I’m a newbie. I’ve knitted a couple of scarves to date, and they seem to be holding up – but while watching the video for circular knitting (which tells you to knit the tail yarn with the working yarn for the first three stitches, so you don’t have to weave/sew it in later), I had a sudden horrified thought: are you ALWAYS supposed to do that?
When knitting the scarves (your basic K2 P2 affairs), I’ve simply been cutting off the tail yarn (ie the yarn dangling from the cast-on) at the end…
So, are my scarves about to unravel? :wall:
If so, that would be good to know before starting another project. :teehee:
BTW… this site is fabulous; I find myself reading topics about knitting projects that are WAY over my head just for the heady rush of inspiration they give me!
If you don’t knit the end in you need to weave it in. If you just cut it off w/o weaving it in it is possible that you might have some problems.
Scroll down to “duplicate join” and it shows you one way to weave in your ends. There are times when you don’t want to knit them in because of the bulk or when you have multiple yarns.
Great, thanks. (I don’t know if I should tell the person to whom I gave my second scarf that it may unravel on her one of these days! LOL.) I can’t believe the instructor of the knitting class I took never mentioned this in any of the eight hours we spent together! I guess it’s just so basic she felt she didn’t need to mention it. Oof.
So, I’m going to read the Knitty article right now. Tell me, do these techniques mean that the scarf I’m currently knitting – which is into its second skein – is not a total loss?
ETA:
No, you don’t always have to - I never have. I just trim it short if it isn’t already and weave it through the adjacent stitches.
Ah! I guess it’s a good thing I just ordered a yarn needle off ebay, then.
Did you already cut off the tail end of the yarn? If not, you’ll need to weave it into the scarf. If you’ve already cut it off, I’m not sure what to tell you, other than it may unravel at some point. :verysad: Maybe someone else will have a better suggestion for you. You always need to weave in the ends, either when you join per the method previously discussed, or by using a tapestry needle and weaving into the knitting. The teacher probably didn’t mention it because she assumed everyone knew this already. You know what happens when you assume ~ you make an a** out of u and me!
Did you already cut off the tail end of the yarn? If not, you’ll need to weave it into the scarf.
No, all the trailing ends are still intact. Which means the current project can be salvaged, then! :cheering:
You always need to weave in the ends, either when you join per the method previously discussed, or by using a tapestry needle and weaving into the knitting.
So, would a yarn needle be an appropriate tool for doing this? Or is a crochet hook better? If so, what size crochet hook do y’all generally use?
ETA: I should win the “Knitting Help’s Dummy of the Month” prize for this. If there were a smiley for “sheepish,” I’d be using it about now. In lieu of that, let me say, Baaaaah!
I use a yarn needle for weaving in ends. It’s actually easier for doing duplicate stitch like the links I gave you. I’ve used both plastic and metal and they both work fine. I picked them up from Joanns, but anyplace that sells sewing supplies should have them.
Meredith-
While you’re waiting for your tapestry needle to arrive, try a small crochet hook if you have one around. It works fine.
Unwoven tails at the ends of your scarf aren’t like to make it unravel. Try pulling on the tail at the cast-on end – you can’t get it to come apart unless you pick it apart stitch by stitch. The tail at the bound-off end will unravel, but you’d have to carefully pull out the last stitch first.
The real reason for weaving in ends is to give your scarf a neat, finished look. (I mean, what ARE those two long strings hanging off the thing?) The duplicate weave mentioned above is a very refined way to finish a off scarf or any other item where both sides show – it’s nearly invisible. For sweaters, where one side is the inside, just run the needle or crochet hook 6-8 stitches along the back of the knitting, pull the tail through and cut it short.
BTW, I never bother knitting the cast-on tail along with the first few stitches of working yarn. It leaves a thick spot that I don’t like. I just let the tail hang and weave it in when I’m done, or whenever I feel like a break from knitting.
