Link: Knitting
Joining new yarn in the middle of a row
Only 2 stitches doubled knitted are needed (not 4-6 as often suggested). On the WS, just work the doubled stitch as one stitch.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p132 “Middle of the Row: Double Trouble”
Joining new yarn at the start of a row (no loose edge stitch)
Good for scarves/shawls where a loose edge stitch would show.
- Lay the new yarn under the old yarn, new tail going right; hold the old yarn’s tail firmly against the back of the left needle.
- Knit 1 stitch with the new yarn.
- Still holding the old tail against the needle, pick up the new yarn’s tail and hold it doubled with the working yarn (trapping the old tail between them) and knit the 2nd stitch with that doubled yarn. Drop the old tail.
On WS, work that first doubled stitch as one stitch. Bonus: if you’re striping and returning to this color later, this join carries the original color tail up the side of the work for reuse.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p133 “Start of the Row: Trap It”
Single-row stripes in the round (no jog, no floats)
Inserting just one round of a contrast color into a main color, without a jog or a float across the back:
- Slide a few stitches from one needle to the other, away from your end-of-round marker (so the round’s “seam” isn’t stuck at the marker).
- Join the new color with a generous tail and knit one full round. Don’t knit in the tail.
- Slip the first stitch of the new color knitwise (reverses its mount).
- With the tip of the left needle, enter back-to-front into the row below the slipped stitch.
- With working yarn crossed under the tail, knit that lifted stitch Eastern-style (wrap yarn over the needle instead of under) - this creates a double Eastern-mounted stitch.
- Slide stitches forward to rejoin your next single-color section; when you reach that doubled stitch later, work it as one stitch through the back loop.
When you get back to the main color’s end-of-round marker, work through the row below on the second round of main color (using the standard 2-row-stripe jog fix) to avoid a jog there too. Result: a fully closed “ring” of color inserted mid-fabric with no jog, no floats, and no need to move your marker.
Source: Patty Lyon’s Knitting Bag of Tricks, p148-150 “Single-Row Stripes: Close That Ring”