Knit Intarsia (by Connie Johnston)

Knit Intarsia:

Intarsia is actually a woodworking term, where it refers to inlaying different colours or types of wood to create a design.

Intarsia is also a knitting technique used to create patterns or designs with more than one colour in a block or section. The intarsia sections can be any shape or design you like.

From my perspective there are 4 types of intarsia knitting.

1. Knit a picture as you knit the garment – such as a truck on the front of a boys sweater, or a heart on a girls sweater. The pattern is provided on a graph.
2. Create a geometric design over a whole garment such as tumbling blocks as per a Kaffe Fassett design.
3. Let your mind take over and knit in a freeform way using many colours as I do on all or part of your garment or art piece.
4. Icelandic Intarsia – where all the work is completed in garter stitch only.

Unlike Fair Isle knitting, in intarsia the yarn is not carried across the back of the work. You knit with a separate length of yarn for each block or section of colour

Knit Intarsia – basics:

Straight vertical stripes are the simplest intarsia design to create. After the first row, the pattern is continued by always knitting each stitch in the same colour as the previous row, changing colours at the exact same point in each row. 

When you wish to change the colour bring the new colour up under the old, and trap the old yarn between the new yarn and the knitting which reduces the risk of a hole at a junction of two colours.

The twisting and changing of yarns always occurs on the wrong side of the work.

Getting this right reduces the risk of holes at the colour changes and is the most important technique to master.  

Do try to keep your tension consistent as you switch colours and to not knit too tightly or too loosely with a new colour although blocking will improve slight uneven tension in the knitting.  

Learn to manage many yarns in one row without too much tangling. The yarns will tangle, so it is a matter of working out the best way for you to manage them. You can use bobbins or use lengths that are more manageable. Run your fingers through the yarns as you do to reduce the problem works well if using many short lengths of yarn.

Weave in the ends of the yarn as you go where possible.

Swiss darning can be used to change a section if you wish.

1. When knitting a picture – to change the colour of a section of the design.
2. If you missed a colour change add it when garment is completed.
3. Embellish an intarsia knit

Knit Intarsia – work a simple design:

Create a washcloth using the intarsia technique:

Knit a wash cloth in cotton in two colours with a stripe knitted up the centre 15 stitches using the intarsia method.

1. Cast on 45 stitches with an appropriate needle for the cotton being used.
2. Knit 15 st white, 15 st red, and 15 st white.
3. Knit to the desired size. 
4. Cast off

OR

1. Knit 16 rows
2. Reverse the colour sequence – knit 15 st red, 15 st white, and 15 st red
3. Repeat 2 times more or till the wash cloth is the size you wish it to be
4. Cast off

Create a scarf using the intarsia technique:

Knit as above with wool or mohair yarns and an appropriate needle size and continue with the 16 rows of each sequence until you have the right length for a scarf.

Knit Intarsia – work a simple charted design: coming next!

Yarn Review: Southwest Trading Company Tofutsies Solid (by Michele Grim)

Southwest Trading Company’s Tofutsies is my favorite sock yarn.  It knits up well, it wears well, washes and dries perfectly, and comes in a great variety of colors.  Tofutsies has finally come in solid colors. 

With fun names like Extra TOErrestrial  (black)and DeTOEnator (red), I had to try it out.  I ended up buying TOEffeta, which is a purplish-pink color.  I ordered it online, and when the yarn came, I couldn’t believe the quality of the color. 

It was so rich and beautiful, I couldn’t wait to make a pair of socks with it.  Tofutsies can do solid colors as well as they make variegated yarns.  I decided to make socks with a 2×2 rib because Tofutsies has great stitch definition. 

The color of the yarn also looks great when knitted up.  This yarn is just as great at Tofutsies variegated, so I highly recommend picking up a ball!

I’ve never met a skein I didn’t like! (by Debra Stuckey)

I have never met a skein of yarn I didn’t like! There are so many beautiful yarn textures and colors.  I very much enjoy dyeing my own yarn if the situation dictates.

When crocheting keep in mind a couple of things while making your yarn and stitches choices.  If you are using a fancy, frilly yarn keep your stitches basic.  The stitches will be lost in all the glamour of the yarn so all that work will be in vain.  Save those fancy stitches for a plain wool or acrylic yarn so you can show off the detail. 

The thing I really enjoy about crocheting is the ability to take out and redo your stitches.  I find this to be a little more difficult when knitting.  When the fury yarns first came out we were all excited about working with it but noticed quick when crocheting how easy it was to tangle.

The solution is to work with another yarn and a larger hook such as a size N or P.  Holding 2 yarns together makes working with furry or eyelash yarns much easier and please remember to keep to basic stitches like a double crochet.