Floss Field.
SearchSaved
All crafts

Changing color · Beginner

Joining new yarn

To join a new ball of yarn, work the next stitch until its last pull is all that is left, and make that pull with the new yarn. It is the same move as a color change. Join at the end of a row where you can, and weave in the two tails afterwards.

How to work it

  1. Stop in time

    Stop while the old yarn still has 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) left, enough to weave in. Where you can, stop at the end of a row: a join at the edge is neater than one in the middle of the fabric.

  2. Work to the last pull

    Work the last stitch until its last pull is all that is left. In single crochet (UK double crochet) that is with two loops on the hook.

  3. Bring in the new yarn

    The last stitch of a row, one pull short of finished, with two loops on the hook. The old yarn has nearly run out and hangs down, ending in a cut end. The yarn of the new ball is laid over the hook next to its head, with its short end hanging below.

    Lay the new yarn over the hook, leaving a tail of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), and pull it through the loops on the hook.

  4. Carry on

    The row is finished and the turning chain is made with the new yarn. Two short ends hang at the edge of the work: the end of the old ball and the start of the new one.

    Go on with the new yarn. At the end of a row, make the turning chain with it and turn. The two tails stay at the back of the work until they are woven in.

At a glance

Used for
starting a new ball or skein when one runs out; adding yarn to an edge, as for a border
Same as a color change?
Yes. The move is the same, with yarn of the same color.
Where to join
At the end of a row where you can. Any stitch of the row will do when the yarn runs out sooner.
The tails
Two: the end of the old ball and the start of the new one, 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) each. Both are woven in.
Joining to an edge
Put a slip knot of the new yarn on the hook, push the hook into the place the pattern names, and work a slip stitch.

Knots divide makers. Most instructions finish a stitch with the new yarn and tie nothing, because a knot leaves a bump in the fabric. Some makers do tie the two tails to each other once the join is made.

A Russian join is made in the yarn itself, before the stitch. With a yarn needle, each end is threaded back through its own strand for a short way, with the two ends looped through each other. It leaves no tails to weave in. It is not taught on this page.

Yarn can also be added where no yarn is attached, to begin a border or a new round. There the new yarn starts with a slip knot on the hook and a slip stitch into the work.

When it goes wrong

I ran out of yarn in the middle of a row.
If the tail is long enough to weave in, join the new ball in the next stitch, where you are. If it is too short, pull out stitches until it is long enough and join there, or go back to the start of the row and join at the edge.
The join shows in the middle of the fabric.
A join at the edge is easier to hide. When the ball is running low, stop at the end of a row and join there.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Questions

Do I tie the old and new yarn together?
There is no need. The new yarn is caught in the stitch it finishes, and the two tails are woven in afterwards. Some makers tie the two tails together as well.
How long should the tails be?
About 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) each, which is enough to thread on a needle and weave in.
How do I start a new skein of yarn in the middle of a row?
The same way as at an edge: work a stitch to its last pull, finish it with the new yarn, and leave both tails at the back.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides