Intarsia Knitting
Intarsia is the technique for blocks of solid colour — large motifs, picture knitting, and graphic designs. Each colour block is worked from its own bobbin or short length of yarn, with the colours twisted at each colour change to lock the blocks together.
Recommended A printable technique cheat-sheet for your knitting bag.
Setup
Wind a separate small bobbin (or 1.5-metre length) for each colour block. For a sweater with 3 colour blocks across the front, you will use 3 bobbins on every row. Bobbins hang from the wrong side of the work, on top of the previous colour block.
Twisting at colour changes
At every colour change, the new colour must twist around the old colour on the wrong side. Lift the new colour from under the old colour as you switch — this twist locks the two blocks together and prevents a hole at the colour change.
In partnership Tools and supplies that make this technique easier.
When to use
Picture knitting (animals, geometric designs, words). Solid-colour blocks larger than 5 stitches. Any pattern where the colours do not alternate frequently.
Limitations
Worked flat only — intarsia in the round requires special techniques (twisted floats, side-to-side construction) that are slow and complex. Always plan intarsia projects flat.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MC | main colour |
| CC | contrast colour |
Tips
- Use clothespins or small bobbins to keep dangling colours from tangling.
- Always twist the new colour over the old at colour changes — this is what prevents holes.
- Plan intarsia flat; intarsia in the round is technically possible but slow and complex.
In depth
Intarsia differs fundamentally from stranded colourwork: in intarsia, each colour block is worked from its own bobbin, with no floats carried across the back. This makes intarsia ideal for large blocks of colour but unsuitable for the alternating two-colour patterns of Fair Isle.