I’m trying to figure out exactly how to lay the yarn as I work this pattern.
What starts to be a little tricky for me is starting the light blue for the legs. The fact that there’s 1 stitch which increases to 2 stitches and eventually to four stitches - how exactly do I lay the working and nonworking yarns for these small areas so they are not twisted.
This is the first time I’m doing this type of knitting.
Every video I have seen refers to bigger areas.
I understand how to add a new color one stitch before it gets worked. When I get to the increase from one stitch to two in neighboring rows - this is where I think I am not carrying the yarns correctly.
I’m going to try to attach the bottom of the whole piece where I am referring to.
Don’t mind the rows with colors and dots as these are to be done in embroidery upon completion.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
What is the name of your pattern and designer?
Is this worked in the round or back and forth?
If it’s flat knitting you could work the blue sections as stranded knitting rather than intarsia. (That could be done with knitting in the round too but you’d need to work turns so essentially you would be knitting flat.)
It’s fun to imagine what the entire design will look like. Since I’m knitting Halloween hats that’s what I think of.
This is a KAL from someone in England. They are unavailable as they are on vacation right now SO I thought I would try asking my question here.
I can show the whole picture if that would help I just didn’t want to get into trouble sharing her pattern. If you think that’s ok then I can upload the whole picture.
It is NOT being worked in the round.
Thank you for thinking of the designer here. You’ve posted enough to give us the idea. Will stranded knitting back and forth work then for you? It looks like the blue sections carry on further up the chart but you could still use stranding on each side rather than carry floats across the grey central oval.
I may not be understanding your question so just let us know.
The square is a crab.
It is supposed to be done in Intarsia.
What you are seeing are some of the lower/longer legs.
I’m going to have to add more bobbins as I get to row 5 as then there are more legs and eventually the body and towards the upper part there are 2 different colors for the pinchers.
This is one of 45 different squares each a different pattern (not in intarsia).
Eventually each square gets joined to make an afghan.
The KAL was made by Debbie Abrahams I believe in England.
She does have a video for doing Intarsia however it is from last years KAL and it doesn’t show how to work 2 stitches versus a whole block of stitches.
I have her video which is available to anyone that were to search her name on youtube. I just don’t know how to link it here.
Very nice.
You can copy and paste the URL for the video to link it in a KH post.
Intarsia works best for large blocks of color like the crab body. For a small number of sts like the legs (1 or 4sts) it’s neater to work stranded knitting and you won’t have the bother of multiple strands or bobbins.
Thank You salmonmac! You have been a big help! 
I found Debbies work to be very interesting… as I do one square I think to myself “That could be made into a small jacket!”
Really clever stitch patterns and designs for an absorbing knit. Enjoy!
If you’re wondering about how to manage mulitple strands or blocks and how to avoid tangling you might be interested in this
https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/intarsia-the-full-ball-fallacy-and-other-tangle-tips/
This is the method I use and prefer because the strands are immediately available rather than having to untangle bobbins or unwind enough from a bobbin to do a few stitches and then rewind it to prevent it tangling. Some master knitters and designers also use this method.
When i first started i read to have strands of just a couple of meters, which would be fine for a small square, but i found it too short (working adult sweaters) and started using longer and longer strands, 5, 10 meters in a strand and i just make sure no balls no bobbins and my strands are ready to use when needed.
I have worked intarsia with small blocks like the legs on your crab and I’ve had dozens and dozens of strands on the go at once.
You can work the 1 or 2 stitches just the same as if it was 5 stitches such as in the video.
You might be more frustrated by the bobbins tangling rather than the small number of stitches. If you see the video the bobbins tangle in just 1 or 2 rows and she stops to untangle them, and that’s only 3 bobbins.
Having many strands of loose yarn is a different way of working but it doesnt take long to adapt to it. The hardest part is having courage to cut the yarn if you’re used to having a full ball.
You can also do a combination of intarsia and stranded work. It’s up to you how to work it.
Well, if you have questions about this sort of intarsia id be happy to help in any way i can from my experience of it.
The important part really is finding a way you’re happy with it, bobbins or balls or loose strands, intarsia or stranded, whatever works for you.
I have another question pertaining to this intarsia pattern.
Please correct me if I am wrong. This is the first time I am doing Intarsia knitting.
I really want to do it the way the intarsia is done so I can learn more about this technique!
I’m uploading a picture of the top of this crab as I am up to ROW 18 and will be starting ROW 19.
I tried to mark with a post it where I’m talking about.
I already have 4 different bobbins for the lower light blue legs, and one for the main color (beige).
My understanding is that I should work up to the beginning of the bottom of the crab, add new color for crab, continue with the 2 bobbins on the other side of the crab for the lower legs which I am already using, start a new ball of the beige and carry this up the left side of the pattern and leaving the original ball of beige for the other side of the pattern.
