How to Weave Ends into Crochet

My first tenet of crochet is – NEVER TRUST A KNOT!

I don’t care what you’ve heard. I don’t care if Karen on Facebook says that she’s been crocheting for 80 years and a knot has never come undone.  The only thing magic about the Magic Knot is how quickly it will unravel your project. 

If you are intending to wash or wear your project, take the extra time to properly weave in your ends! 

Just consider how much money and time you’ve spent… what’s another 30 seconds per tail? 

The project in the picture of this article is our Lemon Peel Fingerless Gloves. 

Leave a tail approximately 6 to 7 cm long when you fasten off or change colours.

Squish the yarn end between your pointer finger and thumb and push through the eye of your tapestry needle.

I like to use a metal needle with a slightly pointed end. For chunky yarn, a bent needle also works great. 

Weave the needle under the base of 3 – 5 stitches in the first direction (left in the photos).

Hold your thumb over the stitches and pull through, gently. 

Don’t pull too tightly, or you will distort your work! 

Weave back under 3 – 5 stitches in the opposite direction (right in the pictures).

Again, pull through gently!

If your work is puckering, grab either side of the piece and tug gently to distribute the woven end under the stitches.

To finish, weave back under 3 – 5 stitches in the first direction (left in the photos). 

The key for this step is to pierce through the yarn fibre with the needle. This helps the yarn grab onto itself. 

Again, gently pull through. 

Tug the tail and snip with a sharp pair of scissors (carefully) near your work. 

• Amigurumi – if you’re making amigurumi, there’s no issue with knotting inside your work! When I change colours, for example, I will double knot (or surgeon knot) the tails together and hide them inside.
• Bulky Yarn – when using bulky yarn, you’ll need to use a needle with a bigger eye. I like the Clover Bent Tapestry Needles. Plushie yarn is also notorious for tails ‘worming’ out. The only real way to fix this is with fabric glue (not my favourite option) or sewing down your tails with a matching thread.
• Russian Join – if you’re changing colours frequently in a project, the Russian Join may save your sanity. It’s not a technique that I use, but there are plenty of tutorials out there if you are intent on avoiding weaving in 100 ends.
• Other Stitches – this technique is the same for any stitch you’re using. Weave in 3 directions under the base of the stitches. If you’re making something more lacey or with thread, you may have to get creative and hide the tails by weaving into the posts of the stitches (up and down a row, for example).