Intarsia

[lily]

I've got a lovely Sasha Kagan pattern book with beautiful designs inspired by flowers and leaves. The instructions say all are made by the intarsia method, previously I've only done traditional fairisle. Anyone any experience of intarsia- how fiddly is it and were you pleased with the results?

[Pippa]

Haven't heard of that Lily but would be interested to find out. Do you knit the fairisle on 4 needles, I'm just knitting a beanie hat with one line of pattern and it is very slow. There are some wonderful patterns around now, spoiled for choice really.

[JG]

My understanding of intarsia is probably what you are doing with Fairisle, weaving the unused colour across the back of the knitting until it is needed again.
Or is this completely the wrong interpretation?

[Pippa]

I googled Intarsia Hand Knitting, sweaterscapes.com/intars.htm and it is as JG suggests. You wind the different colour wools onto little bobbins and weave them across, I guess it is so you do not have lots of ends to sew in. Good luck.

[lily]

It's not like ordinary fairisle as you don't weave the colours right across the rows, you weave them in with the stitch(es) immediately adjacent to the inset rose or leaf etc. It's not therefore as bulky as fairisle, and you have little bobbins dangling at the back behind each inset. More an inlay technique. Wondering if I'd find it too tedious and fiddly?However I've really fallen for some of the patterns.

[JG]

You're right of course Lily. I see what you mean, as, when you turn over intarsia, the pattern is just the same, with blocks of colour, rather than the fair isle 'weave'.
I think, if you just cross over one stitch as you change colour, to ensure a neat, tight, transition, and no holes, it would be quite satisfying to do.
However, as I am mean by nature, I would worry that I'd over estimated each strand, when cutting them up to wind around the bobbins, and I would then be loathe to cut them off when I've finished that colour. Worse if you underestimate and have to join with lots of knots or weaving in!

[Gentian]

I have done quite a bit of intarsia knitting, as you get to a change of colour you simply link the adjacent threads and if you twist them one way on one row then the opposite way coming back you don't get into a tangle. You can have as many colours as you like. No need to cut lenghts of wool, use the whole ball and so that they do not roll away l sit each one in a cerial bowl and they roll around in that

[lily]

Thank you Gentian. Think I will do a test piece rather than buy all the wool and then find I'm struggling. Like the idea of the bowl on the lap- will try it.