Hiding Knit Tails and Joins
Never Have to Weave in a Color Change Tail Again with This Trick
Many knitters have strong negative feelings about weaving in tails when changing colors in a project. Avoid weaving with this trick.
If a piece has a multitude of tails, such as Scrap Knitting can produce, weaving in all those tails at the time of the completion of the item can be a nightmare. Here is a big trick to hide those tails while knitting, so they don’t have to be addressed at the very end of the project.
As an aside, the knitter can choose to not weave in at all, and make it a design element. But, not all projects will be amenable to this tactic. If this route is chosen, however, be sure to tie off the yarn tails so that they do not pull out of the item.
Joining in New Yarn
There are several ways to go about this. Knitting with two yarns together for a few inches does get the job done, but it also adds bulk to your work. Sometimes it shows, sometimes not. It may be acceptable, especially when using bulky yarns.
Joining the Russian Way
A rather well-known way to join is the Russian Join. Many knitters don’t need this much accuracy, but it’s nice to know how to do it when an item is being made that must be close to perfection.
Joining Using the Quick Trick
Here comes the big trick. Color changes can happen quite often during a knitting project. Let’s go through an example, and a step-by-step picture sequence, as well; the pictures will aid in the understanding of the technique.
Figure 1: A color change is being made here, from black to white. The black yarn has been cut off and is now a tail. The white yarn is being brought in; leave about a 4 inch tail of the new yarn. The goal for this row is to hide the black tail while the white yarn is being joined in. The white tail will be taken care of on the next go-around. For now, ignore the white tail as we are hiding the black tail.
Begin the knit stitch, but halt right after the throw or the pick (that is, after the new yarn has been wrapped in a counterclockwise direction around the right needle.)
Right at this point, cross over the working yarn and the tail. Then, follow through with the knit stitch. Continue until that row is completed.
Figure 2: The black tail has been hidden on the wrong side of the fabric. Take a look at the silver hook in Figure 2 that is pointing at the tail’s end. The rest of it has been hidden under the white stitches throughout the row.
Now, knit all the way back. It’s time to hide the white tail.
Figure 3: Do the same thing with the white tail as was done with the black tail. Figure 3 shows how the white tail has been hidden in the white yarn.
Joining Like a Master
When this process is carried out throughout the knitting of an item, there may still be a few tails to weave in, but nowhere near as many as there would have been. With time, this technique will be mastered, and tails will be a scarcer commodity.
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