Genius Tips
Ask Patty: Pesky Tails
As with all things in life, one answered question leads to two more unanswered. In the last Ask Patty, we looked at the joyous act of knitting in your tail as you go. That answer left you wanting more!
In this month’s mailbag, we have three questions about that tail!
First up, we have two questions about wiggly, poppy tails.
I loved your column on knitting in my tail as I go, and have done it on everything! I did have one more question. Are we done with weaving in the ends? I still love the technique, but in some yarns, like Cotton Bamboo or Superwash Merino, I still have a problem. How do I keep the end from just popping right out again?
Thanks!
Niki
and
I knit a summer tee in bamboo and I love it. BUT I can’t get the ends I wove to stay in. They are like super slippery little worms.
Save me from this slippery mess!!
Alison (with one L)
Dear Niki & Alison (with one L)
When it comes to slippery yarn a change of direction is lovely! To avoid what I call the “clip, pop” (you clip the tail and it pops out), we’ll look at the “fray and smoosh.”
Here’s a cowl I made in superwash. As I went, I knit in the tails, but left a bit of yarn hanging out for later. After I blocked it, I put that tail on a tapestry needle, reversed directions, and wove it in just a few more stitches.
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The final step to happiness is to clip the tail, leaving a bit still sticking out.
Then take the tip of your scissors, fray up the end of that tail, and (here’s the highly technical part) smoosh it down. This makes that frayed end act like a barbed fish hook, and it won’t just pop right out!
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But then comes Alison with one L, who has seen your superwash merino and RAISED you one: bamboo.
When you weave it in along a row, that slippery bad boy is just going to wriggle right out with the natural horizontal stretch of the fabric. To fix this, I suggest weaving in diagonally.
NOTE: I am demoing in a contrasting yarn so you can see.
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And just as we did before, reverse directions.
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That works pretty darn well with most yarns, but I wanted to share a tip I just learned for heavier yarns.
A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take a great class from the one and only Aimée Gille. External Link. Opens in new window. at the Love Yarn Festival in Madrid.
Here I am proudly holding my bitty swatch!
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When Aimée was teaching that same diagonal weave, she first unplyed the yarn. It was a 3-ply and she kept two on one side and one on the other. She mentioned this was a great thing to do with a heavier yarn.
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We loaded up our tapestry needle with the two plys and did the same diagonal weave.
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We were all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what black magic she was going to do with that single ply.
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When Aimée started to move on to the next trick, there was a collective roar from the class asking, nearly in unison, “WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE SINGLE PLY???” To which she casually responded “oh, cut it, no need for it”
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At that, our collective minds were blown. Sometimes a simple solution is the best. Here’s the RS showing you can’t see a thing!
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And from the mailbag—another elegant option for weaving in ends.
I am just finishing up a wonderful top (Shakerag (I know I am late to the party on this one)), using Rowan cotton.
How do I weave in the ends so it doesn’t look thick and lumpy? I really want it to look nice since this is not a cotton dishcloth!
Thanks so much!
Laura from Louisiana
The lovely Shakerag top alternates stripes of double-stranded stockinette with single-stranded stockinette.
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Since the single stranded section is a bit more open, it’s best to weave in ends in the double stranded section.
A wonderful option is duplicate stitch on the WS row. As the name implies, you are duplicating the stitch. Because you are following the path of the yarn on the WS row, it’s totally invisible on the RS.
Set up: Start by following the path of the stitch next to your tail by going UP through the “frown” purl bump (this is the head of the stitch of the row below) and UP through the “smile” purl bump (this is the running thread from the row above).
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Then (1) follow the path of the stitch head by going DOWN into the next “smile” purl bump, and DOWN into the same stitch the yarn was coming out of.
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Then (2) the path of the running thread by going UP into the next stitch, and UP into the same stitch the yarn was coming out of.
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Repeat step 2 & 3 to create your perfect duplicate stitch weave.
Now clip, fray, and …
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And the all-important, highly specialized, very complex – SMOOSH
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The little smooshed ends hides very nicely between the purl bumps, making this a wonderful option for reversible fabrics as well.
If it’s not reversible, just remember, who cares what the WS looks like? Think of it as the top of your fridge. Nobody but you needs to know what’s up there.
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Since I make mostly shawls & scarves & want neatness on both sides, I’ve been weaving in my ends using the duplicate st on the wrong side for many years (saw it on a YouTube video, blew my mind). It really does disappear (weave the color into the same color), the tail stretches with the fabric, doesn’t move at all! Anything heavier than fingerweight I split the plys. It can be done with any stitch pattern, sometimes it helps to stretch the fabric to see the path of the thread like on garter stitch but once you figure that out it’s easy.
Boy, did these tips come in handy! I am knitting a baby sweater using 90/10 cotton/cashmere. I joined a new ball at an edge and was wondering what to do with the tails. I split the plies and wove each new strand using the zig zag purl bump method described above. Voila! Looks great, i.e., you can’t see the ends from the public side. Thanks, Patty!
A technique I use for VERY slippery and splitty yarns – rayon, silk, nylon cording, etc. – is to use a crewel needle or other appropriate sharp needle and work duplicate stitch on the wrong side; AND, stab that needle THROUGH the middle of the smile or frown, splitting the yarn, before continuing along the designated path.
Very good tip.
If the end is wool, not only do I fray and smoosh, I also dampen and rub – sort of felt down the frayed ends. This works on only partially wool yarns, too.
Love that photo of two knitters I admire. Good tips, thank you!
Thanks, Patty. EZ talks about some of these techniques, also. She calls this “reinventing.”
Master Class!
Wow. My current project uses ultra fine merino/silk yarn (DK). Man, it’s slippery! Lots of ends already woven in (awkwardly), so those I’m stuck with, but the rest will get this sort of treatment. Thank you for such a surprising fix!
PS – Patty, what is the name of the tee you’re wearing? I’m rather coveting that pattern now.
Aw, thanks. It’s one of the examples from my newest video sweater class – Simone: Customize Your Own Yoke Sweater. It’s on pre-order now: https://education.pattylyons.com/courses/Simone-sweater-class. External Link. Opens in new window.
Excellent tips.
Excellent tips, Patty! Please don’t look at the top of my fridge…
I just love your practical tips and sense of humour! Thank you!
Patty
All brilliant tips, with a few bonus gems in the comments too.
I need an index for all the Ask Patty Genius Tips!!!