Beginning Intarsia/Duplicate stitch/stranded question...

[Cristy]

I'm sure this will seem like a silly question once I see the answer--I'm sure I'm making this harder than it is....

I've never tried the intarsia/duplicated stitch method before but I just finished amy's videos b/c there is a baby hat I want to try w/ little hearts on it. In her videos, amy shows how to do it on a piece of work that is already several inches long. I get *how* to do it but how do you begin??? What method do you use for adding in the cc when you get to the point that the pattern calls for it? does it matter? I wasn't sure if I was supposed to use the duplicate stitch join at the point that I need the cc or if there is a better way...

Thanks in advance for your help!