Could someone help a fair isle/intarsia newbie please?

[bunjies]

Hi there

I am trying to knit this dress but have never knitted with more than one colour before. I understand the principles of both methods & would say that I would be best off with fair isle for this sort of pattern (please correct me if I am wrong). The designer says "do not carry the floating yarns over more than three stitches at a time but weave them under and over the colour you are working, catching them in on the wrong side of the work." OK, I am a reasonably intelligent woman and I can see that each flower is more than 3 stitches away from the other but for the life of me I don't understand what she is saying about weaving the yarn under and over etc . Could someone explain this in even plainer English for me please. What exactly am I supposed to do with the trailing yarn to stop having a massively long loop?

Right, I'm not sure if this is going to make it more or less clear, but I'll try.
When I do Fair Isle I never have more than two colours in one row, I can't quite see whether you have in your pattern. Ifthere are more than two colours you are better off with Intarsia and little balls of wook on bobbins.
With two colours I have a thread in each hand, background in the right hand, contrast in the other. I then knit 'normally' with the one thread and 'continentally' (hook stitch over thread) with the other. When there are more than three stitches of the background I just scoop up the contrast colour, make sure it doesn't show on the right side. If there are more than three contrast stitches it is more complicated: bring the background thread forward, then the contrast and move the background thread back, so it is caught in the knitting. Clear as mud? Sorry, it's much easier shown than talked about.

I have a dvd I can lend you that shows you but, DutchOma told me how to do it and that's how I learnt.

Hi DutchOma

Errrr....I think I understand.... Maybe....Sort of.

There are three colours in the pattern but I've decided to do myself a favour and just use two. Do you mean to put the contrast yarn underneath the background yarn in order to 'catch' it in the knitting without it showing or trailing?

Oops cross posts.

That's very kind of you ranting but I live in France. I wish I did know someone here who could show me, I'm know it would be lot easier than trying to understand written instructions.

Have you looked at knittinghelp.com think there is a video on there.

Go to advanced knitting on that site, there is a section called knitting with two colours at one time.

I did look at that video but I don't think there's a large gap between the two colours IYSWIM. My problem is that I'm not sure how to carry the trailing yarn over without leaving an enormous loop. Does that make sense?

The thing I forgot to say is that you can really only do Fair Isle in the round, so on a circular needle or double pointeds. And yes, I did mean that you just catch the left hand thread under the stitch you are knitting with the right hand. Not every stitch, every third or fourth. You can work with three colours or more, (I have done as many as 32 in a garment), but only ever have two colours on the needle at any one time.
Bunjie, how are you?

I've just watched that video and I can only say that my method is an awful lot less awkward and quicker. But then she does work on the purl side and I never do that, not even for a cardigan. But that is a different story

Are you knitting the flower frock? I would personally go with intarsia for that one. does pattern say use fair isle or is it a general comment??? there are not that many colour changes. Fair isle much bettr for regular dotty patt like the coat. Do put in the 3rd colour its so pretty. with those big gaps you will get uneven stitching in the spaces where you catch in thr trailing yarn and it will also be thick and un-drapy and use extra yarn.

sorry rubbish typing finger in splint

bunjies if you go for it, suggest you practise a small sample first. will look for helpful links now.

good intarsia instruction, including how to make little balls of yarn that don't unwind themselves, is here. It would really be easier than fair isle for that design IMO

Yes it is the flower frock. Do you remember I requested dress patterns on here ages ago? Well this is it. You really think intarsia? Oh flip. I think I'm definitely going to have to do a sample! I'm starting to wish I'd never promised this to my dd. Thanks for the link granny. Actually the only thing I really learned from the knitting help video was how to do the bobbin winding thing .

Sorry about the dud video, didn't look at it all the way through

Honestly better to learn a new skill than struglle with garment thats not going to work out. You've actually not got that many colour changes until the main flowers. It may well look uneven to start with but when ends darned in, and all pressed and washed, it will be fine. go go go for it!

The trick with intarsia is basically just to pass the old colour OVER the new one at each change as in the instructions - it links the yarns without distorting work. once you have got that can knit anything.

Thanks you all for your advice. I'm going to try & have a go this weekend and see what happens.

Why not practise a bit on a swatch square first? I know it takes time, and distracts from the Main Event, but I find it invaluable if I'm really not sure what I'm doing. And once intarsia has clicked with you, it's with you for life!!! (Haven't tried fair isle yet. It's the next job on the list.)