OK, so fair-isle knitting is an extreme example to use as the art for this Q for You, but I also really want to show you how my first colorwork project turned out! (Am I awesome or what? They’re Muckle Mitts, and the yarn is that Kenzie that Skacel sent me, and here they are on Ravelry. I love these from top to bottom.) But for real, the Q is: How do you weave in your ends?
(This is obviously another good one for the Beginning to Knit page, and I have a closely related one coming up next time.)
Like most things with knitting, everyone has a different favorite method, or a new one every month, or the answer is “It depends.” For me, the perfect project, in this context, is anything that starts and ends with ribbing and has no other loose tails in between! That’s because any time I’ve got a tail at the edge of some ribbing, I just run it down one side of a stack of knit stitches on the wrong side, then back up the other side of those same stitches. (Pictured below.) Give a tug to even out the tension, and snip! Done. I have no idea if this is an officially sanctioned method — I’ve just always done it, and it is so so simple. But if there’s no ribbing or seam to hide the ends in, I either use the duplicate stitch method or, if it’s a reasonably sticky yarn, I just weave them in a couple of zigzagging lines through the purl bumps on the wrong side. What about you?
PREVIOUSLY in Q for You: Do you prefer your patterns written or charted?
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My new favorite method for ball changes is to knit the old ball and the new one together for about 12 stitches. Then I let the ends hang and snip them when I’m done. Otherwise I use the duplicate stitch method. Color work is hard for that though. I am working on some argyle socks and my method for those ends is to weave them in along the edges of the color changes like you are doing for the ribbing. To doesn’t show on the right side and it’s super quick.
Great mitts!
I do the same on ribbing! Otherwise I weave my end behind the purl bumps on the WS
If there are seams, I just weave them into those, but otherwise duplicate stitch on the wrong side is the most secure and attractive, in my opinion. (And if there’s an inside, like a sweater, I leave a half-inch of tail to keep it from worming out.) If the yarn is really slippery, I might even split the plies after I’ve done a couple inches of duplicate stitch and use a sharp darning needle to imbed them into the surrounding fabric.
I was going to leave a long response, but yeah, what Andrea says. :)
ha! me too! (thanks, Andrea!)
I guess I got to it first! I just finished teaching a finishing class, so weaving in ends was on my brain anyway.
Also, GORGEOUS mitts! Colorwork is so addictive, isn’t it?
I believe it just might be.
Thanks so much for this question! I was asking it of you the other day, in my head, weaving in ends (you must of heard me.) I weave ends in as you’re doing but I can’t wait to read the comments for this question for any other ideas.
Ok! the duplicate stitch was the new learning – yahoo! And YAHOO! to your gorgeous mitts.
Nice floats, Karen! Those mitts are just beautiful, inside and out.
As for weaving in ends, I found this Purl Bee post to be invaluable as a beginning knitter—the photos are terrific. It demonstrates a number of methods, including the one you described above (consider it sanctioned!): http://www.purlbee.com/knitting-tutorials-finishing/2011/7/14/weaving-in-your-ends.html.
I’m also a big fan of the duplicate stitch, it’s the one I use most often. And I cut down on the number of ends I have to weave by spit-splicing from one ball to the other.
Congrats on your mitts, they’re beautiful!
i do it nearly the same way as you do – only I do not go under the strand I only pick some threads from one strand /stitch so it is totally invisible on the outside.
So impressed!! Look at how beautiful they are. Wow. You must be so proud!
Your mitts are GREAT! The duplicate stitch method is new to me, so thanks for that!
I really like the fact that you weave in the ends like me :)
By the way love your website and I hope to get the Yarn Pyramid for Xmas + I shared the link on my little facebook page (so fingers crossed you ship to Denmark)
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Wanted to know how to do this for forever, so thanks!
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