It would be great to know a way to securely join yarn so that we could simply trim the ends and avoid spending hours weaving in multiple yarn tails. It would be great, but is it possible?
I tested a number of ways that seemed to fit the bill, but none of them was secure enough to keep the yarn joined when the strands were pulled apart after the tails were trimmed close to the knot. In most cases, the knot worked well for wool, but failed when tested on slippery fibres like silk and rayon.
So when YouTube algorithm suggested a video titled “How to Join Two Different Yarns with Invisible Knot or Magic Knot” , I was skeptical.
Just to be thorough in my quest to find a sure way to join yarn without having to weave in the ends, I made a mental note to watch that video one day. I didn’t expect to see any magic solution, but when I eventually got to test this method, I was pleasantly surprised.
The knot formed by this ingenious way is relatively small and amazingly strong. I used this knot to tie yarns made of various fibres – cotton, bamboo, silk, acrylic and wool, and every time the strands stayed joined no matter how hard I tried to pull them apart.
Now I can confidently say that this method is probably the most reliable way to join a new ball of yarn or attaching a new colour to the project without leaving any yarn tails to weave in. Simply trim the ends close to the knot and go on working on your project.
We can probably call it “the magic knot” even though there is no magic in it, just five fairly simple steps. These steps are described below but if you prefer to learn from a video tutorial, watch it below:
STEP 1
Align two strands that you plan to join and pinch them with your thumb and index finger so that the ends are sticking at the top of your thumb for about 1.5 cm / 1/2″.
In this tutorial, I make this knot holding the strands in my right hand, but the steps are the same if you choose to do it with your left hand. Simply change “left” to “right” and “right” to “left” in the step-by-step instructions.
STEP 2
With your left hand, take a strand that is at the left side of your thumb and wrap that strand around your right thumb and around the yarn tails.
STEP 3
Then wrap this strand around your right thumb again, but this time, go underneath the yarn tails.
STEP 4
Fold the yarn tails over the second wrap and carefully push them inside the wraps. Hold the folded tails, the yarn wraps and the other strand (the one that was not used to make the wraps) with your right thumb and index finger.
STEP 5
Pull the strand used to make the wraps up to tighten the knot.
If you feel that the wraps do not get smaller, loosen your grip a bit to allow the yarn to move between your right thumb and index finger.
To make the knot even smaller, pull the yarn tails and each of the strands until the knot is as tight as it can be.
Trim the yarn tails.
If you join strands of the same colour, the knot is barely visible in the fabric.
If you use this method to introduce a different colour to your project, place the strand in the old colour at the right side of your thumb in step 1, and arrange the strands so that the future place of join is pinched between your thumb and index fingers.
This way, you will make sure the new colour comes into play exactly where you need it.
SAVE IT FOR LATER:
This and 41 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #6.
