Thursday, August 29, 2013



Let's Talk Intarsia


This is a knitting technique that can be daunting to many new knitters!  It is used to create patterns with multiple colours.


 Unlike other multicolour techniques (including Fair Isle, slip-stitch colour, and double knitting), there is only one "active" colour on any given stitch, and yarn is not carried across the back of the work; when a colour changes on a given row, the old yarn is left hanging. This means that any intarsia piece is topologically several disjoint columns of colour; a simple blue circle on a white background involves one column of blue and two of white—one for the left and one for the right. Intarsia is most often worked flat, rather than in the round. However, it is possible to knit intarsia in circular knitting using particular techniques.

Common examples of intarsia include sweaters with large, solid-colour features like fruits, flowers, or geometric shapes. Argyle socks and sweaters are normally done in intarsia, although the thin diagonal lines are often overlaid in a later step, using Swiss darning or sometimes just a simple backstitch.

This technique is outlined in great detail on The Purl Bee with pictures!

KnitPicks shows another view - KP - Intarsia Tutorial

For those visual learners – YouTube has a lot of videos along with some really cute patterns!    

Good luck!      Andrea

We've been knitting cowls!


May-Lill in Norway has created an orange cowl for fall :-) https://www.etsy.com/listing/156267757/neon-orange-cowl-hand-knitted


Aljona and Misha in Estonia have knitted cowls with winter in mind -- This multicolored one can be found at https://www.etsy.com/listing/113398985/wool-knitted-cowl-kauni-yarn-handmade


Sheila and Joyce in California knit a lovely fuzzy infinity cowl which can be found at https://www.etsy.com/listing/123228807/knit-cowl-infinity-scarf-neckwarmer-gray

Come Meet Some of Our Members!


Denise is from Waterford, Ireland and her shop is charmingly called Home Hugs :-) She says, "I'm a busy working mum to my 3 energetic young kids. I love creating huggable, cosy, hand knit items for you and your home."
You can find Denise's work at https://www.etsy.com/shop/HomeHugs

Kathyrn is from London, England and calls her shop the George Bear Company because she's all about the stuffies! She says, "I have been knitting since I was 7, starting with scarves and building up to blankets and clothes. A couple of months ago, I decided to make a teddy for the newborn nephew of a girl in the office. I got lots of compliments, and soon lots of orders from friends and family. I started branching out in to a whole variety of stuffed animals and just 4 months later George Bear was formed! I love to knit in my spare time, and its my main source of stress relief. I really hope you like what you see..." Kathyrn's a bit photoshy so one of her teddies volunteered to pose in her place :-)



Shelly signs into her shop, Knitting by Shelly, from Bremerton, Washington :-) She says, "I love to create beautiful and useful things. The feeling of completing a project is wonderful! Even while one is ending, I'm dreaming of the next one."




Our Mystery Shop of the Month!

      In the spirit of Miss Marple, here are a series of clues that will point toward one Miss Marple Knitting Club shop. When you figure it out, comment here and we'll let you know if you've gotten it right!  
Ok, here we go......
Clue 1)  The name of this shop is one of the most interesting among us Miss Marple's. It has five words in it!
Clue 2)  In the shop owner's profile photo, she has a big smile on her face :-D
Clue 3) This person has been a Miss Marple's member for quite a while so she shows up on the fifth page of the list of Miss Marple's Knitting Club members.
Clue 4) If you search "knit pig" on Etsy, this shop will show up on the first page of results.
Good luck searching!


Thanks for reading!


Signed, 

Miss Marple's Knitting Club on Etsy

1 comment:

  1. What a wonderfully informative post! Thank you.

    I see winter is coming...

    ReplyDelete