The perhaps easiest way to join in a new yarn in knitting – no weaving in ends required
Over the years, I’ve turned joining in yarn into a science. Not all methods work with every fiber and for all projects. There is, however, one version that really sticks out. I call it “Trim, Overlap & Felt”. It’s both super invisible, super secure, and quite easy. Plus, you don’t need to weave in any ends either. How awesome is that?
This way to join in a new ball is a mixture of the Russian join (secure but requires a tapestry needle) and the overlap join – so to speak, the best of both worlds. And the best part: it works for all slightly feltable fibers (so basically anything with a bit of sheep wool in it).
The strength of the join, however, does not depend on it and this is why it’s superior to the standard spit splice. Plus, because you trim away the excess before you add the new ball, you don’t end up with a visible transition, knot, or noticeable ridge.
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Instructions: How to join yarn with the trim, overlap & felt method
This method of joining in a new ball works for every yarn that you can felt a bit. Sheep wool, alpaca, cashmere, camel hair, and blends thereof. You cannot use it for cotton, linen, and other plant-based fibers.
Note: I am using yarn in two colors for demonstration purposes only.
Materials
- Any feltable yarn works. I am using the Pascuali Tibetan yarn in this tutorial (70% merino, 30% yak)
Tools
- Scissors
Instructions
- Undo the plies on either end for around 4 inches or 10 cm.
- Using your scissors, trim away half of the yarn you've just undone. If it's a 2-ply yarn (like in this case), cut of one strand. If you are working with a 4-ply yarn, cut off 2 strands, and with a 6-ply yarn, you'd cut away 3 strands.
- Cross the two ends.
- Overlap the end of the old yarn until it touches the point where you've trimmed it in step 1. This will create a loop. The new yarn should be nestled inside this loop. You will work on it later on.
- Using a bit of spit or water, wet the spot where the two ends touch.
- Place this side of the join in the palm of your hand and rub the back of your hand across it vigorously until your hands get noticeably warm. This should felt the two ends together.
Note: This step prevents the ends from sticking out later. The strength of your join does not depend on it.
- Similarly overlap the new yarn until the two ends meet.
- Wet the spot where the two ends touch.
- Then felt them together as well by rubbing your hands together with the join firmly placed in between.
- Continue knitting according to your pattern. This is actually the most important part of the join. Even if the felted join would come undone later on, the natural friction of your knitted fabric would prevent your project from unraveling due to the overlap.
Notes
Please be aware that this method doesn't work for any sort of colorwork since it will be very hard to time the transition consistently.
You may also consider adding twist to the loop before you felt. While not mandatory, this can add further durability and make things even more invisible
This has become my favored method for sweaters, hats, and other projects where you cannot hide the tail in the seams, etc. It’s just so invisible, you don’t need a tapestry needle, and it creates a very strong join for almost all yarns.
Of course, it doesn’t work for cotton yarns and it’s not a possibility if you plan to do any form of colorwork. For intarsia projects, Twist and Weave is still my favorite way to add a new color, while “Weave in as you go” might be my preference for Fair Isle projects.
And if you need to join in a new color at the beginning of a row, the Looped Join is the better option – especially if you still need the old color as well.
Either way, that’s how to join in yarn using the trim, overlap, and felt method. Comment below if you have any questions.
This is such an awesome idea! I can’t wait to try it tonight.
This is great! I love all your tips & the way you keep it real – use a bit of spit lol 😆
This is brilliant! I did the Russian join but it’s just too fat. You are so smart!!! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this! Just implemented it on some baby alpaca: worked like a charm! I am singing your praises far & wide. Genius!
Hi Norman
I am currently knitting a striped scarf with a yarn that is a blend of lambs wool and cotton. The pattern suggest splicing the yarn for the striped section of the scarf to avoid weaving in all the ends later. I want the work to look good on both sides and avoid a “multi-coloured “ spliced section. I like the idea of using the trim, overlap and felt method to join in a new colour, but is there a way of timing the join so that it always occurs at the end of a row?
Many thanks
Well, somehow, yes. You could knit to the end of the row. mark that spot (with a pin or so), unravel, then do the join and pray that it ends up right. Doable but anoying and not 100% accurate.
Do the cut pieces ever pop out of the body during wear? If so, would it help to feather the ends and felt them in also? For example, for each side of yarn, taper the fibers of the cut ply on the main yarn, and the cut end of the looped part. The overlap the tapered parts and felt too so there isn’t a flat cut butting against a flat cut? I’m not sure if that description made any sense, but on reading the instructions it came to mind.
Thank you for such a wonderful and understandable resource, and for using images and words rather than videos when you explain.
Sure, you can absolutely go the extra mile. Mostly it does not make any difference really.