Instructors’ Top Colorwork Tips for Stranded, Mosaic, Intarsia, and More

One of my favorite questions to ask knitting instructors is: what’s your favorite tip to tell students? When I asked a few of our Yarn Fest colorwork knitting instructors for their colorwork tips, oh, did they deliver! And it’s not just stranded colorwork. They shared tips for colorwork that make slip-stitch mosaic, intarsia, and other techniques easier.

Take advantage of their decades of experience and try these colorwork tips on your next project.

Kyle Kunnecke’s Trick for Starting a New Color

When starting a new color, that first stitch can be loose leading it to be larger than the rest. Kyle Kunnecke shared how he handles starting a new color and it’s an “AHA!” moment.

See this tip in action!

Anchoring the new tail of yarn in the fabric, similar to a basting stitch, secures the yarn and keeps it from pulling out of the work. This isn’t permanent. It’s easy to pull out the yarn and weave in the end as you normally would.

Amy Snell Answers: To Twist or Not to Twist? 

You may have been instructed at some point to twist your yarns around each other when you’re changing colors or at the beginning of rounds or the start of a new row. That can be good advice, sometimes. It depends on what kind of colorwork you’re doing.

Whether or not you twist, one of the most important things to remember is to keep it consistent within a project. 

Related: A Well-Kept Secret: Mosaic Knitting

Bobbi Pendell Makes Remembering Easier

When working on a slip-stitch colorwork or a two-color brioche project, have you ever had trouble figuring out which color you left off with? If you always stop at the end of the round when you pause your knitting, it can be confusing. Bobbi tells her students to never stop at the end of the round. Instead, always stop mid-round. That way, when you come back to the work, there is no question about which color you should be using.

Tech Editor Sandi Rosner Listens to the Knitting

Knits magazine technical content editor Sandi Rosner’s best tip is to pay attention to the fabric you’re creating. Learn its rhythm. The goal is to be able to know what comes next without being dependent on the chart. By learning to read your knitting and letting it tell you what needs to come next, you’ll no longer have to worry about counting each repeat. Shaping that encroaches on the charted pattern won’t stump you. Interruptions are not a problem—a quick glance at the knitting on your needles will tell you where you left off.

Sandi also says to take time to admire your work. Spread it out and take a good look. If something looks not quite right, now is the time to figure out what went wrong and fix it. If all is well, pat yourself on the back and continue on your merry way.

Related: Products to Make Stranded Colorwork Easier

Tips like these from experienced instructors are light-bulb knitting moments that can’t be beat! The more we practice these skills, the better our projects will turn out. And every mistake is an opportunity to learn something new.

Were these tips new to you or were they already in your knitting bag of tricks?

Share your favorite tips for colorwork in the comments below!

Serial yarn sniffer Kerry Bogert loves to spend her time knitting when she’s not collaborating with the team at Interweave or editing Interweave Knits magazine. Her passion for making things with her hands is only matched by her love for her children and a well-attenuated stout. Kerry endeavors to never stop learning, buying yarn, or collecting beads. Read her latest articles at Interweave.com.