problem adding new yarn to seed stitch

#1

Hi knitters,

I’m knitting a scarf in seed stitch. This is my first project. I got to the end of my ball of yarn and added a new one using the method where you hold two yarns (old one and new one) together. It seemed to work and I went on knitting about a third of the length of scarf when I realized that the seed stitch pattern looked strange. I compared it to the beginning part of the scarf, which was a perfect seed stitch. This newer part was messy and the motif really uneven. So I went back and frogged, frogged, frogged…till I got back to the part where the pattern was still correct. I started again, adding the yarn and knitting on. I noticed the same thing, and I’m sure it has something to do with my adding the new yarn, because that’s where the motif starts to deform.

Could someone please help me find the problem? I’m so frustrated with all the frogging and still not being able to identify the problem! I’m knitting the purls and purling the knits as I should. And I can SEE that they are knits and purls. But, I must say, there’s something weird about the shape. The yarn looks like it’s slanted.

Maybe I should try another method of adding the yarn? For example, by simply tying a knot?

Thanks in advance!

#2

Can you upload a photo?
It’s the same yarn that you’ve joined? Can you compare labels just to make sure? Some yarns are spun differently and can bias or slant more than others. Did you pull both yarns from the center of the ball or from the outside of the ball?

It’s difficult to see how holding the two yarns together for a stitch or two would affect the rest of the scarf but you can certainly try another join. You could tie a loose knot, and later undo it, cross the ends and weave in. Also the Russian join works well.

#3

Are you using two yarns for more than a couple stitches? I wouldn’t tie a knot because they often show. You can loosely tie it if you’re afraid it’ll come undone, but if the tail is long enough it won’t. It’ll be loose till you weave in the end, but that’s okay. Personally I just start knitting with the new yarn and weave in the ends later.

#4

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies. Actually, I’m using the same type of yarn. However, the new yarn I’m adding on has been unraveled from something I was previously knitting and didn’t finish. That makes it less firm, more “stringy”, than the fresh new yarn. Could that make such a big difference to the appearance of the pattern?

Wow, this Russian join looks like a really neat method. Thanks for sharing.

Vanessa

#5

That could account for the unevenness. Have you washed or soaked the recycled yarn to help even it out?

#6

No, I haven’t. Should I have?

#7

Depending on the yarn, it may help straighten out kinks. This is especially true for wool but may apply to acrylics too. Since you’re seeing a difference, I’d guess that’s what you need to do. What yarn are you using?

#8

I’m using merino wool.

#9

Giving it a dunk in water as the link recommends will help get out the kinks. You could cut off a few yards and try it just to see the difference if you like.

#10

Thanks for the tip!

I’ve washed the yarn and started knitting again. I’m quite sure that the problem was the “kinking” (not the method of adding the yarn as I had thought), so you were right. But the thing is, while there’s a definite improvement, this part of the scarf (with the reused and unkinked yarn) is still noticeably different to the other half of the scarf. I guess since it’s reused yarn, it’s just fuzzier, while the new yarn makes a tight, clear motif. Also, because the older yarn is not as “tight”, since the fibers unwind a bit after a use (and washing the yarn improves but doesn’t make it the same as it was) it’s clear that the scarf width has expanded. In other words, the first half of the scarf is neat and narrow, the second half is a tiny bit wider. I’m trying to compensate now but knitting it tighter.

I’d send photos but I don’t have the means to.

Is this something you’ve noticed too? Should I always make sure to use the exact type of yarn in future?

#11

You don’t necessarily have to use the exact type or the yarn used in a pattern but you should use the same yarn throughout if you’re want uniformity.
I wonder if the new yarn will fluff out a bit when you wash the finished scarf? I suppose it depends on how often the originally kinked yarn was used and washed.
It’s difficult to consistently knit more tightly. There’s a tendency to relax (that’s the idea anyway) as you knit. If the scarf is just a tiny bit wider it may even out when you wash or block the scarf. No guarantees but it might.