “winding yarn by hand.”

Maybe that’ll help you. 

Now I’ve got it all figured out. Thanks for the explanations.
I’m so happy now.

Does “4 strands” mean it’s knitted in a pattern, or does the pattern perhaps say it’s knitted with a 4-ply yarn???

There are also 4-strand Bobbel yarn cakes 🤔
Maybe that’s what they mean 😉

I think I know which pattern you’re talking about. It involves knitting with 4 different types of yarn at the same time. I’d lay them side by side and work from the inside out—that way, the balls of yarn won’t roll all over the place. 

@heidi-hammes,
if this is a pattern from Crazypatterns, I can contact the author for you and ask for help.
For that, I need the link to the pattern. 
Of course, you can also contact the author by private message anytime and ask for help.
Which would you prefer?

Link removed, Mod.


Hello, fellow knitting enthusiasts,
could you take a look at the above pattern? I’d like to knit it in stockinette stitch. How should I handle
the highlighted decreases? I’m planning to make the largest size. I’d
really appreciate any replies.
Best regards, Heidi

Hello Heidi,
external links are not allowed here, so I had to remove the link. 
Fischer-Wolle sells here through Crazypatterns, so you can also reach Fischer-Wolle by private message and ask for help. 

Hi Heidi,

I took a look at the pattern and can’t find anything in there that says “knit with 4 strands.”

The same question is now also posted in the gallery.
You should contact the authors of that site. They’re the ones who can help you best.

Sorry, I didn’t know that. I’ve just emailed Fischer Wolle directly.

Best
regards, Heidi

It’ll work out just fine.
Good luck.

I deleted your gallery post because the photo isn’t yours and only your own pictures are allowed to be uploaded there, but anyway. I’m sure you’ll find a solution by contacting Fischer-Wolle directly.