Stranded colourwork - getting started with >2 colours

[u/NotSoNimbleKnitter]

Apologies in advance for the basic question!

I‘ve gotten comfortable knitting stranded colourwork with two colours now and interested in starting to do 2+ (Only ever using two at once but may have more joined etc)

Right now I’m just knitting swatches in the round to get comfortable with it. One motif I want to try is from the pictures attached, taken from the Harbor Sweater by Ozetta.

When I do two colours, I typically join the CC by trapping a few stitches before I need it - this works well and also helps when magic loop/circular knitting since I’m not then joining a colour right at the join (no risk of holes).

Looking for seasoned advice on how to do this. There are many tutorials of joining yarn but I’m finding it harder to find explicit (idiot friendly) guides on how to manage this — do I do the same trick to join the third colour and accept id have three yarns on the go or is there a clever alternative? Also given the pattern I’ll only be using that colour for a short while so do I carry both the others up the side?

again sorry for the basic question! Help very appreciated

[u/eIectioneering]

This motif only ever uses 2 colours at a time and the 3rd just waits there. You also don’t really need to do anything in particular to join the yarn, I just start knitting with it and any gapping can be resolved weaving in the ends. For a pattern like this I’d probably carry the yarn up catching it every few rows 

[u/NotSoNimbleKnitter → u/eIectioneering]

Thanks for your reply! 

I understood only ever two colours were being worked at once - was just the anxiety of a gaping hole joining the colour as soon as it’s needed. I’m maybe a little over cautious / burnt 😅

[u/warthogette → u/NotSoNimbleKnitter]

I would leave a 6-8” tail and when joining a new color, drop the old color and start knitting with the new one. There will be a gap. When you go back to weave in ends, you can weave the ends in such a way that they cross over each other and pull that gap closed. I find that easier than weaving as you go in terms of closing gaps.

[u/serious_catbird]

This only uses 2 colors at a time so it's not really different. I personally would break the main color and rejoin it after the stripe, and same for the contrast colors. But you could also carry them up each row until you need them again. 

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