# how does the intarsia carriage work?



## jolkmck (Jan 31, 2017)

Hi, I'm thinking of buying an intarsia carriage KA 8210 for my brother KH900. However I'm not entirely sure how the intarsia carriage works, I understand I have to manually select the yarn and lay it over the selected needles, but will the intarsia carriage select the needles for me according to a pattern I programme in? 

Thanks in advance


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## silversurfer (Nov 25, 2013)

The intarsia carriage pulls out all the needles ready for you to lay the yarn over the needles, as when weaving, as required for each colour. You lay the yarns over the needles as per the chart you are following. You then push the intarsia carriage across to knit the row. You tube will have videos showing you this.


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Wonder why the manuf made some K carriages with and others without an intarsia setting on their hold slides...
D Sullivan did a youtube vidoe, picture knitting without an intarsia carriage last September;

http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2016/09/new-video-picture-knitting-without.html


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## jolkmck (Jan 31, 2017)

yes I saw that video, she moves the needles manually with the K carriage set to partial knitting, I did give it a go, but wondered how much quicker it would be with an intarsia carriage?


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## Rita in Raleigh (Aug 20, 2011)

jolkmck said:


> Hi, I'm thinking of buying an intarsia carriage KA 8210 for my brother KH900. However I'm not entirely sure how the intarsia carriage works, I understand I have to manually select the yarn and lay it over the selected needles, but will the intarsia carriage select the needles for me according to a pattern I programme in?
> 
> Thanks in advance


The intarsia carriage moves all the needles in work into D or upper working position so that you can manually put the yarn into the hooks. It does not read the pattern from the electronic or punchcard.

When you have put the yarn into the hooks, you pass the intarsia carriage over the needles (while holding a bit of tension on the free end of the yarn....use a clothes pin or something similar to provide the minor tension) and the carriage moves the needles back to knit and puts the needles again in D position.


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## Rita in Raleigh (Aug 20, 2011)

In the past I have knit intarsia on my bulky machine with no intarsia carriage and that km does not have an intarsia setting. I just carefully pulled all the needed needles to D or even E (it was easier to use the plastic needle pusher using the flat side). Then I laid the yarn into the hooks, weighted the free end of yarn with a clothes pin not up close to the bed but closer to the floor, and knit the row. I had to make sure to cross the different yarns where I changed colors (you do this too when using the intarsia carriage). Then I ran the unthreaded main carriage across the needles and it knit!

So for each row I
pulled all needles to either D or to E
laid yarn in the hooks
ran the main carriage (set to knit NOT hold)across the needles

That is all!! I did follow a chart to make the picture (Santa) 

It really was pretty quick, except when the yarns got tangled because I had to cross them each row. 

I have done this with a Santa Christmas stocking and with a Cow hat! Once you get into the rhythm it is not hard!!


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

I had one and never used it. If you use a long ruler to push all the Ns to D and knit with your machines K carriage your tension will be the same between a front and back section if you were knitting a sweater for ex.


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## Azzara (Jan 23, 2014)

KateWood said:


> I had one and never used it. If you use a long ruler to push all the Ns to D and knit with your machines K carriage your tension will be the same between a front and back section if you were knitting a sweater for ex.


Good point Kate. 
My Intarsia carriage knits at a slightly different tension setting then my main carriage so I need to knit swatches and adjust the tension settings to match or use my main carriage.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

the intarsia carriage works as explained above, but it would be rare to use both intarsia and pattern sts together...they would both draw away from the other...


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## sharronaw (Jul 12, 2013)

Thanks for starting this topic- I have been thinking of trying intarsia and found this helpful. Sharron


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

deemail said:


> the intarsia carriage works as explained above, but it would be rare to use both intarsia and pattern sts together...they would both draw away from the other...


The plain stitch tension swatches are off from one carriage to the other, swatches need to be knit from both carriages.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

KateWood said:


> The plain stitch tension swatches are off from one carriage to the other, swatches need to be knit from both carriages.


I don't mean tension, I mean it would be too busy.... why would you do complex color work with fancy sts...they would not complement each other.


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

deemail said:


> I don't mean tension, I mean it would be too busy.... why would you do complex color work with fancy sts...they would not complement each other.


Who suggested knitting intarsia with fancy stitch patterns Dee? I think you have just misread or simply read something into what wasn't actually written


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Azzara said:


> Good point Kate.
> My Intarsia carriage knits at a slightly different tension setting then my main carriage so I need to knit swatches and adjust the tension settings to match or use my main carriage.


