How to Duplicate stitch

Duplicate stitch (or Swiss Darning) is a handy technique to know when you want to work stitches in a different color without using intarsia or stranded colorwork. Use it to add details without having to carry a yarn across a whole row, or even to weave in your ends neatly on the back of your work. It’s worked over your existing knitting by sewing a matching stitch on top covering the original stitch. I prefer to block the knitting first, because this provides a more even base to work on and gives the best-looking results.
Materials
Yarn of the same thickness as your piece of knitting (thinner yarn won’t cover the stitches as well).
Darning needle.
Scissors.
In this example you can see all the blue “V” shapes made by your knit stitches; we are going to work over them.

Step One
Cut a length of yarn no more than 24” (longer lengths get tatty from repeated pulling through your knitting). Thread a darning needle and bring it up at the base of the bottom right hand “V”.
Leave a tail in the back of your work to weave in as normal when you’re finished.

Step Two
Now bring your needle under both legs of the stitch ABOVE the one you are duplicating.
The needle goes from right to left because that is the direction we are going to work in.

Step Three
Insert the needle back into the bottom of the “V” (where we began). Don’t pull the yarn too tightly or it will thin out and not cover your base stitches properly. You are aiming for a slightly loose, but even tension that matches well with your original stitches (this can take practice!).

Step Four
Bring your needle up at the base of the next blue “V” to the left
Repeat Steps 2 and 3

Step Five
Bring your needle up at the base of the blue “V” to the left and up one row.

Step Six
Bring your needle under both legs of the stitch ABOVE the one you are duplicating as before.
This time the needle goes from left to right because we are going to work across the row in that direction

Step Seven
Insert needle into the bottom of the “V”. Now you are getting the hang of where you are going you can bring your needle up at the base of the next “V” at the same time.

Continue working over all the stitches you wish to cover.
When you run out of yarn weave the tail into the back of your work and join a new length of yarn.
When you are finished, cut yarn and weave in end as usual.

You can work duplicate stitch rows in any direction, just remember when working right to left insert your needle from right to left and vice versa.
The same method works over adjacent stitches too, see second picture below.

 

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