There are many ways to join a new skein of yarn when working through a project, but this is Julie's favorite technique. By splitting the plies and overlapping the ends, you create a nearly invisible join with no ends to weave in later!
For more tutorials on different ways to join yarn, check out our FREE On Demand Class: Multiple Ways to Join Yarn Ends.
Split the plies of both yarn ends in half for at least 4" (10 cm).
If you are working with an even number of plies, split both ends in half. For instance, if you are working with a 4-ply yarn, untwist 2 plies.
If you are working with an odd number of plies, split both ends so that they will equal number of plies when overlapped. For instance, if you are working with a 3-ply yarn, untwist 1 ply on one end and 2 plies on the other end.
Overlap one split strand from each side (if there are an odd number of plies, choose one with fewer plies, one with more) by at least 3" (~8cm) in the center, leaving the other untwisted plies hanging. You will have two yarn tails on either end, including the working yarn.
Optional: Twist the overlapped strands together so that they are easier to hold.
Begin to knit with your overlapped yarn. Once you reach the end of your overlap, drop your previous yarn and begin knitting with your new yarn.
Trim your yarn tails. Julie prefers to trim to about 1/4" (1/2 cm) and fluff them up a bit so they won't pull back through to the other side.
Comments
Hi Ilah!
Yes, it works well with plant based yarns, with one modification. Instead of just snipping yarn ends afterward, you may want to duplicate stitch them in for a little ways to keep the area around the join neat.
Hello Cocoknits! I love this technique for all my wool yarns. Will this technique work on Cotton/plant based yarns at all? Wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to try it out on the pima cotton I am using, so thought I’d ask the knitting goddesses first!
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