Knitting Help - Intarsia vs Duplicate Stitch

When you want to add a "blob" of color to your knitting, especially circular knitting, duplicate stitch is an easy way to add the design after-the-fact. In this video I demonstrate both intarsia and duplicate stitch.
The heart chart I use in the video can be found here on my website:
verypink.com/2016/06/15/intars...
Information on things you'll see in the video:
The yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky.
The needles I used are Knitter's Pride Bamboo DPNs.
The stitch markers I used can be found here:
www.etsy.com/shop/DreamingAlice
The nail polish I'm wearing is by Julep, color "Janie":
refer.julep.com/s/stacip

[@LisaWoodcomeflywithme]

Oh my goodness you are so funny "I'm trash talking Intarsia I don't mean to ....I kinda mean too!" Haaaaa! Thank you for the option!

[@robinschwartz1275]

I don't mind you trash talking intarsia. It makes me feel better about myself because I HATE it, personally.

[@npeace312]

My 13 year old daughter doesn't like knitting but loves needlework. I am going to give her some of my work and let her go crazy with her own ideas. Thank you for sharing! I have been knitting for a couple of years and your videos are always a good to. I taught myself using KZbin and between you and Judy I caught on pretty fast. Thank you!

[@spottedlilly101]

I've been going nuts trying to figure out how to do something like this for months. You solved my problem in just 10 minutes! So simple and easy to follow, I'll definitely check out the rest of your channel! THANK YOU!!!

[@lunajade5911]

Oh thank the gods something easier than handling a ton of yarn balls! Thank you!!

[@AwkwardHangups]

I have been struggling with intarsia for so long thinking it was the 'right' way, and getting so frustrated with 'carrying yarn over' and the messiness on the wrong side. Thank you so much for this!

[@ChrisGraham456]

GENIUS! I needed this solution to fix a knitting problem and this works perfectly. I often find answers to my knitting predicaments on your channel. Thank you!

[@PSmith-pp1vi]

I remember my aunties / relatives who knit intricate designs (mainly socks, Xmas stockings ) with little spools of different colors hanging off their projects like Olympic medals. I could never quite get to that level of patience . I always felt duplicate stitch was "cheating ". Lol. Thanks for validating it. 😃

[@cathryncampbell8555]

Thanks ever so! I do not enjoy intarsia, so you can trash-talk it to your heart's delight. This is the 1st video on duplicate stitch which *makes sense* -- so THANK YOU! Now I have to find a project where I can embroider little pink hearts...or maybe a little red maple leaf (for Canadian content, eh?)....

[@dvar9789]

Hahaha. I love you! I'm using this technique from now on! (I knit the Norwegian way, but enjoy your vids so much that I just adapt everything, just to have fun and laugh while I'm listening to you.) Thx. Knitting and crocheting are my long loved therapy. And learning from you is such a pleasure. Big hug from Colombia.

[@andreasanford8814]

I am a fair isle knitter who loves making and designing hats. I have been curious about intarsia. I use duplicate stitch for lots of things and I thank you for being my teacher. Your videos on mittens and a child's sweater helped me.understand how to do it. Duplicate stitch helps me not to have to carry 3 colors in a row for fair isle.knitting in the round and I have used it to add a color to the center of flowers and dogs to Baable hats.

[@hespie3579]

I tried knitting little crabs on a sweater, unpicked it multiple times because I hated the long loops at the back of my work. I watched loads of KZbin explaining how to weave in the loops and sorted the knit row BUT couldn’t find a demonstration that dealt with the purl row. Your tutorial has saved my sanity 🙏 Thank you!

[@haydeed1]

Perfect timing I've been driving myself crazy in trying to make this hat for my husband with his school logo. This video was a life saver, thank you!

[@mishamarx6997]

You’re like my knitting soul sister. My daughter loves this Intarsia hat she found online, and wants me to make it for my grandbaby. However, I never learned Intarsia, and the one time I attempted it, it was an epic failure. I’ve been wracking my brain to think of ways I could use things I know to make it turn out Intarsia-esque, and this was one of the ways I thought of. I had no idea it was actually a thing, and it had a name! Hah! But yeah, intarsia seems crazy, and intarsia in the round can go kick sand. Thank you for making me feel not crazy. Love you! 💜

[@michellerodriguez4200]

OMG, I wish I would have found this video sooner! If I had learned this sooner, I wouldn't have spent so much time on frustrating and poorly executed intarsia projects. If I only had all that time back, I could probably knit a whole other sweater. AND now I can fully embrace patterns I avoided before! Thank you

[@SuperCharlotte85]

Wow, this has saved me so much labour - I was about to start trying to learn intarsia for a commission - no need! This is going to be so much easier, thank you!

[@janpoling9990]

Thank you so much for this video. I have been trying to use intarsia on a complicated pattern and I was going crazy. Duplicate stitch has absolutely made my day. I’m a cross stitcher so it just makes so much sense to me. Thank you so much.

[@brendadagel]

I just made a hat for my nephew using intarsia (who knew?) and it was a giant pain! I'm so glad I found this video explaining the difference and how to duplicate stitch. I think that hat will be remade. Thanks for your clear instructions and great sense of humor!

[@annistull3656]

This is very helpful--especially if I want to simplify what I'm doing with Intarsia and add extra details later with duplicate stitch (or if I miss a stitch when doing Intarsia--which miss a lot). I'm pretty new to knitting more than 2 colors. For example, I've recently discovered that trying to do a Christmas tree with presents onto a stocking is well, interesting--it looks like button holes. So your demo's of Intarsia and Duplicate will help sooo much--thank you!

[@lostinthelookingglas]

Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to figure out intarsia for a while, but none of the other tutorials made any sense to me. Now I know there’s a better way :)

[@barbarajohnson1572]

Thank you for this...LOVE the down to earth talk and now i think i will stop trying to do "intarsia" and get it right... you've shown me exactly where to go to do DS correctly..:))

[@suzannemartin5531]

Thank you so much for this terrific video. Just completed a section of Intarsia, and seeing the light regarding duplicate stitching. I probably wont do intarsia again - Whooo Hooo!

[@jjbing3]

I've been watching all your old videos (the duplicate stitch one too) that I didn't recognize you with the long hair! I like it. Good videos.

[@Salbertsson]

"I am trash talking intarsia... I don't mean to... I kinda mean to," hahaha that made me laugh. I haven't attempted intarsia myself but from the videos I have watched explaining the technique it looks like a pain in the butt. I can't imagine how you would keep all the little balls of yarn from getting tangled in a larger project, like a patterned sweater. Definitely trying duplicate stitch! :)

[@moxieinfinity9453]

I came here to add the same love for the same quote!

[@Catra7]

I think knitters must have a sense of humour to keep sane! I've knit fair isle but not intarsia so was curious about the technique. Duplicate stitch looks easy enough and a great alternative to carrying yarn behind your work. Thank you for your videos, I'm learning so much I wish I had learned many years ago!

[@greenmusicist]

Oh my goodness. This is so helpful. I was actually struggling with one of my projects. I'm going to do this Duplicate Stitch. Thank you for this video.

[@KotoriOnWheels]

I just encountered intarsia for the first time today, I am so intrigued because I am a tapestry weaver. Intarsia looks just like the way tapestries are woven. Lots of yarn butterflies of various colors. I'll bet it wouldn't be hard for me given my background. But I love knitting in the round so need to find a work around.....

[@TiffanyM3]

Many thanks for this tutorial!!! (And for presenting DS as a valid, rather than "dumbed-down" intarsia alternative!) I recently tried intarsia and even kind of got the hang of it - but I wasn't pleased that it made my otherwise reversible scarf reversible no more. Now I know DS is the way to go!

[@Cerulean1015AOL]

THANK YOU! this video is awesome! I wasn't aware of this technique, and it's funny because it once crossed my mind of embroidering a knitted piece. You have literally opened a star gate into a new dimension for me!!! 😄

[@Irunwithscissors63]

Oh my life I love you!!! I was wondering how to work a steelers logo into a blanket but this is so much simpler. I can’t wait to get started now!!! And your intarsia method is so much better than one I just saw. She used only two balls and carried the yarn across the back of her work. Can you imagine the mess?! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, and did I say... thank you!!!

[@zxzfantasykittenzxz]

Thanks for showing us this! I think this is awesome! Now, I want to make some dish cloths to use the duplicate stitch on now. I'm a novice knitter so I'm holding off learning the intarsia technique for a while.

