Weaving in Yarn Ends
Any time you cast on, bind off, change colors, or start a new ball of yarn you will have a little ‘tail’ of yarn. Once you are finished with your knitting you will want to get rid of these tails by weaving the ends into your knitting.
While tying a knot and snipping your yarn close is tempting, DON’T DO IT! Even if you tie a knot (which is a faux pas in knitting, but that’s a story for another day), simply snipping the yarn close will not keep your knitting from unraveling. You must weave your ends through your knitting, helping the ends to ‘mesh’ with the rest of your knitting. After a little bit of wear your ends will become part and parcel of your finished item, no chance of them slipping loose!
Weaving in ends and sewing on buttons are always the last things I do for my knitting. I weave in my ends after I have blocked my knitting and done any sewing that needs to be done. So let’s get finished!
For this task you will need a darning needle. There are many types, but I like the kind pictured below, with a sharp point and a little bend to it. To begin weaving in your ends make sure the wrong side, or inside, of your work is facing you (if your item is reversible just pick a side and stick with it)
1. Thread your darning needle with your loose end.
2. Weave the yarn up and down through a ‘line’ of stitches, pulling your yarn through (but not too tightly) as you go. Do this for 3 or 4 stitches
3. For the last couple of stitches, split the yarn. This allows for a maximum ‘meshing’ of your end and your knitting. Do this for another 2 or 3 stitches.
4. Cut your end. Your weaved in stitches should look something like this
Repeat these 4 steps for all the ends in your work.
Thread your darning needle with your loose end
Weave the end through the stitch
Following the same line of stitches, weave the end down through the next stitch
Split the next stitch with your needle and pull the end through
This is what a woven in end looks like
Learning to knit or teaching a friend? Check out The Simple Collection – a step-by-step learn to knit program with 8 excellent free patterns, and clear tutorials to guide you. If you are a knitting teacher, we have created PDF tutorial layouts that you may find useful to hand out in your class.
Free Patterns from The Simple Collection:
Trackbacks
- Let’s Knit a Northward Hat | Tin Can Knits
- Love Note Sweater: Finishing (6/6) | Tin Can Knits
- My Modified Marshland Sweater | Pattern and Branch
- Bounce Blanket – Knits from a Small Island
- Hue Shift Afghan – Knits from a Small Island
- Let’s Knit some super simple mittens | Tin Can Knits
- How to Bind Off | Tin Can Knits
- Joining a ball | Tin Can Knits
- Let’s Knit a Sweater | Tin Can Knits
- Free pattern Friday: Oats | espacetricot
Does this method work for acrylic yarn?
Hi Judi – It should work for all yarns.
I love your light flex sweater and your flex sweater however I’m actually going to start the flex sweater for a female friend as soon as I hear back from you. The question I have for you is ML mean medium ladies and or what does the M stand for? I’m thinking the M means medium size for men but I maybe wrong
Chris
Hi Chris – It’s Medium-Large, as in between the medium and large size
You are wonderful!
Your tutorials are very helpful! Thanks.
The best tutorials. Thank you.
Question about step three . . . I am not quite sure I understand. Do I split the tail yarn and weave it in separately? Or do I go through the yarn that is in the project, going through the middle of it?
Right through the middle of the yarn that is in the project
Loved it, thank you, I keep learning.