How to Weave in the Ends of a Knitted Project

Be especially careful when weaving in loose ends near color changes.

Every knitted project produces at least two loose ends that you must weave into the fabric of the finished project: The tail left from your cast on, and the leftover yarn after you bind off. Color changes, or large projects that require multiple skeins of yarn, can generate even more loose ends; you might be faced with dozens in a particularly complicated project. Properly woven-in yarn ends keep the stitches from unraveling, don't work loose, don't noticeably thicken the fabric and, most importantly of all, are invisible when viewed from the right side of the fabric.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Yarn needle or tapestry needle

Instructions

1. Clip each loose end, leaving at least six to eight inches to be woven into the fabric. If you tied any knots in the loose ends to keep them under tension as you knitted, untie them now.

2. Thread one loose end through a yarn needle. If you're knitting with very fine yarn, you can use a tapestry embroidery needle instead.

3. Work the loose end into the fabric, running the needle back and forth through the stitches along an edge or through a seam allowance if possible -- these are the places where your weaving is least likely to be noticed. Work in and out of the fabric, following the general flow of the stitches to make your weaving-in less noticeable. Reverse direction at least once; this makes it less likely that the woven-in end will slip out.

4. Weave any loose ends from the middle of the work into the fabric. This requires more care, since you don't have an edge or seam to hide your work. Do your best to follow the flow of the stitches already made, "tracing" them with your leftover yarn. You can also weave the loose end up and down through the purl burps on the wrong side of the fabric; again, make sure to change direction at least once.

5. Check your work from the right side to make sure the woven-in ends don't show. Tug gently on the fabric, in all directions, to make sure the woven-in ends don't disrupt the fabric's natural drape and flexibility. If the fabric puckers, you wove the end in too tightly; use the needle to gently loosen it, starting from the loose tail, or pick it out and start again.

6. Clip any excess yarn from the woven-in end on the wrong side of the fabric, cutting as close as possible to the fabric. Repeat the weaving-in process for any remaining loose ends.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're weaving in loose ends on a lace project, don't pass the ends through open space in the pattern; stick to the solid fabrics.

• If you have to weave in multiple loose ends in the same portion of the fabric, weave them each in a different direction to make the overall effect less noticeable.

• If you're weaving in ends near a color change, do your best to only weave each loose end through stitches of the same color.

References

• "Knitting Daily"; A Slick Way to Weave in Slippery Ends; KD Sandi; June 2008
• "Knitting Daily"; Tips for Weaving in Ends and Assessing Mistakes; Kathleen Cubley; December 2009