I know I will have to eventually start 4 new bobbins of light blue for the upper light blue legs while working the body of the crab.I will have to start 2 separate bobbins for the darker blue at the top of the crab…
THIS is where I really have questions: Do I add another 2 bobbins of beige for each side at the upper part next to the darker blue? If you look closely there are light blue pincers at the top (which would require a bobbin for each) if I am looking at this correctly.
Once I am at the top around row 57.
I would think I could use one of the beige that I carried up the sides to do the last few rows at the very top of the page (rows 55 thru 60)?
I’m hoping you can se the numbers on the sides of the picture.
Thanks in advance for any clarification you can provide.
knitterless
If you’re going to work the upper dark blue portions as intarsia then yes, you’ll need the extra bobbins in beige.
For the last few rows, use one of the beige bobbins to continue across to finish the panel (whew!). It’ll be so good to be finished with the bobbins and able to work across with a single yarn source!
Yes.perfect.
Sometimes (depending what it is and how i feel) i have seperate strands for the background (inbetween those light blue legs), your beige, and sometimes i carry it behind the other intarsia strands, just as you are doing.
Yes starting a second beige at the bottom of the body will be perfect for carrying up the left side.
I would start 4 new. It’s ok if you do but you can reduce this. 2 from lower down will be finished so you can cut them leaving a tail, fewer bobbins to deal with. Then the next 2 finish at row 26, i would not cut these, instead carry them up the following row and use the same yarn for the next 2 legs on row 28.
At row 31 introduce the next 2 blue for legs (side note. I’m not really working out which way you’re travelling, if one of your current strands is available for the first stitch of the next leg you can hse it and strand across the single beige stitch to get to the leg it belings to, then join the new bobbin for the next leg on the next row instead).
When you are going to carry a strand upwards, row 27, if posible trap your leg strand on the row it ‘ends’ on, row 26, this will help avoid distorting the stitch when the strand is carrie up. You can trap it behind on row 27 if you wish or leave it as a strand. Then reintroduce it on row 28 by trapping it in the stitch before it’s needed just like you have with joining new strands, again it just helps it to run across in the right direction and avoid distorting the first stitch.
Row 40 and 41 are where youre think of 2 new beige bobbins. You can but one side is just really 5 stitches, then a centre single beige can run across that middle shape (making 3 total, left, iddle, right)
Instead your options are to use the stranded method for rows 40 and 41 in that middle section, joining in 1 new bobbin and carrying the beige behind the grey for just that small section.
Or another option is a short strand for one side, it’s a single stitch, then 4 stitches, that’s all, nd bobbin for the oher side, this will work the single stitch, the 4 sts then run right across the middle.
It’s up to you.
After row 41 you’ll have 3 beige and can introduce the 2 pincer blues when needed. The little line of beige betwee the pincers and the upper legs will be done in the beige carried on left and right.
Somewhere around row 51 the pincers are open. I think by that point you’ll just know what to do and can decide when you reach it. Stranding a few stitches if needed or bringing in a strand if you prefer.
Yes perfect. You can even pick up some of those dropped beige tails and weave them in as you go if you like that technique.
I hope this helps. Don’t forget it’s always your choice. I’ve used intarsia on piece which others might work in stranded and I’ve used stranded where others might work in intarsia, i always have a reason why i choose one way or another or combine them. You set the rules.
Thanks for the clarification. AND saving my brain! I’ll try this and let you know if I have any more questions as I go along. Is that alright?
Sure. Questions are always alright.
I just finished with this square. Thanks for the assistance.
I still have to block it and then add chain stitches across certain areas.
I just wove the loose ends in as best I could on the back side. I left a little bit of a tail for each end for blocking and down the line laundering.
Is that what I was supposed to do? Couldn’t think of any other way to hold the ends in. I guess it’s too late to ask that question now however there is another block in the latest handout that is done in intarsia - so I figured I’d better correct my mistakes now before I get to that one.
Sounds like you’ve done well and the crab block looks very nice. Some leave a longer tail and wait to cut it closer after wash and block but what you have done works.
It’ll be great for us to see the entire blanket or even the other blocks when you finish. Please do post a photo.
Are you going to back the block (with fabric or a panel) or is the blanket backed?
There’s 49 blocks total.
It’s like an afghan/blanket.
There are beads in some of the blocks like this one that I did earlier which still needs to be blocked:
Others are blocks made of cables some have bobbles in them.
Never a boring minute with this blanket! Did you put the beads on one at a time as you came to the stitch?
On the crab which I know they are hard to see but there are 2 black beads for eyes - these were done what she calls the slip stitch technique requiring them to be pre-thread before knitting.
The Other square that you see with beads was done using a hooked in method using dental floss.
Hooked-in beads – Debbie Abrahams Ltd
I like the hooked in method because the bead stays to the front rather than slipping around the stitch. Nicely done.