[@dj_alboe1360]

You have made me so happy!! I have been trying so hard to learn intarsia because my son wants a doctor who, tardis hat and I planned to make him one for Christmas. I just can't seem to get intarsia and it's been driving me crazy. I so so excited to try duplicate stitches!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@tqnohe]

Hi. Tim here. During quarantine, I asked my wife to teach me to knit. And she did and I made several baby hats to add to her project ... she sends out daughter the doctor, an ob/gyn to give to babies she brings into this world. As a retire engineer, I am always trying to figure out how to do things, shall we say, differently. I figured out intarsia just by engineering it but ... what I did looked unsatisfactory to me. Then I watched the videos. It seems I did it correctly. The wrong side looked unsatisfactory. But this double stitch thing you just demonstrated! Yes! This is what I want. Thanks.

[@xMiszNacNacx]

This is brilliant! thank you! I'm a beginner knitter, but I have sewn and done embroidery before so the double stitch method is absolutely something I can incorporate into my work. Thank you for making this video!

[@ietes]

I really liked how you tried to not trash talk Intarsia! I thought you were just being honest. I have never tried it but honestly, it looks like a pain in the ass...! (: Thanks for the video.

[@michelejohnson5]

I am very new to knitting (life long crocheter) and I love your videos!!!! Please don't ever stop making them. :)

[@verypinkknits]

I won't! :)

[@emilysmith2784]

You should try knooking. It’s knitting with a crochet hook and amazing!!

[@aleushadrake3704]

oh my gosh! that's so easy and I never would have thought of it, thank you so much!

[@ojtopntai]

I have knit intarsia and am an advanced beginner , it was quite interesting but very tough , all of the new colors hanging off your project. I knitted a sailboat in intarsia and thought I was going nuts , ha!!

[@busyjanine]

Thank you so much!! This is so much easier and a great answer to patterns! I'm looking forward to trying it and see what the back looks like in both actually.

[@theastewart6721]

I laughed too! This was so funny as well as informative! I guess what I've done in the past is Intarsia. Now I'm doing Fair Isle as I am knitting in the round. I'll have to give duplicate stitch a try! Again, too funny!! Thanks. Laughter is always a good thing!

[@lindakilgore2298]

Hey i love intarsia! 😜 And I also like duplicate stitch (although it has its own set of issues). I added a Green Bay Packer logo to a Christmas stocking (your pattern!) using a free web tool and duplicate stitch.

[@soniag4942]

Would you mind sharing which free web tool you used to create the logo? Please 🙏 and thank you!

[@torir0x]

Wow this looks so much easier than intarsia! Now I can't wait to letter some pieces!!!!

[@PrincessFidelma]

THANK YOU! I have been working on a pair of socks with an intarsa pattern on-and-off for almost a year (after months of struggling with the heels I found your GSR heel video earlier this year and I finally finished the foot part!!) I have an attempt, get frustrated by how bad/loose/bunched-up the colour work looks (even twisting the yarns didn’t help), rip it out and put it away for another couple of months! I had thought of Swiss darning the pattern in, but found the thought of it pretty daunting. I’m sure this video has helped lots, Thanks 

[@gwenfahlgren5824]

Bot did I get myself in a pickle! I offered to knit a sweater for my granddaughters 8th birthday. She picked the pattern. Ahh. It's intarsia! It has three colors and has big flowers covering it. I don't think I could use your duplicate stitch method because I would have to knit the whole sweater first. Wish me luck! I hope I can pull it off. I did pick up some good tips from you on changing colors. Thank you.

[@jeanettev1431]

thanks for this video. it was really helpful and i giggled at your "trash talk".

[@nicolasmith1460]

I too struggle with intarsia. The inside is so messy. Will try duplicate particularly on socks with a heart motive just at the front. Perfect. You’re a genius. Thanks.

[@jess5085]

this was unexpectedly funny XD I appreciate your honesty when it comes to not liking intarsia and I agree duplicate stitching is so much easier and gets the job done

[@LilMissWampyre]

It’s like cross stitching on knitted fabric. Love it!

[@mybanditboxer]

I just love all your videos. You are the BEST TEACHER!!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@ReadingisMagicTV]

Great little video showing options.

[@clairel7552]

i tried intarsia for the first time today and i hates it! thank you for this, i’m glad there’s an alternative 🙂

[@Bethabara9]

I know ahead of time that trying to keep four balls of yarn untangled, not loose my place in the chart, remember to twist my stitches and have all those hole generating ends to weave in, that I'm going to LOVE duplicate stitch much better! Thankyou, you just saved my sweater ! Added note, I tried this but used a very long piece of yarn that somehow didn't get pulled thru all the way. A bit difficult to RIP out but much easier still yet!

[@adshaikh]

Thank you for such great instructions and the pattern! Just what I was looking for!

[@BloomByCC]

That looks very meditative. Thank you!

