Intarsia is a colourwork knitting technique that involves knitting with blocks of colour. Unlike stranded knitting, where yarns not in use are carried across the back of the work, in Intarsia knitting, each block has its own separate strand of yarn that starts and ends within the block, which creates a cleaner back with no floats. To knit using the Intarsia technique, you will need to use bobbins or divide your skein/cake of yarn, one for each color used within the colourwork design, and twist the yarns at the points where they meet to ensure there are no gaps in the knitting.
To knit with intarsia, you will need to use multiple colors of yarn and work them together to create a particular pattern or design. Here are the steps to follow to knit with intarsia:
- Choose your pattern: Intarsia typically involves knitting geometric shapes or images, so choose your design wisely.
- Gather your materials: You will need your chosen yarn colors, knitting needles, and a knitting pattern.
- Prepare your yarn: Wind each color of yarn into separate balls, being careful to keep them untangled.
- Begin knitting: Using the intarsia method, knit across a row with one color, dropping it, and picking up the second color when needed.
- Keep the yarn floats short: To prevent snagging and ensure that your stitches lie flat, you should be careful to keep the yarn floats (the strands of yarn that run across the back of your work) short. You can do this by twisting the two colors together at the point where you switch from one color to the next.
Following these steps, you should be able to create a beautiful intarsia knitting project. Remember that like any other knitting technique, it may take some practice to perfect but with time and effort, you can create beautiful pieces.
Need a visual? Check out this video from Very Pink Knits!