ahhhhhhhh TWISTING for the FIRST TIME! (intarsia)

VictoiseC · 03-28-2006, 01:25 PM

OMG I got so excited yesterday because I finally sat down and did it!

I've been wanting to try this for months, I never did it and I started this red vest and then put it down.... and just wouldn't try it.... then yesterday I was finally in the mood and I put these CATS into it.

I was very proud of myself but then I looked at it again this morning and
it's like oh no! I only put SIX CATS when my favorite number is SEVEN!

I was going to do a rather scattered design, cats here and there...
but now I'm thinking I've got to rip this out and put my lucky number of 7 cats in there instead of having that stupid space...

But HERE'S MY REAL QUESTION.

I think I have the twisting the yarn down right (although it looks a wee bit puckered and maybe I should be even looser) but when they say to "carry the yarn in the back when over 3 or 4 stitches aren't being used"
I assume that means to twist the yarn also? That's what I did but maybe there's an easier way ?

This is a heck of a lot of work, this twisting thing!!!

VictoiseC · 03-28-2006, 06:26 PM

Yeah, it does look puckered doesn't it? Ingrid? :(

Jan in CA · 03-28-2006, 06:29 PM

It does look puckered, but I thought that was part of the pattern! Is this intarsia or fair isle? I tried intarsia and got totall messed up. :rollseyes:

rebecca · 03-28-2006, 07:42 PM

I think that you are doing great...especially for your 1st time! If it's puckering, or you don't like it...it's like all things in knitting, don't you think?!...practice, practice, practice!
LOOKING GOOD

feministmama · 03-28-2006, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Victoise

But HERE'S MY REAL QUESTION.

I think I have the twisting the yarn down right (although it looks a wee bit puckered and maybe I should be even looser) but when they say to "carry the yarn in the back when over 3 or 4 stitches aren't being used"
I assume that means to twist the yarn also? That's what I did but maybe there's an easier way ?

This is a heck of a lot of work, this twisting thing!!!

I think what they mean is when you drop one color and pick up another you twist them so that there won't be a hole. I think you put the last color used under and the new color over. But I may be wrong. I usually just kinda wrangle them till they make sense. But Ingy may have a good tip. Her color work is to DIE for!!!!!!!

Ingrid · 03-28-2006, 10:15 PM

I love the little cats! When you 'twist' the yarn, it's really not twisted as if you wrapped it around each other. If you just make sure you hold the yarn you're not using over to the left on top of the strand hanging down for the yarn you're about to pick up, it will twist it automatically. It may not look like it on the first row, but when you do the same thing on the next row you'll see how it comes into play.

Did you use a strand of yarn for each cat? That would be true intarsia and would avoid any possibility of puckering between. If you didn't want to use a strand for each cat, the way the cats are laid out would require that you'd have to use at least two strands, one for each group, but then you're doing stranded knitting across the groups of cats.

If you need to carry yarn across more than about 1/2 an inch of knitting, here's a way that works well without showing through and without getting your yarn all twisted:

Insert the needle in the stitch to knit the next stitch, then bring the yarn you're carrying up from under the working yarn and wrap it around your right needle tip from back to front--clockwise, I guess. Wrap your regular color yarn and then unwrap the carried yarn and then complete your stitch. It should 'catch.'

Also, always have your stitches stretched out on the right needle when you're knitting intarsia--helps to avoid puckering.

Great first try!!

Calabaza · 03-28-2006, 10:37 PM

It looks really good!! I love the colors!

Amber · 03-28-2006, 10:46 PM

Wow, it looks great!!

Shandeh · 03-28-2006, 10:46 PM

Here's an idea for having 7 cats instead of 6.

Just use duplicate stitch and put another cat in the middle! Make him a different color if you want. I think it would look cool.

VictoiseC · 03-29-2006, 05:01 PM

Thanks guys! (girls)

Well, too late! I ripped it out and started all over because I want it PERFECT! Ha ha.... that was a good idea Sandy but... it's not too big of a frog coz it was only 8 rows or so and it was a little too puckered.

Ingrid, you solved that, I was noticing the 2nd time I wasn't stretching the stitches out on the right needle and I thought hmmm maybe I should start doing that. That's important. I'll have to see about that other instruction, with the carrying theyarn, sounds complicated but sometimes when you're doing it! voila! It actually works.

Yeah Ilove these colors too.... I have one ball of gray I might put in also. I got some yarn from Yarnware on sale and didn't have enough red so I went back and got some blue and gray (all they had on sale)! I love Lambs Pride Bulky & I love it when it's on sale. They have it on sale often for $6.90 instead of $9.60. go figure

back to work................. I just spent two hours washing all my bedroom floors and furniture so knitting is going to be a joy