The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on November 19, 2013, 12:20:29 pm

Title: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 19, 2013, 12:20:29 pm
I've found another way of joining two strands of yarn together. This only works if it is feltable yarn, ie wool. Would be ideal for handspun.


How to Make a Felted Join - Connecting Two Pieces of Yarn without a Knot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baf1ouY3q9U#)
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Blinkers on November 19, 2013, 02:13:33 pm
Well, well, well....I NEVER would have thought of that. Brilliant.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Fleecewife on November 19, 2013, 03:40:43 pm
I like it  :knit:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: SallyintNorth on November 19, 2013, 05:18:41 pm
I may have to try that.  I do my version of braiding at the mo and it's very slow.  Spit and rub could be appealing... tho' maybe not spit if the garment is for someone else, unless I'm planning to wash it first...  :thinking:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 19, 2013, 10:39:47 pm
Sally, it'd be alright if you didn't tell them. :innocent:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Spinningfishwife on November 19, 2013, 11:47:34 pm
I may have to try that.  I do my version of braiding at the mo and it's very slow.  Spit and rub could be appealing... tho' maybe not spit if the garment is for someone else, unless I'm planning to wash it first...  :thinking:

I dip the ends in my cup of tea. I've always got a cup of tea on the go while knitting, and the heat makes the ends felt together faster.
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: SallyintNorth on November 20, 2013, 04:32:37 am

I dip the ends in my cup of tea. I've always got a cup of tea on the go while knitting, and the heat makes the ends felt together faster.

Love that!   :thumbsup: ;D  And yes, always got a cuppa nearby too  :D
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 21, 2013, 05:20:06 pm

I dip the ends in my cup of tea. I've always got a cup of tea on the go while knitting, and the heat makes the ends felt together faster.

Love that!   :thumbsup: ;D  And yes, always got a cuppa nearby too  :D


So long as you don't get fluff in your tea.  :roflanim: :roflanim:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Fleecewife on November 21, 2013, 06:14:40 pm
I've tried it a few times now and it's making my yarn all crumpled.  Maybe I should have used tea  :D
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Bionic on November 21, 2013, 07:33:16 pm
I will have to give this a go. I usually have tea on standby so will use that  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Rosemary on November 21, 2013, 07:35:20 pm
What's wrong with a knot?  :innocent:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Fleecewife on November 22, 2013, 12:16:52 am
Rosemary, how can you swear so  :o :o :o
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 22, 2013, 12:54:10 am
What's wrong with a knot?  :innocent:


Wash your mouth out, Rosemary!!!!! :o :o :o
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Rosemary on November 22, 2013, 07:14:51 am
Gotcha - bet you all had nightmares last night, haunted by knitting full of knots  ;D
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: SallyintNorth on November 22, 2013, 11:27:39 am
Gotcha - bet you all had nightmares last night, haunted by knitting full of knots  ;D

Sadly these nightmares come true these days - commercial yarn ain't what it used to be  :(
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Fleecewife on November 22, 2013, 12:21:00 pm
Gotcha - bet you all had nightmares last night, haunted by knitting full of knots  ;D

Sadly these nightmares come true these days - commercial yarn ain't what it used to be  :(

I don't often use commercial yarn, but currently I am doing so and found three knots in a single 50gm ball of yarn  :tired: :tired: :tired: .  Hence my using the felting method several times in one knitting session.  :knit:
 
Rosemary, the point of using a method which doesn't leave loose ends is partly so you don't have to sew them all in when you've finished the knitting, and so the joins don't show.
 
In embroidery, knots are even more of a no-no - my granny taught me that when I was a small child (it was about the only thing she did teach me  :roflanim: )  The back should be as neat as the front, and the same applies to knitting.
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Rosemary on November 22, 2013, 12:38:00 pm
Dan taught be how to do wool tapestry in longsitch, I think. Haven't done any for ages - but he said the same - that the back should be as neat as the front. And his is  :innocent:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 22, 2013, 06:29:07 pm
Dan taught be how to do wool tapestry in longsitch, I think. Haven't done any for ages - but he said the same - that the back should be as neat as the front. And his is  :innocent:


 :o :o
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Spinningfishwife on November 22, 2013, 06:37:59 pm
What's wrong with a knot?  :innocent:

Knots are for the end of a row, then you can at least use the trailing bits t sew up the seam. But a knot in the middle of a row???? :'( What if it pulls apart? And there's always a lumpy bit where you've stitched the ends in!!!
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: JulieWall on November 23, 2013, 08:48:43 am
Also, if you add a tiny bit of soap to the water the yarn will felt even better. It might be helpful if your yarn only has a low wool content also. Should also work for other animal fibres such as cashmere, alpaca, angora and mohair.
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: suziequeue on November 23, 2013, 09:01:06 am
So soapy tea is the order of the day?

Rosemary will be able to wash her mouth out and felt yarn together.  :innocent:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: JulieWall on November 23, 2013, 10:34:27 am
 :roflanim:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 23, 2013, 06:15:16 pm
So soapy tea is the order of the day?

Rosemary will be able to wash her mouth out and felt yarn together.  :innocent:


 :roflanim: :roflanim:


I was shown that way as suitable for man made fibres a long time ago but never found it very effective. This looks much better.
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Bionic on November 25, 2013, 09:02:39 am
I tried the felting method last night and it worked well. I am making something for myself so just used spit  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Joining two yarns in knitting
Post by: Lesley Silvester on November 25, 2013, 11:03:24 pm
That's good to know, Sally. I am knitting with acrylic atm so haven't have the chance to try it.