Crochet guide

How to join yarn: adding a new ball in knitting and crochet

Updated October 5, 2026 by Khokhar Sab

To join yarn, stop with at least 6 inches of the old yarn left. At the end of a row, tie the new yarn loosely around the old tail and weave both ends in later. Mid-row, work three stitches with old and new yarn held together. For no ends at all, use a Russian join, or a spit splice on wool that felts.

Which join to use

Each method suits a different job. This table sums up what Modern Daily Knitting, Vogue Knitting, Lion Brand, Joy of Motion Crochet and Knotions say about each one.

How to join yarn at the end of a row

Vogue Knitting advises joining new yarn at the end of a row, even if that means cutting off some of the old ball. The ends hide more easily there, and the stitches near the join stay even.

1. Finish the row with the old yarn.
2. Tie the new yarn loosely around the old yarn. Vogue Knitting leaves a tail of at least 6 inches (15 cm).
3. Slide the knot up close to the edge and work the next row with the new yarn.
4. Later, untie the knot and weave the ends into the seam.

Kate Atherley of Modern Daily Knitting ties a sliding overhand knot around the old tail, snug but loose enough to slide. With ends of about 3 inches (8 cm), she says the knot stays secure. She often leaves it in place when it sits in a seam.

To tell whether the old ball will last a row, Atherley gives a knitting rule of thumb: a row takes about three times its width in yarn. Less than that, and you will run out partway across.

Row end or mid-row?

Sources disagree on this one. Vogue Knitting prefers the row end every time. Atherley says the row end is right for flat pieces you will seam. On a scarf, a shawl or anything worked in the round, she joins mid-row instead, because a join at a visible edge makes it bulky and untidy.

The row-end rule costs yarn. By Atherley's rule, a knitted row 50 inches wide takes about 4.2 yards. The throw in the table below needs 15 joins with 200 yard skeins. Cutting off up to a row's worth at each join wastes up to 63 yards, close to a third of a skein. The rule is for knitting, so treat it as a rough guide for crochet.

Joining yarn in the middle of a row

Knitting: the three-stitch overlap

Atherley calls this the two-yarns-three-stitches method. It works only for a second ball of the same yarn.

1. Hold the new yarn as if it continues the old one, overlapping the ends by about 4 inches.
2. Leave about 2 inches of each end hanging.
3. Knit three stitches with both yarns held together.
4. Drop the old yarn and carry on with the new ball.
5. On the next row, work each doubled stitch as one stitch.

Those three stitches come out a little thicker, but Atherley says they barely show, and she warns against doubling more than three. Vogue Knitting gives a simpler version: start knitting with the new yarn, then loosely tie the old and new strands together at the row end until you weave them in.

Crochet: the last yarn over join

Joy of Motion Crochet gives this method for any yarn:

1. Crochet until you have 4 to 6 inches of the old yarn left.
2. Start the next stitch, and stop before its final yarn over.
3. Yarn over with the new yarn and finish the stitch.
4. Work a few stitches, then tug both ends gently to snug the join.

The same site notes this join is less secure than the others until you weave in the ends. The how to crochet a blanket guide covers where joins fit in a blanket.

The magic knot

The magic knot ties each yarn end around the other strand. The two knots then slide together and lock, and you trim the tails close. Nimble Needles asks for a tail of about 5 inches. Joy of Motion Crochet suggests 10 to 12 inches while you learn.

1. Lay the two strands side by side, pointing in opposite directions, so the ends overlap by about 4 inches.
2. Take one end around the other strand and tie an overhand knot with it.
3. Do the same with the other end around the first strand.
4. Pull the two long strands apart until the knots slide together.
5. Pull hard to test it. Knotions says to retie it if it slips.
6. Trim both tails close to the knot, then pull again to check you didn't cut the knot.

The magic knot debate

Opinions split here. Joy of Motion Crochet calls it a favorite and says the knot is small and strong. Knotions says it won't come undone if it passes the pull test.

Atherley is less sure. "Many swear by it, but I am a skeptic," she writes for Modern Daily Knitting. She says it can come undone in slippery or fragile yarn. Because you trimmed the tails short, you then have no yarn left to mend the hole. Nimble Needles agrees that it can loosen in very slippery yarn that doesn't felt. La Visch Designs adds that fragile yarn may break as you tighten it, and very bulky yarn makes a knot too big to hide.

Knotions suggests skipping it for amigurumi, where tight stitches show the knot, and under the sole of a sock, where you can feel it. It also can't land on an exact stitch, so it doesn't suit color changes.

The Russian join

The Russian join threads each end back through its own plies. It leaves no knot and no ends to weave in, and Lion Brand recommends it for joining a new skein of the same color.

1. Thread a needle with the end of the old yarn.
2. Work the needle back through the plies of the same yarn for a few inches. Treasurie goes 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm).
3. Pull it through, leaving a small loop at the end.
4. Thread the new yarn, pass it through that loop and pull a few inches through.
5. Work the needle back through the plies of the new yarn, the same way.
6. Tug both strands to smooth the join, then trim the loose ends.

