Joining and seams · Beginner
Magic knot
A magic knot joins the end of one ball of yarn to the start of the next with two small knots. Tie the end of each yarn in a simple knot round the other strand, pull the two long strands apart until the knots slide together, and cut off the short ends. The knot is small enough to hide inside a stitch.
How to work it
Pull the long strands apart
Take hold of the two long strands, the yarn that leads to your work and the yarn that leads to the new ball, and pull them away from each other. The two knots slide along until they meet and lock against each other.
Cut off the short ends
Cut the two short ends close to the knot, taking care not to nick the knot itself. Then go on crocheting.
At a glance
- Used for
- joining a new ball of the same color when the old one runs out; joining a new color; a join that leaves no ends to weave in
- What it is
- Two simple knots, each tied round the other strand, pulled together
- Ends to weave in
- None. The short ends are cut off at the knot.
- Where it is used
- In the middle of a piece, when a ball runs out. It is also used to change color; then the knot has to fall exactly where the colors change.
- Which yarns
- Teachers differ. One uses it in any yarn. Another keeps it for yarns with some grip, such as wool and most acrylics, and does not use it in very smooth or shiny yarns, where the knot can work loose.
- Before cutting
- Pull hard on the join. Try it first on two scraps of the yarn.
Not every maker ties knots at all. The case against them is that a knot makes a hard bump in the fabric and can come undone with time, where ends that are woven in lie smooth. The case for them is that a small knot makes a join feel secure, and some makers tie one for that reason and weave the ends in as well.
The magic knot sits between the two. It is a knot, but a very small one, and it is made to disappear into the stitches. Whether it holds depends on the yarn, so try it on scraps and pull on it before you trust it in a blanket.
The ways of joining that use no knot are on other pages: working the new yarn in at the last step of a stitch, and weaving the ends in afterwards.
When it goes wrong
- The knots came apart when I pulled.
- The yarn is too smooth to grip, or a knot was not pulled tight before the pull. Tie it again with both knots tight. If it fails again, join this yarn without a knot.
- The knot landed in the wrong place for my color change.
- The knot has to be tied at the exact point along the yarn where the change falls, and that is hard to judge. The usual way to change color at an exact stitch is to work the new color in at the last step of the stitch before.
Questions
- Is a magic knot secure?
- It depends on the yarn. Teachers who use it call it a strong join, but one of them does not use it in very smooth or shiny yarns. Pull hard on the join before cutting the ends, and try it on scraps first.
- Should I tie knots in crochet?
- Makers disagree. Some teachers say not to, because a knot leaves a bump and can come undone, and they weave the ends in. Others tie a small knot for security and weave the ends in too.
- Do I weave in the ends of a magic knot?
- No. The short ends are cut off close to the knot, and that is the point of it.