theraineysisters knitting and so much more

My favorite way to join yarn is with a felted splice, more commonly known as a spit splice. I am almost to the same point my sister is in the Sunrise Circle Jacket, and I need to join in a new ball of yarn. So, here is my method. Note: This method works best with 100% wool yarn (or other natural wool-like yarns such as cashmere, alpaca, etc.). It does not work with washable wools (which won’t felt), cotton, linen, etc. It does work with silk/wool blends and many other yarns. I always test whether or not this method works before I start knitting. (Forgive the funky photos; I am taking them with my built-in web cam.)

Here are two “ends” — one from the piece I am knitting, where I am running out of yarn, and the other from the new ball.

After making sure that an inch or two of each end is slightly unraveled, I moisten the end of each. I stick it in my mouth — hence the name spit splice. You can also dip each end in water. Once each end is moistened, you overlap them and twist them together slightly with your fingers.

Then you lay the overlapped, slightly twisted together yarn across your palm and rub your hands together vigorously. This felts the two ends together, giving you one continuous piece of yarn.

When I finish knitting this sweater, I won’t have any ends to weave in except for those used to seam or start a new piece.

PS – from Susan: I have used this method on non-wool yarn, but I don’t “spit and splice” I just splice.  I used it on the Summer Tweed cardigan, which is silk and whatever.  I split the yarn into half its strands and overlap them and twist them together.  I let the extra overlap fall to the back of the work.  Sometimes I trim them later, but often do not.  It also shows me where I added new yarn so I can see how much knitting I am getting per skein.  It does not work for all yarns but it is sure worth a try!

I am done with the left sleeve, up to the raglan shaping.  The way the pattern works, you start increasing on the left side of the raglan and create a half circle, which becomes the front.  I have been experimenting with the increases.  As some of you know, I suffer from PKD: perfectionistic knitting disorder.  I’ve got it bad!  I have never liked the way that some increases distort the adjacent sts — this happens because the yarn needed to create a new st has to come from somewhere.  This is especially true with the “m1” (m1 = make one = lift running thread between 2 sts and knit it with a twist to create a new st).  As you pull up the running thread, you pull the adjacent st tighter, making it smaller than it should be.  This can be very noticeable.  In the Sunrise Circle pattern, there are rows where you make 4 “m1’s” in a row ([k1, m1]x4).  Each st would be getting tighter and tighter trying to give up the length needed to make a new st. 

While knitting the sleeve, I tried something new.  First, I decided to place the sleeve increases along the center of the sleeve, just to add visual interest and keep with the funky look of the jacket.  I was going to use the lifted increase method because it creates less st distortion, but decided instead to use m1 as it would match the fronts — and of course I got stitch distortion.   So, I tried something different and it worked perfectly:

You can see there are right and left slanted m1s without st distortion.  The technique: make a yarnover (YO) on the row before the m1, in the same location as the m1 will be.  A YO is simply a way of making the running thread longer between 2 sts.  When it is knitted without a twist, it creates a new st and a decorative hole, as in lace.  However, I knitted the YOs with either a right or left twist so there is no hole.

The Sunrise Circle Jacket is asymmetrical, so for me to place the YOs in the correct position, I would need to read the pattern rows backwards on the WS rows.  Not necessary.  The right side of the jacket already reverses the shaping.  For example, when I set up for Row 3 on WS Row 2, I will read Row 3 of the right side of the jacket and substitute purl sts for knits and YOs for m1s.  Then when I knit Row 3, I will knit the YOs with either a right twist or left twist depending on the pattern.  Does this sound way too compulsive?  I thought so.  Evidence that I have PKD.  Perhaps I should adjust my meds!