Tutorial: Russian Join

I hate weaving in ends. Hate. It. Working with (non superwash) wool is great because I can spit splice. But what about non feltable fibers? Today I am spreading the gospel of the Russian join! Perfect for silk, cotton and superwash.

Here we have an undone knot in my skein. I am about to join it with the Russian join.

Thread your yarn through a tapestry needle. (I use a sewing needle for laceweight, because it is small and sharp). This is a dk weight, though, so a larger needle works perfectly. You will be weaving the needle through the yarn about 2-3 inches after creating a loop at the end.

Pull the needle through, leaving the yarn bunched up and the loop open.

Fan out the fiber at the end.

Trim the fiber into a wedge shape to avoid lumps down the road when you pull the yarn tight.

Repeat with the yarn you are joining, being sure to interlock the loops.

Begin closing the loops and pulling the yarn smooth. The wedges on the ends will be hidden inside the yarn.

Keep closing the loops, smoothing out the join and working the yarn into place.

Almost smooth.

Done!

Now try to pull it apart. It holds beautifully, even on silk! It will be a bit thicker at the joining point, but you won't notice it when the yarn is knit up. I love using this join on kidsilk haze, too. :)