Always do a test swatch to test the gauge of your selected yarn, wash it, let it rest overnight and then measure. My suggestions as to which keyplate to use are not written in stone. You must decide which keyplates and which settings on the intarsia keyplate works best for you.

For each different colour area on a charted design, you must use a separate ball of yarn. I place all of my balls, bobbins, or skeins in a small basket on the floor beside me.

When changing from one colour to another, bring the new colour from underneath and over the colour you have just finished laying on the needles (latches open). Each different colour of yarn must wrap around/over the neighbouring yarn to eliminate holes. Knit each row with one hand on the carriage, and with your other hand, pull and guide each coloured yarn until the first stitch for each colour area has been knit. This will keep the gauge correct (no loose stitches) and eliminate the chance for dropped stitches.

When starting new colours on a row of colourwork, leave lengths of 5" to 6" for weaving in later. You may also weave in colour ends as you knit! However, this may not always be wise if the colour you are weaving in is much darker or lighter than the one on the right side of the project. After knitting a row where you've started a new colour area, tie and temporarily knot the 5" to 6" end to the neighbouring yarn (this will eliminate a hole, make it easier to knit and you can untie, then wrap and weave these ends in later).

Long floats are not acceptable in intarsia work as they distort the gauge. Do not wrap the yarn any further than 3-4 stitches (any more and you will create holes in the colourwork and throw off the tension of the sweater.

Oh yes, and in those really tricky parts of intarsia, just knit a solid colour and go back later and duplicate stitch over top. You do this if the colours called for on an area of the design are a couple stitches a here and there. Duplicate stitching is acceptable in intricate areas of colourwork.

Intarsia - Weaving Ends In

Using a blunt ended tapestry needle, work in ends where the coloured yarns have been wrapped over each other on the back of the sweater. After weaving in, cut end, leaving a 5/8" tail. This will prevent the woven yarn from escaping while the sweater is worn or washed.

You may also weave yarns in by splitting purl stitches diagonally and back again on its own colour area. I always do about 4 than come back on 3.

If there is no place to work an end in, I tie and knot to a neighbouring end. I tie and knot these 2 ends tightly together, then once more to end up with 2 full knots. Cut tails to 5/8". You may also braid ends together if they have no place else to go and secure the end of the braid by tying it at the end.

When weaving ends in, catch any stitches that are pulling away from each other (those that are creating holes; this usually happens when you've wrapped yarns 3-4 stitches from its own colour area).