All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks questions posed by a new knitter. Question from Gwen : What is the best way to weave in the ends when knitting is finished?
Answer : There is no one way to weave in yarn ends. Many knitters develope their own methods or style. Whichever way you choose to weave your ends in, you need to be sure of the following:
- Your weaving shows as little as possible (preferably not at all) on the right side of your fabric.
- The area where you have woven in your ends is not noticeably lumpier than the rest of the fabric.
- You try to avoid using knots.
- If you are using smooth, slippery yarn, you should reverse direction and weave another inch or so to lock the yarn into place.
- Every few stitches, stretch your knitted fabric a bit to ensure that you weaving does not cause it to gather.
If you follow these guidelines, you can feel confident in your darning. Turn to the right side of your work often to check and see how your weaving is shaping up. Some knitters feel secure enough after only a few stitches of weaving, others spend a few inches tying up the loose ends. It is mostly a matter of personal comfort. We all have our favourites. To help you pick yours, I've gathered together some of my favourite techniques for hiding ends.
When working a yarn end in on knit stitches, you can often just follow a row of stitches as you would when duplicate stitching. Weaving your ends in on knit stitches can be done as follows (contrasting yarn has been used for visual clarity):
Another method of weaving in on knit stitches involves traveling vertically up or down the stitches, passing through one side of each knit stitch as you go. This motion is similar to whip stitching:
When working a yarn end in on purl stitches, one technique is to follow the bottom loops of a row of purl stitches, alternating the direction in which you insert yarn needle. Begin by inserting the needle upwards through the first loop, then downwards through the next loop, etc. (contrasting yarn has been used for visual clarity):
Another method of weaving in on purl stitches involves traveling diagonally up or down the stitches, passing through purl bumps as you go. Begin by inserting your needle upwards (or downwards) into a bump, then in the same direction into the bump that is diagonal to it in either direction, etc.:
The stitches you need to weave your ends into may not always be uniformly knit or purl. In the event that you are working with ribbed or textured fabric, you may have to combine several different methods of darning (weaving) to create the best effect. Here are some tips to consider:
- Try to avoid having ends at all in lace knitting.
- If you do have ends in an openwork or lacy pattern, try to situate them close to the edge or a block of solid stitches that you can work them into.
- Weave your cast on tail into the cast on row and your bind off tail into the bound off stitches.
- When weaving ends in ribbed fabric, be sure to stretch the fabric out gently so that the weaving does not cause it to gather.
