Does anyone know a good hack for hiding that last little pesky fragment of yarn that can still peek out after you’ve finished a garment and dutifully woven in all loose ends? This is especially noticeable with a chainette linen poncho I just finished.
After I carefully wove in all loose ends, little stray wispy bits are still going “Nyah-nyah” at me. Anyone know of a fix?
@Amore For ends that tend to fray or don’t want to stay in place, you can sew those down with matching sewing thread and a sharp needle. Just sew on the back of the fabric, making sure not to poke the needl thru to the front.
Thanks, knitterlady. I’ll try that. I don’t suppose there’s any kind of fabric glue or . . . ?
@Amore The trouble you run into with fabric glues is that they tend to leave a hard (sometimes sharp) lump where they are used. The more flexible ones tend to wash or even peel off.
Ahhh, I see. Thanks.
@knitterlady13 , I think you just solved my problem, too! 
I’m working on a striped arrow shawl in a fingering weight yarn, with a lot of color changes. Every time I flip the shawl over and start a new row (I’m halfway through this project, and it’s going to be a very long shawl!), I see all of those loose ends that need to be woven in. I was wondering how to make them stay in place. Thank you!!
@Cablegrrl Are you knitting or crocheting? If you are knitting, you can knit the tails in as you go. There are a couple of different methods:
https://stolenstitches.com/blogs/tutorials/weaving-in-ends-as-you-work
I do this more like the second video. Then I leave the tails long and use a really sharp needle to just skim the tails in along the WS of the work. Some people just cut after knitting them in, but I still like to skim them in for extra security. The great thing about knitting in the tails is that you don’t end up with all of the weaving in happening at the edges, so the edges look uniform all the way along.
I like to use the Russian join to keep those ends under control. I like to knit up to the point of the change, mark the yarn with a knitting safety pin, pick out a few stitches and have the fold of the join at the pin. I haven’t tried it, but you could probably put a tiny drop of glue or fray check and roll it around with your fingers for really pesky yarns.
Tell me more about fray check. Is this a proprietary product?
@knitterlady13 , I’m knitting with fingering weight yarn on size 7 (I think) needles, which is producing a drapey “fabric”, but it’s posing a problem with hiding the yarn tails as I go. They’re wiggling free. :eek: I will definitely take a look at the videos. Thanks a million for your suggestions!
@1mowmow , you’re right, the Russian join may be really helpful for @Amore 's project. I usually do Russian joins, especially for dk or worsted weight yarn, but it’s harder to do with this very thin fingering weight yarn. Also, in this shawl, you work some rows with Color A, then alternate rows with Colors A and B, then just B, then alternate rows with B and C…you get the idea…you’re keeping the first color for a few more rows before you cut it, while you’ve already started working with the next color.
If you have to change yarns at regular intervals, like modular or intarsia knitting, you could plan on not hiding the ends at all. I knitted a modular top with silk yarns, and each modular shape had at least 3 color changes. So I left the ends fairly long and braided them. Each braid is about 1.5 inches long. Where there were single ends, I added yarns to braid. If the braids would show at the bottom, neckline or armholes, I tacked it to the inside of the top with sewing thread. It turned out looking really nice on both sides, and the braids and sewing were faster than weaving all those slippery ends.
Now THERE’S an idea I never heard of . . . braiding the ends for intarsia or modular. Wow! The things I learn from this site!
Thanks! I will have to see if I can dig out the top somewhere. It turned out absolutely beautifully, and the braids are holding up very well. And it was so much less stress than trying to hide the ends. Silk yarn ends will literally fall out after they have been woven into the fabric because they are so slippery.
@Amore Fray Check is sold at fabric stores. It is a liquid glue type product that you apply to cut edges to keep them from fraying. I use it on yarn mostly to keep the ends of my twisted fringe from blooming.
Thanks, 1mowmow! I think that might work on the cut ends of the chainette linen, to keep them from coming further undone. (I’ve got these tiny little threads waving around at random, threatening to unravel even more.)
@Amore, if you will leave about a half-inch (one cm) sticking up from the back side of the fabric, that should help too. If you cut the tail flush to the surface, it might well work its way out in wearing and laundering.
Of course, this is mainly for items where the wrong side won’t show.
Thanks, ilexedits. I’ll try that and see if my KOCD (knitting obsessive compulsive disorder) will let me live with it.
@Amore, I know this because in some recent socks for Mr. Edits, I just left the ends wherever they wound up, rather than trimming them. They worked themselves out enough that even Mr. Edits noticed them, so I turned the socks inside out, pulled the very ends free enough to trim them properly, and voila.
I think most people “weave” the ends in between and around the stitches - looks neat and tidy until you actually move/use the item. I like taking a sharp needle and running the end through the threads/yarn in the middle of the stitches. By splitting the yarn, you’re creating more surface tension. I stitch it around and back and forth. I know it’s secure when I gently tug the stitches apart and the tail doesn’t move.
Now that’s a clever idea I’m going to try!