how do you change colors of yarn when knitting?

Question

I'm have trouble knitting a scarf. I would like to knit an intial into the scarf. but am haveing trouble changing yarn colors, becasue you have to change colors mulitple times in a row, and tieing the yarn ends together doesn't help, i've tried glue but that doesn't work either, does anyone have any suggestions?

thanks for the help

Answer 1

It's difficult to explain, if you and I were together I could show you in a few minutes. I did a google search and found this site, even tho it isn't perfect you will get the idea that you do not tie knots in the middle of your knitting, nor do you try to glue it in place, those methods just don't work. You have to leave a nice long tail to be carefully stitched in when your initial is finished. You have to carry the two colour across the back of the knitting and change the colour of each stitch as you go. Do some searching online and have a look here,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1963842576212380347

Answer 2

It may be easier to do what is called "duplicate stitch" where you knit the garment in the color you want, then go back and embroider the initial on, using stitches that mimic the path of the existing knit stitches. That way you wont have a lot of loose yarn, knots or yarn laddered across an expanse of scarf that could be visible depending on how the scarf is draped when worn.

Changing colors in a garment works well when the reverse side isn't visible (i.e. a sweater)

Answer 3

What you are trying to do is called intarsia knitting, and is usually done when knitting flat, rather than knitting in the round. You need one length of yarn, usually, depending on the size of the letter you are trying to knit in, a few yards, for each section of the letter color. You knit with your main color up to the point where your initial color begins, bring the tail of the initial color under and to the right of the main color, twisting it around. Your first and last stitch here may be a bit loose at this point, this is OK, we'll tighten them up on the next row. Each time you need to knit a different color you need another length of yarn and as you come to that section you twist the yarns as indicated. On your purl row you snug the stitches up and twist and continue. You will have to work the ends in afterwards unless you know how to weave them in. BTW, if you are knitting in garter stitch the first and last rows of contrasting colors will have both colors in them. That's the way garter stitch works.

Unless you are at the intermediate or higher level of knitting skill you may want, as another poster suggests, to embroider the inital in the end with duplicate stitch. Intarsia can be frustrating for newbie knitters.

Answer 4

Hi! If you are just knitting one row with the new color and then continuing with the old color on the row after that, you need to cut the yarn and re-join the color you will be working with. If you are knitting two rows with the next color (flat knitting) then you can simply drop the old color, start knitting with the new color. Knit down the row and back and when you get back to where the old color is, drop the new color and pickup the old color and continue knitting. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I found that so frustrating when I started knitting! I find that video tutorials are better at explaining knitting techniques. Thanks to Knittinghelp.com and their helpful videos, I'm not afraid to change colors when knitting!
You will find a section titled "joining yarn" here (http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/misc.php) also try the section titled "how to knit with two colors at a time" here (http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/advanced_techniques/)
Enjoy :)