We’ve all done it. Don’t even try to deny it. Happily knitting along and
What to do, what to do. Well, in keeping with the Valentine’s theme this week, we’re going to learn how to marry yarns together. And you thought only people could get married?
So, you’ve run out of yarn. You could frog back to the beginning of the row and add in a new skein there, or you could join the yarn where it meets, eliminating both the visit to the frog pond and also weaving in ends later.
There are quite a few ways to join yarns.
If it’s at least 75% wool, you can do what’s called a “spit splice” (easier to do than it is to say!). Just pull the ends apart so they are wispy, lay the two yarn ends side by side going in opposite directions, spit in your hand and rub your hands together vigourously until the heat and friction felt the ends together. (I personally, although a farmer and used to yucky stuff, find this disgusting, but I always have a water bottle handy anyway, perfect substitution!)
You could do a Russian Join, where you loop the ends over each other and then, using a needle, thread the ends back into the yarn, pulling it tight. Hard to explain without pictures or a video, so go here:
Tess Knits also has a pretty good page explaning different yarn joins.
Do a Google search for “joining yarns” (I do loves me my Google!) and you’ll get hundreds of websites all just chomping at the bit to show you how to do this most wonderful, easy technique.
sm00bs says
January 16, 2009 at 7:27 amI hate the spit splice as well. I can’t ever get mine to work (even on 100% wool – not superwash). I *love* the Russian join and it’s all I’ve used ever since learning it!