[@ordinarygirlkay]

Thank you so very much for this video!! I think you've saved my sanity!! :)

[@velma7007]

Thanks for help! I was trying to figure out how to add a picture like in fair isle w/o carrying the strands around the width of the hat. Worked great :) Love your videos!

[@BluestormsSong]

I'm chuckling at how she talk about intarsia, because I've done it, and it really is a pain. But with this, putting paw prints on stuff is going to be so much easier.

[@eb4416]

This is so cool! I learned how to knit intarsia in a round and it might be heavy for beginners but is interesting to wrap your head around. Anyways I love the easy alternative! Thank you very much! 🙏👏

[@KotoriOnWheels]

Where did you learn that? Link or book?

[@lennardvanetten9764]

Thank you, finally a decent explanation of duplicate stitch!

[@katharinanickel4319]

I am just about 25% into a hat that said to use intarsia for its pattern and I got here thinking this can't be the only way to do it, it's sooo tedious! Thank you much for this video, that hat's getting a do over!

[@dikla1235]

thank you finally someone explaine in a tutorial how to do the duplicate stitch.

[@leslie1312]

This is the exact help I was looking for! Thank you thank you!

[@Orcael]

Ugh I made this intarsia shawl/wrap once. Some Southwestern-looking motif. You look at it and think, "Oh those blocks of color are huge, I won't need that many changes." Before you know it, just based on a little change in shape, you've got a dozen bobbins hanging down and you want to set yourself on fire. It was too big of course for duplicate stitch -- that'd have taken years -- but it was enough to tell me I don't really *need* to ever do intarsia again.

[@kannylane9597]

Beautiful!!! I want to make it already!!

[@diannelinden1413]

This is what I needed to know. I have as trying to knit a Kate Fasset pattern using both intarsia and fair isle. It didn’t work. Now I get it. I just didn’t realize that intarsia doesn’t work in the round. THANKS.

[@trance2612]

I needed this, thank you! Works great for pixel art!

[@danbev8542]

Thanks so much for this! I just watched TWO videos on knitting intarsia in the round! There might be a good application for some expert knitters, but I think I’m taking YOUR advice for my project! I’m knitting a “Santa Pillow” (KnitPicks pattern). It’s a fair isle pillow, knit in the round, & both sides of the pillow are covered in about 100 interlocking Santas knit in red & white (also tan face with black eyes) - the Santas look like ‘lil Scandinavian gnomes & I think it would be fun to make just ONE Santa in a different color. Duplicate stitch it is! If it doesn’t look good, I can easily rip it out.

[@homeschoolinginpa]

Thank you! So frustrated trying to make a Christmas pillow that says joy in cursive!!! I’m taking it apart and finishing this way! ;-)

[@sereniticat2]

How did you go? Also merry late Christmas!

[@homeschoolinginpa]

@@sereniticat2 thank you! Merry Christmas very late! I am still working on it- haha. Because of COVID, we haven’t seen my in-laws in months, so I am taking my time. I guess I better step it up since they should be getting the vaccine soon!

[@sarahward5648]

Thank you 🙏 really struggling with intarsia but this will help me finish my granddaughters cardigan before she is too big for it .... lol 😂 ( keep undoing my intarsia as I am not happy with it & loosing patience)

[@Pipsqwak]

Thank you! I spent hours looking for techniques to put a Finnish flag on a hat knitted in the round and all the options - stranded knitting, intarsia - looked like a complicated mess and every video had some different and complicated way you have to “turn” your work like it was flat instead of round, and work backward and do yarnovers and ssk or K2tog stitches to hide the join. Looked like too much trouble for me. The duplicate stitch will be super easy to do for a simple rectangular pattern in two colors. Thanks for saving me hours and hours of experimentation and frustration!

[@lilian9604]

This is fantastic..the duplicate stitch, thanks 😊

[@dresden]

I've done intarsia on a hat and basically I had to knit it "flat" while attaching the ends through some really convoluted twisting. it ended up having holes which i had to weave in my ends to try to cover it up. it was a learning experience, and I probably should have had A LOT more experience with knitting before I got into it.

[@diannep6945]

Lol a little bit of trash talk but that’s why I love your tutorials you are so real…ty

[@sallybarker2409]

I love the heart. I've been trying to figure out HOW to do that. Thanks

[@NaduaGarbe]

I like very much this duplicate thing....Thank you.

