if fair isle was a person i'd hurt them!!!! :)

[NeonArmadillo]

okay here is the deal. I'm making a hat, not my first hat, but my first try at fair isle. and i'm stuck before I've even began!!!

1- how do you 'add on' your second color of yarn when it ask for it. I've looked for videos of fair isle and they just show you how to knit with two colors which is great, but I need a video of how to get the silly second color on.

and

2. the pattern calls of a round of design and then calls for on whole a round of white and then one whole round of blue. Everything that I'd read and watch said that you should not carry your second color for more then a few stitchs sooooo i'm just so lost. do i drop the blue and knit all white and break the blue re attach it and knit a whole round blue then start the pattern again be reattaching the white and then the blue when they ask for it??? 

I'm am so lost I hope somebody knows what I'm talking about lol... because I think I just confused myself a little. haha

thanks guys!!!!!

[knittinfiasco]

Have you done stripes at all?  I'd join in the new color like you've join other yarns (there is a video in the beginner misc./tips section about joining different colored yarns on Knitting Help).

For the rounds, you could cut a tail like you described, or just drop the second yarn, then carry it up the row when you need it again (for 1 row, that's not going to hurt anything).

[NeonArmadillo]

thanks so much knittinfiasco

i got all confused because i was reading in one of my books this big weird way of joining yarn. I was like under-over-around what are they talking about? I was thinking 'do i have to do it this way?' can't I  do it the other way? lol, but thank you so much for all your help!

[knittinfiasco]

You're welcome.   Remember: patterns are more like guidelines: you don't have to do everything exactly as written.

[Mnemosyne_LA]

When you're doing intarsia, you bring the new yarn up from under the old yarn when you switch colors to kind of "interlock" them.  It's a little odd at first, but it makes sense once you see the yarns crisscross.  You do it so you don't get a hole in the fabric when you switch colors.

Some instructions tell you to do it with fair isle and other stranded knitting, but I've heard it's not really necessary since you're not doing a big block of color like you are with intarsia.  The strands kinda keep it together.

[sewnutzz]

For what it is worth, here are my 2 cents' worth:

1- how do you 'add on' your second color of yarn when it ask for it. I've looked for videos of fair isle and they just show you how to knit with two colors which is great, but I need a video of how to get the silly second color on.

I just start knitting with the new color and weave in the end later (just like you would do if you had to start using a new ball of yarn).  I do not cut the old color if I will be using it again (like in the same row or in the next row.)  If the color would be carried up several rows, I might cut the old and add it again later.

and

2. the pattern calls of a round of design and then calls for on whole a round of white and then one whole round of blue. Everything that I'd read and watch said that you should not carry your second color for more then a few stitchs sooooo i'm just so lost. do i drop the blue and knit all white and break the blue re attach it and knit a whole round blue then start the pattern again be reattaching the white and then the blue when they ask for it??? 

If I am doing a stripe, I drop the first color and work the second, then pick up the first color when the pattern calls for it.  This works best if knitting in the round.  If working flat/straight, if you are using even numbers of rows, you will be able to pick up the other color when you get to that side of the knitting.   If the stripes are really wide, I would break the colors and weave in the ends. 

On the other hand, you can work the ends into your design by leaving them as fringe  (if you cut the yarns at each change) or even as little bumps along the selvedge edge (if you do not cut the yarns.)

One of the hardest things about fair isle for me is keeping a loose tension....the color carried across the back needs to be loose so it does not pull in the work.  A trick I have been told of is to pull your work frequently to keep the floats loose.  Others have suggested that I try wrapping the yarn around my finger tip as I throw it to knit....leaves a longer span of yarn.  Hope that made sense!

Practice helps....do some practice work to try out the technique and work on your tension. 

Happy knitting,
Anne