How to Join New Yarn in Knitting: 5 Reliable Ways

The Safest Join Is Usually No Knot at All

To join new yarn in knitting, stop with at least a 6-inch tail of the old yarn, begin knitting with the new yarn, and leave another 6-inch tail to secure later on the wrong side. Change at an edge when the seam can hide it; otherwise change between stitches in an inconspicuous area. Keep both tails loose until the fabric has relaxed, then weave them separately.

That basic method works with nearly every fiber and creates no hard knot. Specialized joins can be tidier, but each has a narrower use case. The five methods below cover ordinary balls, mid-row changes, slippery yarns, non-superwash wool, and situations where an extra-thick patch would show.

Five Joining Methods Compared

Before You Join: Check Fiber, Color, and Placement

Read the yarn label before choosing a method. Fiber content tells you whether a felted splice is even possible; care information tells you how the joined fabric will eventually be washed. The Craft Yarn Council's yarn-label information explains the weight symbol commonly found on a ball band, while the remaining label fields identify the actual yarn you are joining.

If you are joining the same color, compare dye lots and inspect both balls in daylight. A subtle shift may be invisible as skeins and obvious as a horizontal line in stockinette. When the balls differ slightly, alternate them every one or two rows for a short transition rather than switching abruptly.

Choose placement with the finished object in mind:

• Put joins at a seamed edge when the seam allowance can contain the tails.
• Avoid the center front of a smooth sweater, the palm of a glove, and the sole of a sock.
• In the round, move the join away from a highly stretched underarm or heel when possible.
• In lace, place tails in a denser motif rather than an open eyelet column.
• For stripes, change where the pattern requires; color placement outranks convenience.

Never discard a knot already hidden inside a commercial ball without examining it. A mill knot can be secure enough to hold the skein together but still form an uncomfortable lump in the project. Cut it out and make a deliberate join with usable tails.

Method 1: Change Yarn at the Edge

An edge change is our first choice for flat pieces that will be seamed. It keeps the transition out of the visible field and gives the seam structure somewhere to hide woven tails.

1. Knit to the end of the row with the old yarn.
2. Cut it, leaving a tail of at least 6 inches.
3. Turn the work.
4. Hold the new tail against the wrong side and knit the first stitch with the new working yarn.
5. Leave that first stitch comfortably sized; do not yank the tail to imitate normal tension.
6. Work several more stitches, then stop and gently adjust the first two stitches if needed.
7. Weave each tail later, in its own direction, after checking the fabric.

Worth knowing: do not place every join along an exposed cardigan opening, scarf edge, or shawl border. Even well-woven tails can make an unseamed edge thicker. In those cases, a mid-row join hidden in texture may be cleaner.

Method 2: Make a Basic Mid-Row Change

This is the universal method. It works with wool, acrylic, cotton, linen, alpaca, blends, singles, plied yarn, and novelty yarn because it asks the yarn to do nothing unusual.

1. Stop between stitches at the chosen point.
2. Leave a 6-inch tail of the old yarn.
3. Drop the old yarn behind the work.
4. Hold a 6-inch tail of new yarn behind the work and knit the next stitch with the new working strand.
5. Continue without tying the tails together.
6. On the next row, work the transition stitch normally while supporting it with a finger if it feels loose.
7. After several rows—or after washing and blocking, if the project allows—adjust and weave both tails.

The first new stitch often looks alarmingly large. That is normal: nothing anchors the tail yet. Tugging it tight can steal yarn from the neighboring stitch and create a pucker. Gently redistribute slack across two or three stitches instead.

For color changes, twist old and new strands once on the wrong side so the two color areas meet without a gap, then secure the ends later. Do not twist repeatedly; that builds a cord behind the fabric.

Worth knowing: the basic join is not finished when the new stitch is knitted. Its security comes from properly woven tails. If a project will be heavily stretched or washed, test your weaving path in the swatch rather than relying on a decorative knot.

Method 3: Use an Overlap Join

The overlap join holds the transition while you knit by working old and new yarn together for a short distance.

1. When about 6 inches of old yarn remain, lay the new yarn beside it with its tail pointing opposite the new working direction.
2. Hold both strands as one.
3. Knit three to five stitches with the doubled yarn.
4. Drop the old strand and continue with only the new working yarn.
5. On the next row, treat each doubled pair as one stitch—not two.
6. After the fabric settles, weave or trim the remaining tails according to your tested finishing method.

This join is easy to understand and difficult to pull apart accidentally. It is especially useful in garter stitch, seed stitch, cables, and medium-weight fabrics where texture hides the short doubled area.

Worth knowing: it visibly thickens smooth or fine fabric. Three doubled stitches in lace can look like an unexpected caterpillar has joined the project. Use the basic mid-row method instead when the surface must remain even.

Method 4: Make a Russian Join

A Russian join links two self-contained loops. Each yarn end is threaded back through the core of its own strand, creating a loop; the two loops interlock.

