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Intermediate Class
Now that we have covered the absolute fundamentals in Beginner basics we can move on to more advanced techniques. If you're not confident about moving on, try these techniques on smaller projects and move on to larger and larger projects as your confidence grows.
Intermediate knitting techniques include lace, cables, colour-work, fair isle, intarsia, and knitting in the round! These techniques involve more complex stitch patterns and may require more patience.
1. Cable Knit
Cables are a beautiful and timeless way to add texture, coziness and warmth to your knitting projects. This Classic pattern can be worn casually or dressed up formal.
The crisscrossing of differing stitches creates a thicker garment. You will need to purchase or borrow either cable needles in the right size, or a closed stitch holder.
There are many in-depth tutorials online. Here is a quick video perfect for beginners of this technique. By @Purlinknitting
2. Colour Work
First and foremost choosing a pattern knit in the round will make your life 1000 times easier than working flat. Trust me. For beginners avoid long-stranded floats, and go for short floats instead to keep your tension. Mastering tension is one of the hardest parts of colour work. Short floats, are where the unused colours "float" on the wrong side of your work. Make sure you always keep at most 5 stitches before a float to keep your tension.
For a quick simple video tutorial, @Tin Can Knits on YouTube has a quick breakdown. Watch HERE!
For a quick simple video tutorial, @Tin Can Knits on YouTube has a quick breakdown. Watch HERE!
3. Knitting In-the-Round
Knitting in the round includes a set of circular needles in the size the pattern calls for. When knitting in the round you only knit on the right side producing stockinette stitch. Unless the pattern asks for purls, you'll only make knit stitches.
If you don't have some already, you can purchase or make stitch markers, to help mark on your projects where it starts, and where you need to make increases or decreases. Quickly knit up hats and sleeves with circular knitting.
​For a quick 5 step video tutorial from @Studio Knit Watch HERE!​
4. Lace
Lace knits look stunning and will impress anyone when worn. Lace looks intimidating but if you have knowledge of the knit, purl, yarn over (yo) and knit two together (k2tog). You can create the simplest of lace patterns. All the way up to expert lace patterns. Plus the more open the lace, the less yarn you'll use!
It's important to block your work and always measure to make sure your garment fits properly. Use stitch markers along the way between repeating patterns to make it easier to count.
On the left is an example of how a lace chart may look. You'll notice on the side is a legend explaining what stitch goes where, and how many right side rows, wrong side rows, and how many stitches along the bottom it takes to create each pattern.
5. Intarsia
As you continue knitting and gaining your skills Intarsia is a great next step. Intarsia is a wonderful option if you have large blocks of colour you want to fill without floats. If you are not a fan of working in the round then intarsia may be perfect for you, since its mostly worked flat. Let your creativity blossom by taking your fav basic pattern and adding your own twist!
unlike other colour work, intarsia uses smaller balls of yarn to create each block or shape of colour you'd like, unlike Fair Isle which carries unused yarn along the wrong side of the row. Make sure you have a sharp pair of scissors to cut your ends. A tapestry needle will come in handy when weaving in ends.
Here's an in-depth video tutorial by @NimbleNeedles on Youtube, Watch HERE!
6. Fair Isle
Fair Isle is a technique of knitting from one of the Shetland Islands, Fair Isle in Scotland where it originated. Becoming popular in 1921!
The difference between stranded-colour work and Fair Isle is simple. Fair Isle takes shapes and geometric patterns from nature that are native to Scotland. There can be as many colours as you'd like, but only two will be "active" in one row at a time.
Simpler patterns will have you work in the round. Then you will only work on the right side and only knit, this will make it easier to catch floats and make sure you don't get your strands caught together.
here are some more tips by @VeryPink Knits on Youtube HERE