# How to Change Yarns Without Having To Weave In Ends



## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

If you have been using a Russian join, tying one color yarn to another, weaving ends, or some other method to change yarn colors, have a look at this video.

The technique is demonstrated on the Nohea Shawl (garter stitch), and can be used on stockinette as well. 





Always nice to have a different tool in the box, right ?:sm01:

ETA: The shawl pattern is free Nohea Shawl... http://www.skeino.com/downloadfile/download/aitfile/aitfile_id/70/


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## momcat531 (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you. I am going to try this.


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## SAMkewel (Mar 5, 2011)

Very clever. Thank you!


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## Judy M (Feb 17, 2011)

Very interesting. I'm wondering if that will work with all types of yarn.


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## knit4ES (Aug 24, 2015)

thank you.... it is great to get new ideas


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## gerrils (Apr 24, 2013)

Thank you. I am going to experiment with this on some scrap yarn & also learn the Russian join so I will have some options beyond the magic knot.


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## jemima (Mar 26, 2011)

Judy M said:


> Very interesting. I'm wondering if that will work with all types of yarn.


Yes I wondered that also. I thought he mentioned icon yarn.


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## soamaryllis (Jun 5, 2012)

Thanks for the u-tube for joining yarn. I am going to try that. Would save a lot of time. Don't know too many people who like weaving in ends. :sm09:


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## norita willadsen (Jan 19, 2011)

Very interesting. Will need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing.


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## MzKnitCro (May 29, 2012)

Thanks for sharing.


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## crispie (Dec 17, 2011)

As others have said, I will try this. Enjoyed the video... concise, clear, clever, and informative. Thanks.


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## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

jemima said:


> Yes I wondered that also. I thought he mentioned icon yarn.


The yarn he is using in the video is an alpaca/I-cord yarn... the cord in question is a nylon filament. It is available on the website in the link below the video, and in a kit. You could probably substitute any yarn you like as long as you get the right gauge. That nylon filament probably adds strength to the core of the yarn.

I have paid more and less for yarn I really liked although $79. + shipping seems high. This might be a nice stash buster, even though I enjoy the hunt for new yarn.
:sm01:


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## SAMkewel (Mar 5, 2011)

jemima said:


> Yes I wondered that also. I thought he mentioned icon yarn.


My ears heard "Icord" yarn, which would have a tiny tunnel inside. I don't know what icon yarn would be.


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## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

soamaryllis said:


> Thanks for the u-tube for joining yarn. I am going to try that. Would save a lot of time. Don't know too many people who like weaving in ends. :sm09:


I will if I have to, I will, same with seaming, Ktchener, Mattress stitch, Bickford Seam, etc. If it needs to happen, I can get the job done, and if I can avoid it without too much hassle, so much the better.


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## Katsch (Mar 15, 2011)

I like this technique and will be trying this. Thank you.


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## moonriver (Feb 22, 2013)

Great ......thank you


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

and here's another method for folks who make lots of changes or for folks who don't use expensive yarns..... Kaffe Fassett's studio sent Brandon Mably to us .... go to method is great and fast and doable for almost everything....





 whole tape is great for visuals, but jump to 6:06 to see join...


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## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

deemail said:


> and here's another method for folks who make lots of changes or for folks who don't use expensive yarns..... Kaffe Fassett's studio sent Brandon Mably to us .... go to method is great and fast and doable for almost everything....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I jumped to 6:06 and watched this video. It seems to be about using different colors in fair isle and colorwork without creating long floats on the back side of the work.

Where is the join at the end of the row ?


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

Dangrktty said:


> I jumped to 6:06 and watched this video. It seems to be about using different colors in fair isle and colorwork without creating long floats on the back side of the work.
> 
> Where is the join at the end of the row ?


the joins have nothing to do with the end of the row...he demonstrates how to join any color, anywhere, while leaving no ends to weave in as you lay them into the back of the work as you are knitting... floats were never mentioned...


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## rujam (Aug 19, 2011)

That was very interesting.


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## Nushie01079 (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks for sharing!


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## mrskowalski (Jun 4, 2015)

Thank you for sharing.
My to do list is growing.


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

Nice technique but a little time consuming and it may only work with a heavier wt yarn. I have done this type of technique and find it annoying due to the time required and having another needle to keep track of. I also question controlling the amount of yarn needed so the colors change at the precise point require. Of course if using such highly variegated colors, or the exact same color it may not be that noticeable if you are off 1 stitch. But always good to learn more techniques.

Like the swing knitting pattern.


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## soneka (Feb 8, 2011)

Fantastic - I learned 3 things from one video!! Bookmarked, made notes too, and ready to proceed. Thanks for posting this.