[@mickeysingh4702]

thank you so much staci! you practiccaly solved all my problems ;)

[@kaylamarie8907]

Intarsia definitely does work in the round, and I'd love to see a video description of it,

[@hijabisma]

This was so helpful! thank you!

[@KaySayra]

Great! Thank you so much for the lesson x

[@marilyn6068]

Well, that is a great video. I am doing a hockey logo on a sweater, not in the round. The first try was colour pattern knitting which seemed so loose. Tore it out and tried the fair isle knitting which made the logo design bumpy ( I think some of the back strands were too tight). Not happy! Going to give duplicate stitch a try. Three times and out!!

[@donnaemorris1522]

I knit a pokeball shaped baby blanket with intarsia. I did work back and forth, but I connected the end as I worked. It is a round blanket.

[@donnaemorris1522]

I hate hand sewing stuff though. 🤣🤣

[@bowling_with_yarn]

Love that! I must try it

[@beckyphillips4127]

You are so good! Thank you. Going to give duplicate stitch a try. I wonder if it would make the knitting obviously bulky, especially if there were a lot of "blobs" together, such as doing a floral design. I'll give it a try. And thanks, I have learned SO much from you!

[@sarastickar1824]

An interesting video. I just used your technique on a baby sweater :)

[@losamccoy9648]

OMG I love this idea I have tried Intarsia and failed horribly thank you thank you for sharing.

[@nitarachmawati6873]

thank you for your tutorial video i love it and i wiil try this tutorial soon :)

[@Mrgreen1110]

Thanks a bunch!!! I’m so tired of tapestry crochet and intarsia

[@Crow.c]

You can also make your own chart with graph paper 📝

[@jasmintripathy6280]

I am knitting a sweater right now that uses intarsia. I did not know what that was called but I ended up making 7 balls of yarn to use for a mini diamond in my cardigan. It is nice to learn intarsia but it is a lot of yarn to untwist in the end.

[@Kri5tinaaaaa]

I love love love your videos. Can you possibly make a video on how to read charts and pattern abbreviations please.

[@verypinkknits]

I can't really do a video on pattern abbreviations, since there aren't really any standards, and they vary from designer to designer. But here is my video on chart reading: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnulgGmGr7aYisU

[@gaiatarantino5448]

I totally agree with you Staci, I do prefer duplicate stitch to Intarsia. However, my only issue with it it's I never know how much yarn I need to complete the design. I always end up with a couple of tails in the middle of it, and that is really annoying. Thanks for this video!

[@verypinkknits]

When I'm working duplicate stitch, I always just cut myself a length of yarn that is easy to work with (not necessarily enough to complete the whole color design), and if I run out, start a new strand. The ends are easy enough to weave in when you're finished, I find it more difficult to fight with a loooong strand of yarn while I'm trying to make neat stitches.

[@gaiatarantino5448]

Cool, that's exactly what I do. I tried using longer strands but they get in the way and sometimes they untwist. Thanks a lot for your answer! :)

[@Thisisace]

This was so useful. Thank you. :-)

[@millieo.5325]

Awesome; thank you...🤗

[@lauradelacosta]

Good point. I like this video

[@jwhyte0427]

I've never done it but know of some who have worked intarsia in the round by slipping the stitches of the colour piece and then purling the yarn back across the colour piece. That section is then slipped again for that row. When you come to the colour piece again, the yarn is in the correct place. So, you knit round on the odd rows and do the slip/purl/slip for the colourwork on the even rows.

[@jwhyte0427]

BTW, this would drive me batty unless it was a small motif but it would be effective.

[@KnitAnd]

I tried this technique on a hat with a somewhat intricate design, the result was not pretty! XD I think it may give a better result on a more "blocky" motif, but I haven't experimented further. Although just typing this kinda makes me want to play with it again.. .What have I done...

[@daraswan3601]

I’ve been doing intarsia in the round, i just pull the yarn and let it be loose to get it to where I need it. So there’s just a lot of string to cut and weave in at the end lol. Im looking forward to trying duplicate stitch and intarsia has been driving me crazy

[@twentynineteen4687]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[@adabee]

What’s the best way to weave in ends so I don’t have extra color peeking out? Can’t wait to try this!

[@RunRaeRun]

I was so worried the knitting police would bust down my door the minute I started "cheating" with going over pre-existing knit clothes like this. Good to know this technique. And good to know I wont be tossed in knitting jail for doing it.

[@verypinkknits]

You might go to jail for it, but knitting jail isn't so bad. :)

[@morganackerly721]

Thank you.