How to join a new ball of yarn
For most projects: stop at the start of a row, drop the old yarn, knit the next stitch with the new ball, and weave both tails in afterwards.
Updated August 12, 2026·5 min read
The simplest join is no join. Leave a six-inch tail on the old ball, start knitting with the new ball leaving a six-inch tail, and weave both in when you're finished. The first two stitches will feel loose. They tighten when you weave the tails and they disappear completely after blocking.
Join at the start of a row whenever you can. A join mid-row is harder to hide and lands in the middle of the fabric where it shows.
The four joins worth knowing
| Method | Works on | Leaves tails? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop and start | Any fibre | Two | Default. Anything with a wrong side. |
| Spit splice (felted join) | Non-superwash animal fibre only | None | Seamless, reversible fabric |
| Russian join | Any plied yarn | None | Slick fibres, cotton, superwash |
| Braided / overlap join | Any fibre | Two, short | Mid-row joins where strength matters |
The spit splice
- 1Check the label: this only works on wool or another animal fibre that has not been superwash treated. Superwash has the scales removed and will not felt.
- 2Untwist and thin out about two inches of each end, removing roughly half the fibre from each so the join won't be double thickness.
- 3Overlap the two thinned ends, facing opposite directions, and wet them — water works; saliva is traditional because it's enzymatic and warm.
- 4Roll the overlap hard between your palms for twenty to thirty seconds. Friction and moisture felt the fibres into one strand.
- 5Tug to test. If it pulls apart, re-wet and roll longer.
Done properly this is invisible and permanent, with nothing to weave in. It's the reason many wool knitters never think about joins at all.
The Russian join
- 1Thread the old yarn's tail onto a tapestry needle.
- 2Run the needle back through the middle of the same strand for about two inches, splitting the plies, and pull it through to leave a small loop at the end.
- 3Thread the new yarn's tail through that loop, then run it back through its own strand the same way.
- 4Pull both strands so the loops close on each other, then trim the small whiskers.
It thickens the yarn slightly at the join, which shows at fine gauges but is unnoticeable in worsted and heavier. Unlike a spit splice, it works on cotton, superwash, and acrylic.
If it goes wrong
- There's a hole where you joined.
- Normal with the drop-and-start method. Cross the two tails once on the wrong side, snug the gap closed, then weave them in opposite directions.
- The new ball is a visibly different shade.
- Different dye lots. Rather than re-buying, alternate two rows from each ball for about two inches; the gradient reads as intentional and the change disappears.
- Your spit splice keeps pulling apart.
- The yarn is superwash or a blend with too little animal fibre. Check the label and use a Russian join instead.
- You ran out mid-row on reversible fabric like garter or rib.
- Both faces show, so there's nowhere to hide tails. Undo back to the row start and join there, or use a Russian join or spit splice mid-row.