How to join in new yarns using the Russian splice
MASTERCLASS
WHEN JOINING in a new yarn, it’s a good rule of thumb to join it in at the end of a row, so the ends can be woven in neatly and inconspicuously. But it isn’t always possible to do this - if you’re knitting in the round, for example, or your yarn breaks, or you come across one of those irritating little knots in your yarn while you’re happily knitting along.
In these situations, many knitters like to use the spit splicing/felted ends technique, where the ends of the yarn are moistened and then rubbed together to form a felted join. However, this method only works if the yarn is at least 70% wool - fibres such as cotton, linen and acrylic will not felt.
One option to try is the Russian join, also called the Russian splice – it can be a little fiddly to work, but once completed the yarn ends are well hidden. Unlike the spit splicing technique, the Russian join can be used with any fibre, so it is a good choice if you are joining in the middle of a row with a yarn type that won’t felt, and you want to minimise the amount of weaving in to do at the end. This method works with conventionally plied yarns, although it’s difficult to do with very fine yarns.
Once joined, the two yarn ends are smooth and pliable because they haven’t been felted together. It’s a good method to consider when you really don’t want the ends to show, or are knitting a reversible fabric. Bear in mind, though, that the section where the two yarn ends are joined will be thicker than a single strand of the yarn. This means that the few stitches you later knit with the joined section will be slightly bigger, and this may be noticeable, particularly if you are using a smooth yarn and a plain stitch pattern. It will be much less noticeable in a highly textured stitch pattern, though.
For the best results, use a really sharp tapestry needle – a blunt yarn needle just won’t do. You’ll be looping the old and new yarns around each other, then threading each end back into its own yarn using the tapestry needle to integrate them completely. For our walkthrough below, we have used two different shades of the same yarn to demonstrate the technique, but you would normally use the same yarn/colour as your working yarn.
1 Thread a sharp tapestry needle with the old/working yarn. 2 Keeping hold of the yarn tail, insert the tapestry needle back into the yarn, a few centimetres along, sliding it in between the plies. There will be a small loop at the point where the yarn doubles back.
3 Twist the yarn in the opposite way to the ply, pushing and wiggling the needle so that the threads begin to ply around it. Continue this for a few centimetres.
4+5 Holding the looped end where you first inserted the needle, now pull the needle all the way through, and then remove the needle from the yarn.
6 Now thread the tapestry needle with the new yarn, and insert it through the loop created at the fold in the old yarn.
7 Repeat the process from step 2, sliding the tapestry needle between the plies of the new yarn for a few centimetres, before pulling it through and removing the needle.
8 Holding the looped end of the old yarn in one hand, grasp the exposed end in your other hand. Pull to tighten the loop until it almost disappears, smoothing out the doubled section of yarn in the other direction.
9+ Repeat this step with the new yarn, before trimming the ends.