How to join yarn: Russian Join

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When you are working on a large knitting project, eventually, you will need to attach a new ball of yarn.

There are several different ways to join two strands of yarn. The one you choose depends on your project, the yarn you’re using, and your personal preferences.

Russian join is a versatile way of joining yarn. It is a smooth and clean join, that is sometimes called invisible. This method is a great choice when you need to attach yarn, that doesn’t felt, such as cotton, linen, acrylic, and yarn marked “superwash”.

The best thing about this method is that there are no knots in your knitting, and there are no ends to weave in later. This join does add just a little bit of bulk.

Also, if you run into a knot in one of your yarn balls, you can unravel the knot and join the strands with the Russian join for a smoother look.

Below you will find instructions on how to complete the Russian join.

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SUPPLIES

Yarn

Sharp tapestry needle

Sharp scissors

RUSSIAN JOIN

Step 1: Thread your needle with the working yarn.

Step 2: Insert the needle into the center of the strand and weave it through the plies or about 2 inches. You might want to untwist the plies just a bit to make the process easier.

The longer you weave, the stronger the join will be. If your yarn is slippery, increase this measurement.

Step 3: Pull the needle with the yarn tail through, leaving a small loop at the end.

Step 4: Thread the needle with a new strand of yarn, and thread it through the loop.

I’ve used 2 different colors of yarn to show the join more clearly.

Step 5: Insert the needle into the strand and weave it through the plies of the yarn for about 2 inches.

Step 6: Pull on the two tail ends to tighten the loops and smooth everything out.

Step 7: Trim the excess tails on both ends.

I hope you found this Russian join tutorial useful. Be sure to check out other knitting tutorials!