knitting

Is there anything that you “hate” about knitting? Well, if you’re like me, there’s not much, but there is one thing that makes me a little crazy, and that’s weaving in the ends when I finish a project. It’s not that it’s hard, it just seems like a pain, or a letdown after you’ve gotten the project completed to your satisfaction.

Here’s how I make weaving in the ends of my yarn a little easier. First, I pour a glass of wine. (Just kidding!). I make sure I have a very large tapestry needle to use for weaving in the ends. It’s much easier to thread the yarn through the eye of the needle, and it just seems to move through the knit stitches easier. The only time I don’t use a really large needle is if I’m working on a very delicate lace project, and then I use a smaller needle that won’t damage the openwork and delicate stitches.

Next, I thread the yarn into the needle, and carefully work it through the back stitches of the work. I don’t just weave it through the fabric; I try to pick up the backs of stitches so the weaving won’t show on the front of the work. I don’t pull it too tight, because that will show on the front of the work, too. I always weave just as much of the yarn ends as I possibly can, and then I gently pull the knitted item, so when I cut off the last bit of the yarn end, it will disappear into the work when I stop pulling.

Weaving in the ends isn’t so bad when you only have one at the beginning and end of the work, but when you change colors a lot, it can get a lot more challenging. Be sure to weave in all your ends securely, so they don’t unravel and end up unraveling your project, as well.