Adding a New Skein -- Circular Knitting

If only all yarn came on giant skins with never a knot or imperfection to sully it's grandeur.

However, that is not to be!

When adding a new skein of yarn I am a member of the no knots camp.  (Temporary ones are acceptable at an edge to be seamed, but it should, in my humble opinion  be removed before the seaming.)

If there are to be seamed edges, I always try to add my new yarn at the edge.  When working with a cardigan in one piece or sometimes a shawl or scarf, having a tail to weave at the edge is not ideal.  When working in the round, there are no edges.

This, then is my favorite way to add a new ball of yarn.  It leaves no ends to weave in, no holes, and no tension issues.  It doesn't always work on bulky yarns, but in most cases, I am happy with this method.  It works best in stockinette stitch, but can be adapted for other stitch patterns with a little experimenting.

When there is only enough yarn to knit another 12 to 16 stitches, pick up the new yarn and catch the end, much as you would when working a two color project. (I am using a blue yarn for this demonstration.)

12 to 16 stitches left on old skein

Knit a stitch with the 'old' yarn, catch the new yarn in the next stitch and repeat a couple of times.

This is how it will look from the Wrong Side

Now alternate knitting with the new yarn and the old yarn for 4 to 8 stitches.

Finally repeat the 'catch and knit' sequence with the old and new yarns swapping places and knit forth!

Right Side

Wrong Side

Because of the pattern to this cowl (purl & slips every other row), I worked another full row before using the same catching method to take care of the little tails left behind.

Final product (after I removed the blue yarn and redid with the green):

Wrong Side

Right Side

Can you tell a new skein was added?

Yarn, Yarn Yarn!!!

Recovering from a GLORIOUS weekend filled with friends and yarn.

The shops we visited met or exceeded our expectations. A list of my purchases:

• 2 skeins of a hand-dyed green (Lettuce Wrap) from Sweet Georgia to make into my second Honeycomb Cowl
• 3 skeins from Skacel, Simply Worsted.  (I saw a sample in a shop of a little girls hat that I loved, a free ravelry pattern.  I grabbed this yarn to make it and then found out after we left the shop that it was crocheted!  I should have known, but it was in the shop window and I didn't look as closely as I should have.  As soon as I looked a the picture more closely, I kicked myself, but I am a poor crocheter, so now I am not sure what will happen with these three skeins.)
• 2 skeins or Louisa Harding Amitola for a cowl
• a skein of panda cotton for a baby hat
• a skein of regia for a baby hat
• 3 skeins of a Minnesota raised and spun alpaca for a poncho (pattern I picked was designed by a MN woman that works in a shop vending at Yarnover)
• 6 skeins from the same owner, but a different alpaca for a future shawl

And when will all this get knitted?  Who knows!

I have started the Lettuce Cowl.  I accidentally left my knitting bags at home and so had to borrow some needles and break into my new yarn right away.