Sunday, September 4, 2016

New Video - Picture Knitting Without Intarsia Carriage

I try to do a new video every month, and I keep hunting for ideas.  Luckily, readers send good questions, and this video is in response to one of those questions:  Can one do picture knitting on just any machine?

Intarsia (or picture) knitting is a multi-color technique.  It differs from Fair Isle, which is a technique where you carry colors across at the same time.  In Intarsia, you pick up a color, knit it into the part of the row you want that color, drop it, and pick up the next color. 

Yes, Intarsia can be made on just about any knitting machine!  I suppose there might be some unusual or antique machine that simply won't slip past needles, but the knitting machines I know have a setting that lets them slip.  You turn on that slip (or part, or Russel lever) setting, and only selected, that is, pulled-out needles will knit.  That way, you can easily knit pictures.

Intarsia carriages and Intarsia settings make this quicker and easier, but some machines don't have that option.  You can still do it, though.  Here's how:

3 comments:

  1. For this method on the Bond, you'd have to have all the needles to HP and the needles you are working with in FWP (latches open. After knitting those stitches move those needles to HP and bring the next set of needles to FWP (latches open). It's much faster to bring all needles to FWP, lay the yarn in the hooks, per the color sequence on the chart, and then take the yarnless carriage across.

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  2. I really do appreciate your videos! Getting to watch while listening to your excellent narration is just so helpful!

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  3. This is a really interesting videos.

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