How Do You Splice Yarn Together | Spit-Splice Guide
Posted by Kelly Holtsclaw on Mar 9th 2023
If you're asking, "How Do You Splice Yarn Together?", you've come to the right place. Avoiding knots is key to creating a professional-looking project, and the best way to do that with wool is the spit-splice method. This guide provides a step-by-step tutorial for how to splice yarn together seamlessly.
Understanding the Spit-Splice Method
The spit-splice is a felting technique that uses moisture and friction to permanently join two ends of wool or other animal fiber yarn. It is the ideal answer to how do you splice yarn together when you want a strong, invisible join.
A Step-by-Step Tutorial: How Do You Splice Yarn Together
To achieve a perfect splice, follow these steps exactly. This is the most effective way for how you splice yarn together without knots.
- Un-ply the Ends: Take about 1.5 inches from each yarn end and separate the plies. Fluff them out so the fibers are loose.
- Overlap the Fibers: Lay the two fluffed ends over each other so they intermingle.
- Add Moisture: Lightly wet the overlapped section. You can use spit, but a small amount of water on your fingertips works perfectly. The key is to make it damp, not soaking wet.
- Felt with Friction: Place the damp section in the palm of your hand and rub your hands together vigorously. The heat and friction will cause the wool fibers to felt and fuse into one solid piece.
- Check Your Work: The join should be as thin and strong as the rest of your yarn. If it feels weak, add a tiny bit more moisture and rub again.
When Should You Use This Splicing Method?
The answer to how do you splice yarn together with this method depends entirely on your fiber. It only works on non-superwash animal fibers that can felt. This includes:
- Wool
- Alpaca
- Mohair
- Other animal fiber blends
This method is especially useful for projects using rustic, natural wools, like many worsted weight yarns. It will not work for acrylic, cotton, linen, or superwash-treated wools. For those yarns, you must use a different joining method, like a Russian Join or simply weaving in your ends.
By following this guide, you now have the definitive answer to how to splice yarn together, ensuring your knitting and crochet projects have a flawless, professional finish.