If the ball of yarn you’re using runs out before you finish your project, don’t worry—you can always work a new ball of yarn into your knitting. The best place to start a new ball of yarn is at the beginning of a row.
Before you knit in a new ball of yarn, you’ll have to decide whether you can get one more full row from the ball you’re currently using. To decide, use this rule of thumb:
- If the length of your current ball of yarn is more than three times the width of your piece, you have enough yarn to knit one more row.
Starting a New Ball of Yarn
When starting a new ball of yarn, make sure that there are at least 6″ tails on both the old and the new strands of yarn. Hold these tails together between the index and middle fingers of your left hand. Because you’re also holding your left needle in your left hand, the two strands will be placed just at the right edge of your knitting, before the first stitch.
- Insert your right needle into the first stitch to knit or purl as normal, then make your stitch with the new yarn rather than the old. This first stitch will be a little loose, but don’t worry about it
- Continue to hold the two strands together while making 5–6 more stitches. Tie a clean, easy knot into the two strands at the edge, then keep on knitting
When you finish your project, you’ll untie the knots and weave away the ends (see How to Finish Your Knitting Project).
