Joining Yarn

There are many different ways to join a new length of yarn to the one that is already being used. Like most knitting techniques, the method you choose depends on your personal preference and the specific project situation. Experiment with each and pick what works best for you!

This is perhaps the trickiest 2-color join to maneuver, but it works out the nicest in the end. Practice it a few times and you should be well on your way. If you knit in the English style, anchor the old yarn with your left hand. If you knit in the Continental style, anchor the old yarn with your right hand. Photographs show the English method.

Stop knitting a few stitches before the place where you want to change yarn color.

Loop the new yarn around the old yarn. Double the tails back and hold the new yarn tail with it’s working yarn in your right hand. Anchor the old yarn tail around the fingers of your left hand.

Adjust the tension on the old yarn so that you have enough to complete the last stitches before the color change. In the example, enough yarn is left to knit three more stitches in the old color (pink) before switching to the new color (gray). You can estimate how much you need by wrapping the yarn around the needle. One wrap is approximate to one stitch.

Begin working the stitches. Keep the old yarn held in place until you have worked the stitches leading up to the new color.

Work three stitches in the new color and then drop the yarn tail.

Continue knitting with the working yarn only.

When working the next row or round, remember to work the stitches with 2 strands of yarn together as one stitch. Several rows later, you can trim the yarn tails to about an inch long. If you are using slippery yarn, consider weaving them in a bit more for security.

This join introduces the second color of yarn by securing it to the first color of yarn with a slip knot. The yarn ends are worked back into the fabric later on using duplicate stitch.

Knit to the point in your work where you need to start a new color.

Make a slip knot in the new yarn and thread the old yarn through the slip knot.

Slide the slip knot up the old yarn until it meets the back of the fabric. Tighten it lightly.

Begin knitting with the new yarn. The slip knot anchor will hold the end in place so that your initial stitches remain even.

Knit several rows past your join. Go back to the temporary slip knot and undo it.

Twist the yarn ends around one another once to avoid leaving a hole in the work.

Work each yarn end in back along its matching strand using duplicate stitch.

Leave the yarn ends so that they fall into a matching color area. This will help to prevent them from showing on the other side of the fabric.

This is a magical join method that utilizes felting to blend old yarn into new. Note: The yarn must be an animal fiber capable of felting for this to work. Here, the method is shown with two different colored yarns, as if joining to prepare for colorwork in the midst of a knitted piece. Make sure you leave at least 5 inches of the previous ball available before you begin felting in the new ball. You will need the slack when performing the felting.

First, separate the plies of one end of the yarn to be joined into two separate groups.

Unravel about 2 inches worth and snip away half of the strands. Do the same for the end of the other ball of yarn to be joined with this one.

Wet the yarn ends (using water or saliva) and fold over an inch of each yarn end, hooking them around one another. Lay these in the center of your palm.

Create agitation between your palms or against your pant leg. Roll vigorously back and forth beneath your palm until yarn begins to felt to itself at each hook.

You will be left with a fine looking, neat and seamless join.

This is an easy join and works well on those yarns that cannot be felted. It requires a yarn needle. It can make things easier if you use a small needle and break the yarn end instead of cutting it. When you break the yarn, the tapered end it creates allows the tail to pass more smoothly through the shaft of the yarn.

First, thread one of your yarn ends on a yarn needle.

Insert the needle back into the strand of yarn and draw it through about two inches worth (depending on how slippery the yarn is you can increase or decrease this measurement), making sure to keep it inside the wound plies.

Pull the needle and yarn tail out along the strand of yarn, leaving a loop at the end.

Thread the other piece of yarn on the needle and pass it through the loop you created with the first length of yarn.

Run this yarn back along itself as you did with the first.

Tug on the yarn ends to tighten the loops.

Trim the remaining excess yarn.

No, you are not mistaken! This method of joining does involve a knot of sorts, even though they are usually avoided at all costs in knitting. This knot is smoother than most and will not slip. The ends can be woven in afterwards.

Begin by making a slip knot in one of the lengths of yarn.

Thread the second yarn end through the slip knot loop.

Grasp both ends of the yarn that holds the slip knot and pull them slowly as if to undo the knot.

Stop pulling once the second color of yarn gets drawn through (in the example, the pink yarn has been drawn through the grey).

Tug on the two lengths of working yarn to tighten the join. Continue knitting and weave in the ends later.

This is the easiest way to join a new ball of yarn in the same color. It also conveniently secures the yarn ends so you can avoid darning them later on. You can knit in the new ball of yarn anywhere, but it is best to place it somewhere that is less visible, like under the arm or by a seam so that the stitches worked with two strands will not stand out.

Hold the remainder of the old ball of yarn together with the beginning of the new ball of yarn. Wrap these together around your hand as you would a single strand of yarn you were going to knit with.

Knit the next three stitches with both strands held together.

Drop the strand from the old ball of yarn and keep knitting on with the new ball.

When you come to these 3 stitches in your next row or round, be sure that you work the double strands together as one stitch.

Later on, go back and trim the yarn ends hanging on the wrong side of the work. Leave about an inch of tail so they can’t work themselves loose.