How to Move an Intarsia Yarn Supply to a Color Boundary Several Stitches Away

In ordinary intarsia, each separate color area has its own yarn supply. Even two areas of the same color may need separate strands: Lion Brand illustrates a two-color swatch made with three supplies, one for the central motif and one for each background section. The supplies stay with their respective areas rather than traveling across the whole row. FAQ: What is Intarsia?

A stepped boundary changes where you need a strand. After finishing one color, you may work several stitches in its neighbor, turn, and discover that the first color must resume before you reach the point where you left it. Moving the bobbin alone does not solve this; the strand between its last stitch and its next stitch still needs a route.

Before working a substantial step, compare the current chart row with the next one. Trace both in their actual working directions. Jane Crowfoot’s tutorial specifically recommends keeping the next row visible so you can see whether yarn needs to be carried into position beforehand. What is Intarsia Knitting & how does it work?

Use the following decision aid to plan the route. These are practical choices derived from the separate-supply principle and the documented method of carrying a strand into position.

Situation	Practical choice
The same color area shifts a few stitches and you will work across the intervening stitches	Carry its strand on the wrong side, catching it periodically.
The next row needs the strand before you will encounter its present position	Reposition it on the preceding row.
Two separate areas of the same color remain divided by another area	Give each area its own supply.
Carrying would create a long or conspicuous span	Consider joining another supply at the required boundary.

There is no need to turn every separate color area into a carrying exercise. Cocoknits demonstrates using a new background strand after a contrasting block, keeping the color areas independent. Short repositioning carries solve a local boundary problem; separate supplies remain the basic arrangement. Intarsia Pt. 1: How To & Managing Yarn

Identify three things before starting: the strand that must travel, the color that will form the intervening stitches, and the exact place where the traveling strand should stop. Call the traveling yarn A and the active yarn B.

1. Finish A’s charted stitches. Change to B, interlocking the yarns at the existing boundary.
2. Keep A on the wrong side. Work the intervening stitches with B alone, allowing A to travel behind them.
3. Catch A periodically. At a catch point, cross A and B on the wrong side, then continue forming stitches with B only. Do not knit the two strands together.
4. Check the span before continuing. Let the worked stitches sit at their ordinary width rather than bunching them tightly together.
5. Park A at the destination. After the final catch, leave A hanging there and continue with B if the chart requires it.

Hobbii recommends locking a moving strand every third or fourth stitch by twisting the yarns together on the wrong side. Use that as a starting interval for a short move, then inspect the actual fabric. Its tutorial also emphasizes checking where each color will be needed on the next row. Video Tutorial: How to Knit Intarsia

Keep the carried strand long enough for the fabric to lie flat, without a large hanging loop. Catching controls the route; it does not compensate for insufficient yarn between catches. Before working farther, spread the section gently and check that the carry does not pull its two ends together.

The following is an illustrative practice swatch, devised to make the route easy to follow. Use two contrasting yarns of the same weight and suitable needles. A is the first color; B is the second. Cast on 20 stitches with A, then purl one setup row with A.

• Row 1, right side: Knit 8 stitches with A. Join B, leaving a tail for weaving in, and knit the remaining 12 stitches with B. While working the first 6 B stitches, carry A on the wrong side, catching it after the third and sixth stitches. Leave A at that sixth-stitch position, then knit the final 6 stitches with B alone.
• Row 2, wrong side: Purl 6 stitches with B. A should now be waiting at the new boundary. Interlock the strands and purl the remaining 14 stitches with A.

Why does this work? Row 1 leaves six B stitches between the parked A strand and the end of the row. After turning, those are the first six stitches you purl. You then reach A exactly where its enlarged area begins. The six stitches immediately beyond that point were B on Row 1 and become A on Row 2.

The stitch counts provide a useful check: Row 1 has 8 A plus 12 B; Row 2 has 6 B plus 14 A. Both total 20. The boundary shifts six stitches without changing the swatch width. This applies Arnall-Culliford’s documented method of moving a supply behind the neighboring color for use on the return row. Stepping Up Your Intarsi-game

The wrong side is the fabric’s reverse, regardless of which direction you are working. On a right-side knit row, that reverse is away from you. On a wrong-side purl row, it faces you. A strand carried on the reverse therefore changes its position relative to your needles when you turn.

At the destination, make the usual intarsia connection before working the new color. Cocoknits provides separate knitwise and purlwise instructions: both keep the yarn connection on the reverse while the incoming color forms the next stitches. Follow the version that matches the row you are working. Cocoknits’ intarsia instructions

Check the front after the first few stitches. The carried color should not form an extra stitch or an unintended bar across the face. Let’s Knit specifically notes that an incorrect wrap can bring the wrong color through to the front. How to: Work Intarsia

Stop and compare the strand’s attachment point with the next boundary. If you have already worked the stitches through which it needed to travel, undoing that section and reworking it with the carry restores the planned route. This is a practical consequence of positioning the strand as those stitches are formed.

Alternatively, join another supply at the required boundary and leave ends to weave in. Let’s Knit describes enclosing yarn along the back as an alternative to cutting and rejoining. Choose according to the span and the appearance you want on the reverse. How to: Work Intarsia

Before continuing, check four things: the stitch count still matches the chart, every stitch has its intended color, the carry lies on the reverse, and the fabric opens to its normal width. For the next stepped boundary, trace one row ahead and mark where the supply must wait. That small planning step makes the movement deliberate and gives you a clear place to check your work.

• Little Lessons: Stepping Up Your Intarsi-game — Modern Daily Knitting
• Video Tutorial: How to Knit Intarsia — Hobbii
• Intarsia Pt. 1: How To & Managing Yarn — Cocoknits
• FAQ: What is Intarsia? — Lion Brand Notebook
• What is Intarsia Knitting & how does it work? — Simply Yarn
• How to: Work Intarsia — Let’s Knit