I’m working on a blanket using 2 yarns together. How do I keep them from entangling? I have them on 2 opposite side and they entangle while doing a row everytime.
Working with 2 yarns
Hi!
can you clarify 2 things please?
first:
do you use 2 yarns instead of just one? Doing the stitch with the double yarn every time?
Or do you knit with one color for some of the stitches and the other for some other stitches? (stranded color work / Fair Isle)
Or do you knit a section in one color, then drop that and knit some part in another color? (intarsia)
and (less important):
do you knit continental style or English style? (which hand holds your yarns?)
it can be a general help to keep the yarn in containers just to keep the coils from dancing around. In an easy scenario you just use paper bags or plastic bags (sturdy, not the little ones from the supermarket, if possible). You can also use cardboard boxes.
Some knitters have beautiful lined baskets or wooden cases…
This will NOT keep the twisting from happening that you create by turning the yarns around one another and turning your work with the yarns attached but it will help already.
I’m knitting with 2 yarns together all the time. 2 different balls of yarn and I do the english way of knitting. I have the 2 balls in 2 opposite ends, one on either side of me, how is that different from placing in boxes?
They’re goiing to twist when making the sts, you can’t stop that and it doesn’t show when you’re done. To keep them from tangling together, have each ball in it’s own bag or on different sides of you.
thanks for that information. Yes, they will twist around each other. You can try to keep them from it just a little with boxes or bags.
And do not unroll much more yarn than you actually need as slack. The more loops hang around the easier loops become knots. And knots can be horrible. So keep the yarn relatively tight from the coils.
And please untangle the yarns every once in a while.
Oh, when I have that problem I find that usually I am twisting more in one way than the other. So I do give the yarn strands a twist in the other direction every once in a while. don’t overdo it, but a little does help.
It’s frustrating, but normal to have the yarn from 2 balls tangle. You can experiment with different ways to keep the balls separate, but any way you look at it, you’ll need to untangle them every few rows or so.
ages ago on a really bad case of tangling yarns (fuzzy stuff) I placed the balls on either side and lumped a BIG pillow on my lap to drape them over. Pretty much a mountain set in the way.
thanks all, I figured if I put both the yarns on one side instead and if possible stack them one on top of the other, there was less twisting of the yarna nd there was no need to untwist them at all.
I just finished an afghan holding 5 strands together, using speed sticks. I found the best way to keep from having tangles, was to stand the yarn with the feed side facing up in a basket (snugly). The afghan was on the Lion Brand website. It was my first knitted afghan, and I made it for my best friend who taught me how to do a rag quilt.
Once you got used to the huge needles, it was pretty easy. Straight stockinette all the way through.
She liked it so much, she asked me to teach her how to do it, so she could make another one!
Here is the link:
Most of what I knit uses 2 balls of yarn and larger needles to make the work go faster. I’ve found that it’s easier in the long run if I just take the time up front to pull it all out and rewind the 2 strands together. This wouldn’t help if you’re using huge skeins, but it’s much easier with small to medium sized balls of yarn. 
I use two balls of yarn held together while knitting quite often. When I make a row change, I flip over in one direction on odd rows, and the opposite direction on even. I still get tangled from time to time, but for the most part I am able to keep myself from getting too tangled in this way.
Also, when using pull-out skeins, I hold them together with a hair scrunchie, so the pull-out ends are next to each other.