If you’ve ever knit stripes in the round, you’ve probably noticed a small “step” or jog where each round begins. Helix knitting is a simple technique that creates smooth, continuous stripes without that visible jog.

Here’s how it works for Strawberry Strudel.

What is helix knitting?

Helix knitting is a method for working stripes in the round using multiple yarns that travel continuously around the project. Instead of ending one round and starting the next at the same point, each colour follows its own spiral, or helix, around the garment. Think of it a bit like a DNA spiral!

Because the colours spiral continuously, there isn’t a single place where one stripe stacks on top of another. The result is smooth, jogless stripes with no special finishing techniques required.

Why does knitting in the round create jogs?

When you knit in the round, you’re actually working in a spiral rather than perfectly stacked circles.

Each new round begins one row higher than the previous one. If you change colours at the beginning of a round, the new stripe starts one stitch above the old stripe, creating the familiar “jog” where the rounds meet.

Helix knitting avoids this problem by letting each colour continue its own uninterrupted spiral around the project.