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## Dimples16 (Jan 28, 2011)

Thank You for sharing!


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## nancyannin (Apr 9, 2012)

The video was well done. I did notice that when he said to "slip the stitch knitwise", (to me) he was slipping the stitch purlwise with the yarn in the back. I always get hung up on instructions of how to slip a stitch, as not all patterns give a clear definition. I sometimes have to experiment to get the desired effect. Does anyone else see this as I do?


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## canuckle49 (Sep 24, 2012)

Thank you for sharing the video ! Interesting technique. ????


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

nancyannin said:


> The video was well done. I did notice that when he said to "slip the stitch knitwise", (to me) he was slipping the stitch purlwise with the yarn in the back. I always get hung up on instructions of how to slip a stitch, as not all patterns give a clear definition. I sometimes have to experiment to get the desired effect. Does anyone else see this as I do?


Yes, I saw the same mistake on his part and found it annoying. Was going to post on his comments but not trusting it would do any good. But that was a major error and for people with newer skills that is very confusing and deceptive.

I have already voiced my reservations about this techniques limitations.


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## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

Dangrktty wrote:
I jumped to 6:06 and watched this video. It seems to be about using different colors in fair isle and colorwork without creating long floats on the back side of the work.

Where is the join at the end of the row ?
~~~



deemail said:


> the joins have nothing to do with the end of the row...he demonstrates how to join any color, anywhere, while leaving no ends to weave in as you lay them into the back of the work as you are knitting... floats were never mentioned...


~~~

The whole point of the original post was "How to Change Yarns Without Having To Weave In Ends", and the original technique was a demo of changing yarns at the end of the row. It is all about the end of the row.

Laying yarn into the back of the work, as demonstrated in the video you posted, is a method used to catch floats, whether that exact phrase was mentioned or not. It is well know in fair isle and color work, as previously mentioned, and does not work in every instance, especially not in garter stitch. Changing color is not the same as joining a new yarn, whether it is a different color or not.

A new color is introduced into the work in color work and fair isle at some point...my original question... I jumped to 6:06 in your video, where is the join?


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## Dangrktty (Feb 22, 2013)

nancyannin said:


> The video was well done. I did notice that when he said to "slip the stitch knitwise", (to me) he was slipping the stitch purlwise with the yarn in the back. I always get hung up on instructions of how to slip a stitch, as not all patterns give a clear definition. I sometimes have to experiment to get the desired effect. Does anyone else see this as I do?


That seems to happen in videos. Sometimes the mistake is caught in the editing process and an erratum is available later, sometimes in the original video.

I turn the volume down and just watch the technique as it progresses without the talking.


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## nankat (Oct 17, 2012)

Dangrktty said:


> The yarn he is using in the video is an alpaca/I-cord yarn... the cord in question is a nylon filament. It is available on the website in the link below the video, and in a kit. You could probably substitute any yarn you like as long as you get the right gauge. That nylon filament probably adds strength to the core of the yarn.
> 
> I have paid more and less for yarn I really liked although $79. + shipping seems high. This might be a nice stash buster, even though I enjoy the hunt for new yarn.
> :sm01:


Yes...technique not usable on twisted yarns.


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

Dangrktty said:


> Dangrktty wrote:
> I jumped to 6:06 and watched this video. It seems to be about using different colors in fair isle and colorwork without creating long floats on the back side of the work.
> 
> Where is the join at the end of the row ?
> ...


what are you watching? he joins 2 different colors and shows you how to catch the ends of the yarn (NOT a float, the ENDS of the yarn) so that you have no ends to weave in. If you prefer not to use this technique, then don't use it, but don't mislead people by insisting it is about fairisle....the point of the original post was about joining yarns to avoid weaving in. This is another technique about how to avoid weaving in. Whether it is fairisle, intarsia, stripes or whatever, you can have ends that need to be taken care of, this is one way to do it.


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## nankat (Oct 17, 2012)

Perhaps there is confusion because there are two different videos...2 different techniques. So when someone comments it may not be clear to which video they are referring. One of them is clearly very useful for fair isle...more than the other and the first is clearly used only with an Icord yarn. (sounds like something Apple would make). Relax. It is Thursday.


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

There is a technique the name of which I forget. It uses the same idea of pulling one yarn in thru the center of the next yarn. In that technique, tho, you wove one end into itself leaving a small loop at the end. The new yarn threaded thru the loop and you wove it back into itself. Then you pull both end to tighten up the join and clipped of the excess tails. This guy has refined the idea to try and control the exact point of where the new yarn color begins to get used. To me that is the critical part of the video as this can be used at any point in a fabric especially with intarsia it seems to me. His short row technique is pretty basic and certainly not the only short row protocol to use.


