weaving in the ends (crochet, but maybe could apply to knitting, too?)

Looking for haaaalp!

It's been many years since I first crocheted and even when I was doing it regularly before, I never really got the hang of weaving in the ends and tails.

Does anyone have advice/preferences on how their way holds up to wear and tear?

I used to weave in (poorly) but the ends always managed to poke out after use/washing. How does crocheting over the ends (while in the middle of a piece) work for you? Any thoughts of one technique holding up better than another?

And has anyone had any experience/luck with Russian joining?

mirandashell said:

I'd never heard of Russian joining but it looks a good technique. I'll have to try it. I normally weave in but it can cause puckering if you're not careful. I'm referring to knitting BTW. For some reason I just cannot crochet.

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I'm that way about knitting. I think it may be due to the fact that I learned to crochet first. It's a plan of mine that once I get my crocheting up to speed and where I'm comfortable again, I'll give knitting another try.

DeleyanLee said:

In crocheting, I don't know anything about "weaving" in the ends. I go to the "wrong" side of the piece (if there is one), and I pull the ends through a loop and knot it tightly, then pull it through another loop and knot, and repeat until I don't have enough end to tie again and then I snip it off.

If you keep the knotting within the same color (I do multi-color Celtic knotwork afghans) and the knots tight, it takes a sharp eye to see them and they don't feel all that different from the rest of the piece. Even more, I have an afghan that I made in 1997 that's still holding strong (just beginning to pile, actually). There's zero unraveling.

Don't know if that's standard, but it's worked really well for me for a long time.

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I try to knot when I can but I'm seized with the sudden fear of 'what if it shows? what if people can look at what I'm doing and cluck their tongues that I'm such a rank amateur?' Which...I don't know if it's a sign of a 'rank amateur' and I don't think it is, it's just not what I'm reading lately so I end up with analysis paralysis and trying to figure out how the 'pros' do it. :/

Shadowflame said:

I tend to crochet over the ends as much as possible. there are knots so it doesn't unravel but I mostly just crochet over them as much as possible. The outside edges I knot then follow the thread path for as long as I'm able to with the tail.

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That's usually what I end up doing but then I (stupidly?) started reading blogs and how-tos and they were carrying on about how to weave in the ends and I was suddenly struck with the feeling of OMG I'M DOIN IT RONG.


I suppose why I ask is that one day I'd like to be able to sell the stuff I do and so I'd like to make sure that my ends down end up fraying out and poking through after such short use. I'd like them to last a while, you know?