I’ve got this ball of Red Heart Soft Yarn and I’m doing The Bliss blanket from January’s Magknits. Now, the issue isn’t with the pattern. Although, it’s filled with so many firsts…my first knitted blanket, first time knitting successfully on a circular needle, first backwards loop cast on, first entrelac, first mistake rib…I could go on.
No, the issue is with the yarn itself. While trying to find the center pull string from the…well the center…of the skein, I experienced an extreme episode of yarn vomit. It was my fault, I pulled on the wrong thred. But that’s besides the point. During the rewinding process, I noticed that there is a knot in the skein.
It would appear that the manufacturer either ran out of yarn while making the skein, or there was a defect, the skein was cut, then knotted back up to a new thred of the same dye lot. My question is…what would be the best way to work around this? Should I snip the yarn on either side of the knot and treat it like I was joining a new ball? It’s acrylic, so the felted join won’t work on this one.
I wish I’d thought to take a picture of the knot, but I’ve lost it in the rewinding. So, I’ll show you a picture of the blanket thusfar instead.
Yarn knots happen, even in expensive wool yarns too. Most people cut it and rejoin. I haven’t found very many in my yarn, but I undo it and reknot the way I like. I know my knots don’t come out - I don’t trust theirs.
Ya know, I don’t get people getting all upset over the center yarn coming out. I figure I’m going to pull it out to knit with it anyway, and if it’s too much, I wind it into small ball or butterfly and stuff it back into the middle. <shrug> No biggie for me.
I ALWAYS have knots in my yarn. I think I’m just doomed. Usually I do a felted join, but clearly that’s not possible with acrylic. In that case I treat it as thought I am joining a new ball of wool and start at the beginning of the row. I don’t knot it myself because a) I don’t like the way it looks and b) I don’t trust my own knots!
If too much of the center core comes out I just knit with it, after untangling it. Then I worry about the extra only if I have to pack up the project and yarn with a lot of it still unused. Most of the time it isn’t “too much” after knitting a couple rows. lol
As to knots in the yarn, I usually cut them and rejoin them so they don’t suddenly untie in the middle of a completed project.
Thanks everyone! I think I will end up cutting it, I don’t want the knot to come out somwehere down the line and unraveling everything I’ve done.
As for the yarn vomit…normally I’m pretty good at pulling the center string. I don’t mind when some comes out, it’s inevitable. This time however, was more like projectile yarn vomiting. My daughter even said wow…
I never make knots anywhere and if there is one in the yarn I take it out and make another type of join. EZ is where I heard, “never make knots”, and she is the source of this idea…Knit one stitch with the old and new yarns held together leaving a tail of each to work in. Be sure to work them as one stitch when you come to it next time. I also find it works quite well just to start knitting with the new yarn and later do the first step of what you do you tie a bow for a shoe, stop there, no knot…then work in the two tails. Both of those methods have worked quite well when I choose to join midrow, or have to because I’m working in the round.
I’ve always heard it is best to start a new skein (what I consider it when you find a knot and have to cut it out) at the beginning of a row, but with some things I’m not so sure. I like the result about as well when it is in the middle. Heretical. I do both.
I don’t mind the big mess of yarn coming out of the center, as long as it’s not all tangled in knots, and hard to work with. Usually have a hard time with it, now just expect it to happen.
Thanks for the url, that’s a great looking blanket. I just finished a broken rib scarf in Malabrigo, really like the pattern, and of course, the yarn.
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