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## Poor Purl (Apr 14, 2011)

Dangrktty said:


> If you have been using a Russian join, tying one color yarn to another, weaving ends, or some other method to change yarn colors, have a look at this video.
> 
> The technique is demonstrated on the Nohea Shawl (garter stitch), and can be used on stockinette as well.
> 
> ...


It's a nice trick, but how often do you have i-cord-type yarn that allows you to thread the new color down the hollow core?


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## Lillyhooch (Sep 27, 2012)

Thank you for this link. Well worth a try isn't it?


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## cheron16 (Apr 8, 2011)

Why couldn't you just run it through any yarn as in the Russian join?


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

cheron16 said:


> Why couldn't you just run it through any yarn as in the Russian join?


That is what I described above but forgot it was called the Russian join. As stated, this guy just adapted the Russian join to his pattern


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## Poor Purl (Apr 14, 2011)

cheron16 said:


> Why couldn't you just run it through any yarn as in the Russian join?


Yes, I caught that. Well, he said he was self-taught, so naturally he'd think he's done something new when he reinvents the wheel.


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## Lillyhooch (Sep 27, 2012)

Poor Purl said:


> Yes, I caught that. Well, he said he was self-taught, so naturally he'd think he's done something new when he reinvents the wheel.


I thought he did mention Russian Join at some stage. What he is doing is a variation and not the Russian Join, and I believe it would work with other yarn as well as the one used in the video. Positives in that it would be faster to do. But probably not as strong unless done over more stitches.


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## Granana48 (May 5, 2014)

Thanks for sharing.


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## yogandi (Mar 24, 2012)

Seems to be a great way to avoid waving in ends. As many of you I am too wondering if it works with different type of yarns not only the I- cord type. Will try for sure. Thanks for the interesting video.


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## timannmom (Mar 4, 2013)

Love this idea. Thank you for sharing.


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## nankat (Oct 17, 2012)

yogandi said:


> Seems to be a great way to avoid waving in ends. As many of you I am too wondering if it works with different type of yarns not only the I- cord type. Will try for sure. Thanks for the interesting video.


this would be great...but where would you insert the new yarn if there was no 'tunnel'? I think it would not work with a traditionally twisted ply yarn.


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## soneka (Feb 8, 2011)

nankat said:


> this would be great...but where would you insert the new yarn if there was no 'tunnel'? I think it would not work with a traditionally twisted ply yarn.


I do the Russian loop method with twisted yarn all the time. Isn't this the same thing, except without doing the loop. The needle goes in the middle of the yarn both methods.


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## baglady1104 (Apr 10, 2011)

Thank you for this video! It looks easy and appears to work very well. I usually avoid patterns that have a lot of color changes because I hate weaving in all those ends. I will definitely try this.


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## tamarque (Jan 21, 2011)

soneka said:


> I do the Russian loop method with twisted yarn all the time. Isn't this the same thing, except without doing the loop. The needle goes in the middle of the yarn both methods.


Yes, it pretty much is and that is what I posted the other day about this.


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## lstanley (Jun 10, 2016)

Thanks for sharing this video. It is certainly clear and well done.


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## Lillyhooch (Sep 27, 2012)

If you are interested in a bit of background: When I watched the video it immediately brought a friend to mind: same accent and manner, similar techniques. Just got my friend's response "we must have had the same teacher. He uses all the same techniques I do and looks the same vintage". So that would put these techniques as having been learnt in East Germany as part of the school curriculum for all children, starting in the first year of school.


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## nankat (Oct 17, 2012)

Lillyhooch said:


> If you are interested in a bit of background: When I watched the video it immediately brought a friend to mind: same accent and manner, similar techniques. Just got my friend's response "we must have had the same teacher. He uses all the same techniques I do and looks the same vintage". So that would put these techniques as having been learnt in East Germany as part of the school curriculum for all children, starting in the first year of school.


 :sm24: :sm24:


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## baglady1104 (Apr 10, 2011)

cheron16 said:


> Why couldn't you just run it through any yarn as in the Russian join?


Well, ignorance is bliss. I never heard of i-cord yarn before so tried this method with a wool yarn from Drops called Eskimo. The pulling through with a needle part worked fine, but it looked a little rough so I licked my fingers (not as icky as putting fuzzy yarn in my mouth, to me at least; I know where my fingers have been and the moon wasn't full so no fuzz!) and rolled the yarn around as for Russian join. I did not pull on the yarn and was somewhat careful while knitting past the join, but it looked fine. I have not yet washed or worn the garment but it seems reasonable to expect that knitting in the ends makes them at least as secure as does weaving them in. I guess we shall see. It was absolutely wonderful to NOT have those pesky loose ends!


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