Single Color Vikkel Braid

Working a Vikkel braid creates a line of horizontally-aligned knit stitches. You can do single or multicolored Vikkel braids.

When I was researching different braids, this was the most straightforward one (for me). There are other braids; feel free to substitute if you’d like.

Start by doing a M1right before the first stitch of the round.  Slip the newly made stitch to the left hand needle.

  1. Knit into the 2nd stitch from behind the first stitch.  Do not slip the worked-into stitch off the needle (you can’t, anyway, without pulling off the first stitch).  Next, knit into the 1st stitch.
  2. Drop both of the just worked into stitches off the left hand needle.
  3. Slip the first stitch on the right hand needle to the left hand needle.

Repeat the above 3 steps until you’ve worked all the stitches of the round.

Pass the last made stitch over the first stitch of the round; this both ‘joins’ the braid as well as getting rid of the increased stitch (so you’re back to the same stitch count).

For further reference, see Folk Knitting in Estonia, Nancy Bush, pp50-51.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find many online Vikkel references.