How to Join Yarn for Scrap Projects

I’ve noticed that knitters love creating scrappy projects from leftover yarns. The random, (or carefully planned) color play satisfies the artist within us and allows us to turn our knitting needles into paintbrushes. On top of that, there’s also this very practical reward of making do, using up every little bit of our resources and being good stewards of the dollars we’ve spent on supplies.

One of the difficulties of scrap projects is the weaving in of all those ends. The drudgery of the job sometimes creates a reluctance in me, (a certified scrap busting enthusiast!), to even begin a new scrappy project.

There is a way around this. You can join your scrap yarns together quite securely with two different techniques I’ll share with you here: the Magic Knot or Russian Join.

Magic Knot:

This technique uses two knots that are tightened around the attached yarn, then pulled against each other. You finally trim the ends on either side of the tightened knots. This is a surprisingly reliable way to join two different yarns.

Russian Join:

This technique is done by using a needle to pull the yarn end through the core of itself, creating a loop at the end of each, then pulling the ends tight. You’ll need a small tapestry needle to do this. It works especially well for non-slippery yarns.

Two different joins, similar results. Just be sure that the yarns you join are all of the same weight, (worsted, fingering, etc), in order to keep your project the same size throughout.

You can choose to join new yarn as you go, allowing you to make decisions on the next color based on the knitting so far, or you can make a random join of many different colors, then wind them into a “magic ball” of many colors. I’ve found this to be a fun project in itself!

Use your resources wisely, Crafty Friends!

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