Lion Brand uses a blunt needle, and Joy of Motion Crochet uses a sharp one. The joined section comes out slightly thicker than the rest of the yarn. Atherley makes a quicker version: she folds the ends around each other with about 3 inches each side and works a couple of doubled stitches on each side.

The spit or felted splice (wool only)

A spit splice felts the two ends into one strand, with no knot and no ends. Atherley says it is the best choice for felting yarn: 100% wool or other animal fiber that isn't superwash or machine washable.

1. Untwist the plies at each end. Atherley divides about 3 inches, and Joy of Motion Crochet unravels 3 to 4 inches.
2. Overlap the two ends in your palm, mingling the plies.
3. Wet them with saliva or warm water.
4. Rub your hands together hard until the ends felt into one strand.
5. Pull to test it, and repeat if it comes apart.

Joy of Motion Crochet trims half the plies on each end so the join isn't twice as thick. Atherley prefers not to, because cut ends that don't felt down can work loose.

Superwash wool won't felt, so it won't splice. Lion Brand's team says so in reply to a reader and suggests the Russian join instead. Atherley tells of a spliced baby blanket that came apart in the wash because the yarn was superwash. If you're not sure, she suggests splicing two short lengths, letting them dry and pulling hard.

How many joins a blanket needs

Every new skein after the first means one join. Here is how many joins each blanket size takes, worked out with the blanket yarn calculator. It uses the calculator's default crochet swatch (15 yards for a 4 × 4 inch square) and 10% extra yarn.

These counts assume you use every skein, including the extra. If you finish before opening the last one, take one join off. Longer skeins cut the joins by more than half: a queen blanket drops from 46 joins with 200 yard skeins to 18 with 500 yard skeins. To compare skein sizes for your own yarn, the yarn yardage converter turns grams into yards.

How much yarn the joins use

Each join uses yarn at both ends. The table counts two ends per join with 200 yard skeins. It uses 3 inches per end for a Russian join, Vogue Knitting's 6 inch tail and Treasurie's 10 inch tail.

Even a queen blanket with 46 joins and 10 inch tails uses only 25.6 yards. That is about 3% of the calculator's 10% extra, so the joins themselves rarely decide how many skeins to buy. The yarn you cut off to join at a row end costs far more, as the row-end section above shows.

How to weave in ends securely

Any join that leaves tails needs them woven in. HanJan Crochet weaves ends this way:

1. Turn the work so the wrong side faces you, and thread the tail on a tapestry needle.
2. Pass the needle through the first two stitches and pull the yarn through gently but firmly.
3. Go back into the last stitch you passed through, then through the next 2 or 3. This makes a small loop that locks the tail.
4. Repeat along the row. Change direction for extra security.
5. Keep the yarn taut, not tight, so the stitches don't pucker.
6. Trim the tail, pulling it slightly so the end slips under a stitch.

On loose or lacy fabric, HanJan Crochet passes through one stitch at a time for a neater finish. On seamed pieces, Vogue Knitting weaves the ends into the seam. Atherley adds that her overlap and Russian-style joins stay secure even before you weave in the ends.

Which join suits which fiber

• Wool that felts: the spit splice, by Atherley's advice. Joy of Motion Crochet reports splicing yarn with as little as 20% wool, after testing it first.
• Superwash wool: not a spit splice. Lion Brand suggests the Russian join.
• Cotton, acrylic and other yarn that won't felt: the Russian join, the overlap or a knot with woven ends. Lion Brand points non-wool yarn to the Russian join.
• Slippery or fragile yarn: avoid the magic knot, per Atherley and Nimble Needles. Use a join with tails you can weave in.
• Very bulky yarn: La Visch Designs says a magic knot may be too big to hide.

For a new color, the method changes; see the guide to changing colors in crochet. If you're swapping to a different yarn, the yarn substitution guide explains how to match weight and gauge first.

Common questions

Is it OK to tie a knot when joining yarn?

Atherley says yes, if you leave ends of about 3 inches and place the knot at a seam edge. Short ends let a knot work loose, and a knot in the open can poke through to the front.

How do you join yarn without a knot?

Use the three-stitch overlap, the Russian join or, for wool that felts, a spit splice. The last two leave no ends to weave in.

How long should the tail be?

Sources range from about 3 inches for Atherley's knot to 10 inches for Treasurie. Vogue Knitting gives at least 6 inches for ends you plan to weave in.

Does the magic knot come undone?

Knotions says not if it passes a hard pull test. Atherley and Nimble Needles say it can in slippery yarn. With slippery yarn, pick a join that keeps tails.

Sources and further reading

Kate Atherley compares the splice, the overlap, the sliding knot and the magic knot in Modern Daily Knitting's Techniques in Depth: Tie or Die. Her Skill Builder on joining yarns adds the row-yarn rule. Vogue Knitting covers joining yarn at the edge and mid-row. Lion Brand shows how to Russian join yarn in 7 steps and has a separate felted join tutorial. Joy of Motion Crochet explains 4 ways to join yarn in crochet. HanJan Crochet shows how to weave in ends so they stay put. The magic knot details also come from Knotions, Nimble Needles and La Visch Designs, and the Russian join lengths from Treasurie.

Video tutorial

"How to Join a New Ball of Yarn" by Sheep & Stitch, on YouTube. The video loads only when you press play.