Our very own, Laura (Jimmy), stars in this knitting instructional article about how to weave in your ends. If you cannot see the video below, you can watch it directly on www.youTube.com. We hope you enjoy it!
I don't know about you, but when I bind off that last stitch or sew that last seam, I just want to pull the sweater on and run down the street screaming "YES! I made this!". But wait, before you leave the house in something that looks more like a ghillie suit, take a few minutes to weave in your ends. Each time you cast on, bind off, or join another ball you've got ends to weave. How do you weave them without them wanting to unravel immediately? Read on!
Cut the end to about 6" long. This will give you enough yarn to work with so it doesn't want to slip out of the eye of the needle, but you won't have to pull a huge length of yarn through each stitch, either.
Thread the eye of your needle (we love the Clover Chibi Bent Tip Darning Needles!). Start by draping the end of your yarn over the needle, pinch both sides tight over the end of the needle, then pull the loop off the end of the needle. You should have a very tight, small loop of yarn to push through the eye of your needle. Pull through until one end is through the eye, then you're ready to go!
On the inside of your piece (usually the 'wrong' side -- the idea is that you're stitching on the side people can't see!) starting with the stitch closest to the yarn end you're working with, push the needle under three or four stitches going up the rows. The trick here is that you only want to stitch through the top stitches so that it won't show on the public side of your garment. Pull the yarn through so that it is taut, but not tight enough to pucker your piece.
Move one stitch to the side and slide your needle under three to four more stitches going down the rows (you should now have made a yarn U-turn), pull taut.
Repeat once more, going up the rows so you should have made an 'S' shape with your stitches. The more times you change directions when weaving in your ends, the less likely your ends will be to unravel with wear.
Carefully cut the rest of the end off close to your garment. You might have a tiny tail that still sticks out a bit, but over time the fibers will 'felt' into the surrounding stitches.
Posted by Laura of Jimmy Beans Wool