You need a sharp tapestry needle that can travel through the center of the yarn without cutting it. If your finishing kit is still being assembled, our guide to essential knitting tools covers the small notions that earn their space.

1. Thread the old yarn end onto the tapestry needle.
2. Bend it back to form a loop.
3. Run the needle through the center of the old yarn for roughly 2 inches, catching the strand's interior rather than wrapping around it.
4. Pull the end through, leaving the loop open.
5. Pass the new yarn through that loop.
6. Thread the new end onto the needle, bend it back around the old loop, and bury it through its own center in the same way.
7. Pull both yarns gently so the loops close and interlock.
8. Smooth the buried tails and trim only loose wisps that remain after testing the join.

Use a sample first. A firmly plied, reasonably smooth yarn gives the needle a path and lets the buried end grip. Loosely spun singles may split or pull apart; very dense cord-like yarn may be nearly impossible to pierce. The joined section is thicker because each end doubles back through itself.

Worth knowing: a Russian join fixes the color transition at a precise point only if you measure carefully. For stripes or motif work, build the join too early, knit to the exact change point, mark the needed length, undo, and remake it at that mark. Otherwise the old color may wander several stitches into the new section.

Method 5: Felt-Splice Untreated Animal Fiber

The felted splice—often called a spit splice, though clean water works—uses moisture, warmth, and friction to mesh compatible animal fibers together.

It is suitable for many untreated wool yarns and some other feltable animal fibers. It is not a reliable choice for superwash wool, cotton, linen, acrylic, nylon, silk, or yarn whose blend contains too little feltable fiber to hold.

1. Separate or feather the last 2 to 3 inches of both ends so the transition will not be twice as thick.
2. Remove part of one ply from each end if the yarn is firmly plied.
3. Moisten the prepared areas with clean water.
4. Overlap them in your palm.
5. Rub briskly between your palms until warmth and friction bind the fibers.
6. Let the join cool and dry.
7. Tug it firmly before knitting it into the work.

The goal is a smooth continuous strand, not a hard felt bead. If the join pulls apart during the test, choose a different method. Superwash treatment is designed to reduce felting, so “it is wool” is not enough information. Our wool and acrylic comparison explains why fibers that look similar in a skein can behave very differently in finishing.

Worth knowing: repeated rubbing can change the color or surface of delicate yarn. Do the join away from the project and stop as soon as it holds. A secure basic join is prettier than an overworked felted lump.

Why We Do Not Recommend the Magic Knot as a Default

The “magic knot” is compact and popular, but its security depends on yarn surface, knot construction, tail trimming, and how the fabric is stressed. Slippery fibers can work loose; short-trimmed tails leave no backup; and the hard knot can migrate to the right side or press against skin.

We would not trust it as the only join in a washable garment, baby item, sock, heirloom blanket, or high-stretch area. If you use any knotted join, keep tails long enough to weave and test it with the yarn's real wash routine. Once tails are woven, the knot is no longer doing all the work—which is exactly where we prefer the risk to land.

How to Weave the Tails So the Join Stays Put

Wait until the fabric is stable enough to judge tension. Thread one tail onto a tapestry needle and follow the backs of nearby stitches in a path that suits the fabric: duplicate stitch on stockinette, through purl bumps in garter, or along a seam allowance. Change direction once to resist sliding, but avoid sharp repeated turns that create a hard patch.

Weave the second tail separately in the opposite direction. Stretch the fabric gently before trimming so the woven path is not holding it unnaturally tight. For slippery yarn, use a longer path and test it after washing the swatch.

Do not split delicate single-ply yarn repeatedly with the needle. Do not carry dark tails through pale openwork where they will show. And do not trim flush until you are certain the fabric has completed its first wash-and-dry change. The Craft Yarn Council's care-symbol guide explains the label instructions to test against.

Troubleshooting a Bad Join

The stitch beside the join is huge

Support the tail, then redistribute the excess into the next two or three stitches with a needle tip. Do not pull one tail until the edge puckers.

The join forms a visible bump

If it is an overlap or Russian join, the method may be too bulky for the yarn. Undo it and use a basic change with separately woven tails.

The old and new balls look like different colors

Check dye lots and daylight. If they are close but not identical, alternate balls for several rows. If the contrast is obvious and unwanted, save one ball for ribbing or another defined section rather than creating a mysterious stripe across the torso.

The join sits in the wrong place

Undo the affected stitches and move it before it becomes permanent.

Our Default Decision

Use an edge change in a seamed piece, a basic mid-row change almost everywhere else, a modest overlap where texture can hide it, a Russian join when the yarn is smooth and pierceable, and a felted splice only when a sample proves the animal fiber will felt securely.

Leave longer tails than you expect to need. The extra inches cost almost nothing and provide enough length for secure finishing after the fabric settles.