To Knot ♥ or Not to Knot. That is the Question. A Crochet Tutorial

Hey There.  I know I am due to post up Day 5 of my Thankful Blog...& I promise I will do that today at some point......but wanted to sneak in a little crochet tutorial this very early morning.

I never, ever, ever...ever actually tie a knot into my crochet items because it just doesn't look or feel very nice to have visible knots within a crochet pattern. [OK I have to admit here that perhaps I have, in past, tied knots while crocheting...but I was 8 years old at the time and those little mistakes have shaped me into the awesome knot-less crocheter I am today] ......

So over the course of many many years I have come up with & perfected other methods of attaching and securing my yarn so that my projects do not become unraveled/frayed nor do my nerves as I am somewhat a perfectionist, which has served me well over the years because it has forced me to come up with rather inventive sanity/yarn saving methods that I can now pass along to you.  :]    I hope this tutorial saves you the time, energy and efforts of creating & then re-creating in your search for perfection.  :]

So here goes:

When you get to the very end of a skein of yarn and need to attach another skein to finish a project...use this method for a smooth transition. [ I'm not sure if there is a name for this...probably is because any idea anyone comes up with has probably been thought of before. I just never bothered to look for it. ]  Using one strand of yarn from the new skein,  thread your yarn through a darning needle [a sewing needle with a large enough eye to accommodate the thickness of your yarn]  and weave back and forth through itself in the manner shown above. 

Gently pull the needle through all the layers of yarn so that the yarn is sewn into itself and sorta makes a loop at the end

Re-thread your needle with the yarn end where you left off on your project side. You are going to do exactly the same steps with this yarn as you did with the yarn from the new skein....this time though you will thread your darning needle and pull this yarn through the 'loop'-made of the new skein before proceeding to weave the yarn through itself in the same manner as shown above.  This method will attach the new yarn to the existing yarn that you are using to complete your project. ....Weave into itself and gently pull through all layers as done before.  

Gently pull the two attached strands of yarn to secure and smooth out any bulky areas.  You will notice that this method does increase the bulkiness of the yarn a tad..but I find that it is not so noticeable nor unsightly on most crochet patterns & far less noticeable [annoying]  than a big ole knot landed in the middle of a gorgeous pattern.     I've used this method for years and it's proven to serve as a suitable as well as secure alternative to the unsightly 'knot' method.  

***If any part of this tutorial is unclear or confusing to you, or if you have a question or comment in regard to this method, please feel free to comment below.  I check my blog almost daily and will get back to you asap.

I want to add this image of a lil something I'm currently working on.  I'm actually loving this pattern & choice of mohair thread ♥  & decided to create a sweater ~although it's working out beautifully & I'm thinking I will also whip one up for myself,  I am stuck at the sleeves and have spend literally over 10 hours working out a sleeve pattern to match the rest of the sweater.  :/  If that is not commitment, I don't know what is! hehehehe. 

I'll post up some images of this completed project....just as soon as I work it out.  Saying a little prayer and getting back to work as one of my clients is patiently awaiting the completion.  Oh boy.    Enjoy you day!!!!! x

Love, K.