My time with making Fair Isles isn't long enough to have stood the test of a lot of wearing and washing. So far so good with the steek stitches holding up crocheted. I never knot or tie on. Instead I spit splice so there are no ends hanging ever. The splice ends up being the yarn that is used up while knitting the steek. First steek I ever cut was on a sweater purchased at GoodWill and cut up for practice. Sure took some of the terror away over cutting a sweater you worked on for months.

Good explanation of spit splice with photos at http://morcatknits.typepad.com/spitsplicing/2005/03/or_how_to_join_.html

Even better would be working a Russian Join. See http://www.knittinganyway.com/freethings/russianjoin.htm I haven't tried it yet but I wonder why you couldn't prepare the yarn for a Russian Join like you do for spit splice and then fold them back and spit splice instead of sewing with a needle. I'll have to try that.

I do nine stitch steeks with the colors arranged like this with 1 being the pattern and 2 being the background

First row - 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

Second Row - 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2

Third row - 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

Fourth row - 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2

See how the center three stitches always have the background on either side of the center patten color? When you crochet half of the 3rd stitch to half of the 4th stitch it is easy to see which stitch you are using because of the alternating colors. Same when you crochet half of the sixth stitch to half of the seventh. The middle fifth stitch is the guide line used to cut the steek after the crochet is done.

The photos show the steek I'm working with now and also a finished crocheted steek on the Marina sweater both on the front band and inside the armhole. I tacked down the front but not the armhole which lies flat.