Intarsia Knitting - How To

Intarsia knitting isn't hard, but there are some basic rules to know.

Unlike fair isle knitting, the yarn is not stranded across the back of the work in intarsia knitting. Instead, you have a separate ball of yarn for each area of colour.




 If you have a lot of colour changes in one row, you may want to wind the separate colours onto bobbins to help you stay organized. If large balls or long strands are used, it won't take long before the yarns become tangled.t is well worth the time it takes to wind bobbins, which you can keep up close to your work. You can purchase knitting bobbins, but I prefer to use spring clothes pegs, which are inexpensive in bulk, and easy to wind and unwind.








 


The another important rule to keep in mind is that when you switch from one colour to the other you have to "twist" the yarns in order to avoid holes. I like to think of it as "trapping" the yarn, because you put the yarn you're finished using in front of the new yarn, trapping it between the new yarn and the knitting. This manoeuvre is always done on the wrong side of the work.






 When tying one colour to another, tie the two ends together with a square knot up next to the needle, leaving a 5-inch tail to weave in when finishing the project.

Weaving In the ends:

With the back of your work facing you, thread an embroidery needle on one of the hanging threads. Insert the needle vertically into the adjacent stitch and pull the yarn up, closing the hole. Be sure to keep the tension consistent with the rest of the stitches. Then insert the needle vertically into the base of the previous stitch.

Continue weaving in the same manner for a few more stitches, then cut off the excess yarn.

If you are knitting intarsia for the first time, I suggest that you practice first before begining your project.




While demonstrating this technique to show you I have knitted 10inch squares which are part of my donation to  Knit a Square, their april challenge is flags of the world. As I'm English and yesterday was St George's day I've knit the English flag and I live in Turkey and yesterday was also childrens day in Turkey I've also knit the Turkish flag.

I hope you find this informative and easy to understand. If you need any further information please don't hesitate to ask.

Happy Knitting!