Precisely what I meant


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

KateWood said:


> Who suggested knitting intarsia with fancy stitch patterns Dee? I think you have just misread or simply read something into what wasn't actually written


in the OP, she mentions the "intarsia carriage working with the pattern she programmed in"......that's why I thought she was talking about getting the two to work together...


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

deemail said:


> in the OP, she mentions the "intarsia carriage working with the pattern she programmed in"......that's why I thought she was talking about getting the two to work together...


Dee I think you have got confused. Kate is saying that if you use an intarsia carriage to do the front of a garment that has a motif on it, and then you use the main carriage to do the back and sleeves that are plain knit/stocking stitch, you will have to do two swatches. One for each carriage used.
I can't see where you have got......intarsia carriage working with the pattern she programmed in".......from.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

jolkmck Joined: Jan 31, 2017 Posts: 14

Hi, I'm thinking of buying an intarsia carriage KA 8210 for my brother KH900. However I'm not entirely sure how the intarsia carriage works, I understand I have to manually select the yarn and lay it over the selected needles, but will the intarsia carriage select the needles for me according to a pattern I programme in? 

above is the original post...I know KateWood is very experienced in machine knitting, so she knows what she was talking about...but at no point in this question do I see anything about tension or the K carriage...she asked about the operation of the intarsia carriage selection process and how that affected the pattern she programmed in....... I'm going to assume she has found help with what you have all been saying, but I'm not confused about the original post... KateWood is experienced and helpful and I'm sure she can handle whatever jolkmck needs.


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## MKDesigner (Jan 27, 2014)

KateWood said:


> Wonder why the manuf made some K carriages with and others without an intarsia setting on their hold slides...
> D Sullivan did a youtube vidoe, picture knitting without an intarsia carriage last September;
> http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2016/09/new-video-picture-knitting-without.html


Hi Kate
I have the Brother 400 carriage that I use on the 390 ( plastic bed convertible) machine. It has an Intarsia setting. The 390 carriage doesn't. I don't know about other machines.
Marge


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

deemail said:


> jolkmck Joined: Jan 31, 2017 Posts: 14
> 
> Hi, I'm thinking of buying an intarsia carriage KA 8210 for my brother KH900. However I'm not entirely sure how the intarsia carriage works, I understand I have to manually select the yarn and lay it over the selected needles, but will the intarsia carriage select the needles for me according to a pattern I programme in?
> 
> above is the original post...I know KateWood is very experienced in machine knitting, so she knows what she was talking about...but at no point in this question do I see anything about tension or the K carriage...she asked about the operation of the intarsia carriage selection process and how that affected the pattern she programmed in....... I'm going to assume she has found help with what you have all been saying, but I'm not confused about the original post... KateWood is experienced and helpful and I'm sure she can handle whatever jolkmck needs.


Oh Dee, I think that when Jolkmck asked
........but will the intarsia carriage select the needles for me according to a pattern I programme in?........
she was actually referring to a motif pattern that she would program in not another/extra pattern.

Basically the question she asked was....
If she selected a motif pattern from say Stitch World.....programmed that into her machine....did the intarsia carriage select the needles (as the normal carriage does when knitting other patterns) in order for her to know what needles to lay her yarn over.

Your comments after the original question seem to make Kate and myself think that you thought Kate was referring to an extra pattern along with a motif pattern.

Although tensions were not originally asked about, I do think that it was a good idea that Kate pointed out that if you use the intarsia carriage for one garment piece, then obviously use the main carriage for the other garment pieces you do need to do two swatches. If someone as never used a intarsia carriage before then they wouldn't know this till after they had finished their garment and they came to stitching it up... so the added extra info was very beneficial.


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## jolkmck (Jan 31, 2017)

Rita in Raleigh said:


> The intarsia carriage moves all the needles in work into D or upper working position so that you can manually put the yarn into the hooks. It does not read the pattern from the electronic or punchcard.
> 
> When you have put the yarn into the hooks, you pass the intarsia carriage over the needles (while holding a bit of tension on the free end of the yarn....use a clothes pin or something similar to provide the minor tension) and the carriage moves the needles back to knit and puts the needles again in D position.


Thanks, makes sense now!


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## Rita in Raleigh (Aug 20, 2011)

Glad we could help you.


jolkmck said:


> Thanks, makes sense now!


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## The Knitmaster (May 28, 2014)

If you live in the UK I have one for sale, never been used.


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