How to Join a New Ball of Yarn

Balls of yarn aren’t limitless – they run out! At some point you’ll need to join a new ball of yarn to your knitting.

Here are two ways to do it, including my favourite, stealth way. Never tie a knot to join again!

Join a New Ball of Yarn Video Tutorial

So, you might be wondering, what do you have against knots? Why can’t I just tie a knot to join my new ball of yarn?

The answer is this: even the tightest knots can unravel! So, knots are generally not “safe”. Knots can also make their way to the front of the knitting, marring your beautiful stitches. Not cute!

So, that’s why I’m introducing these two methods for joining new yarn.

Method 1: Drop and Join

Method One involves dropping the old yarn, while leaving a 6″ tail, and then picking up the new yarn. Continue knitting with the new yarn as if there was no yarn break at all. Use a tapestry needle to weave in the loose yarn tails and close the gap between new and old yarn.

Method 2: A United Join

Method two involves leaving around 10″ of old yarn. Lay the new yarn across the needle, so that its yarn tail sticks out at the front of the knitting. Then hold both the old and new yarn together as if they were one big yarn strand.

Knit three stitches with the joined yarns. Let go of the old yarn, pick up the new yarn and continue knitting with the new yarn. When you’ve finished your project, weave in the old and new yarn strands.

And that’s two ways to join a new ball of yarn to your knitting! Personally, I like method two because I find that the tension is more even across the new and old yarns. But both methods will work just fine.

If the photo guides above are a bit confusing, check out the video tutorial up top to see both methods in action.