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Keep up momentum on your color work projects! Jen takes on one of the most fundamental techniques every knitter needs: how to work in the ends as you’re doing colorwork.

Technique No. 1: Knitting in Ends. The video up top takes us through a method for working in a second color while finishing the first. Finish a colorwork project without a tapestry needle: priceless!

Technique No. 2: Splicing Ends. This is the one with the straight pin. I’ve been working Fair Isle for many years, spit-splicing my heart out, never knowing this method existed. A must!

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12 Comments

  • That. Was. AWESOME!

  • Love the new techniques…..plan to buy as a c hristmas gift for me….happy is my mission…deb

  • I think this is what I do already. My question is how to handle the weaving in when you are in the midst of color work. I can do it, but it’s very fiddly. Is there an easy way of doing it?

    The weaving in is easier (at least to me) if you hold the end you’re weaving in as in color work. Same technique as in catching floats. Yes? Except you just keep on catching the end every other stitch.

  • Would this technique work if you are knitting flat and changing colors at the end of the row?I have a beautiful wrap pattern queued up for my Tosh advent yarn, but the thought of all those ends makes me want to cry.

  • That splicing method is brilliant. I can see how useful it is when you want to avoid the slightly thicker bit that regular spit-splicing produces.

  • WHEW! Just in time! When I mistakenly cut off one color too short where I wanted to join another color, this second method worked like a dream and kept me from tearing my hair out. Thank you!

  • Truly MAGIC!
    I’ve found this kind if splicing works on superwash that is fingering single ply wool, too. So I’d say test it before assuming you need to weave in the ends.

  • Quick question — is this shipping for this $10 or the ‘field guide’ rate?

  • Great tutorial. I am trying that soon!

  • Wow. So easy. Thanks!

  • Sometimes when I have spit spliced, the join is fatter than the other yarn. I can see this would help that problem.

  • I found a way to work the splicing technique without a pin. I work the stitches until the color change, and break off the old yarn 4″ after the last stitch. Separate the plies and break off on ply right after the last stitch. Knit back about 15 stitches carefully, don’t pull too hard on the now only one ply thick yarn.
    Pick up the new yarn, unply the end and break off one play about 4″ from the beginning, Overlap the two yarns and cross them as shown in the technique. I will have a longer area that is felted together. Re-knit the section and you will have the color-change where you want it. No pin and no scissors are needed.

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