How to: change yarn

You're going to have to join a new ball of yarn at some point, so plan to do this at an edge, where it is easier to weave in the ends later. Once you know how to change yarn, you can also change colour!

If you’re concerned that the new yarn is too slack when you change, make a slip knot to lay over your needle rather than a simple loop, just take care that the knot doesn’t get pulled through to the front of your work.

This essential skill is easy to master and can be done in a trice – the trick is to join in your new yarn or colour where it is least noticeable, which is usually at the start of a new row. This enables you to weave in your ends discreetly, too, and always leave 10-15cm for weaving in ends or tying them together. On a right-side knit row, lay a loop of new yarn over the tip of the right-hand needle when it has been inserted for a knit stitch, then work the knit stitch as usual with the new yarn. To avoid a loose stitch, you’ll need to tension this when working back across the stitch on the next wrong-side row as well.