How to Weave in Yarn Tails With Reverse Duplicate Stitch // Technique Tuesday

Reverse duplicate stitch is a method of weaving in yarn tails in knitted fabric and is especially well-suited for stockinette fabric. The yarn tail is woven in by following the path of a row of knitted stitches, which allows the tail to stretch with the fabric.
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To jump directly to a specific point in the video, click on the adjacent timestamped link:
0:00 Introduction
0:37 Duplicate stitch vs reverse duplicate stitch
3:04 Learning to follow the path of sts in a row of knitting
9:00 How to work Reverse Duplicate Stitch when both yarn tails are the same color
11:50 How to work Reverse Duplicate Stitch in a mid-row color change
13:25 Splitting plies to reduce bulk
14:21 Advantages/Disadvantages
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[@HicksGribble]

Really appreciate how technical your videos are but you also get to the point and put chapter markers for anyone wanting to skip ahead. Your channel has become a tremendous resource to me, an advanced beginner knitter for years.

[@wendycarey8959]

I'm in my 70s and have been knitting since I was about 6. I've always hated weaving in yarn ends and have never known a really good way to do it. So I hated it. HATED it. But then I saw this video and now I actually enjoy doing it. I knit a great deal of baby things for charity. They're small which means lots of yarn ends. I'd knit all the pieces and procrastinate about putting them together to avoid dealing with all those fiddly ends. You changed all of that and I can't thank you enough.

[@kaymielke9026]

I am a very visual learner, so this video was a godsend. I have attempted to do this many times in the past, thinking I understood it. Using the green stripe as you did showed me where I went wrong, because I wasn't paying attention to the true anatomy of the stitch as seen from the wrong side. I have three projects to finish, two of which are gifts, so it will be nice to do things right at last!

[@donnagelina8548]

This helped me a great deal! I was abandoning projects because I hated this part, and there was always something I wasn't doing right. I actually enjoy it now! Thank you.

[@vicki1141]

Thanks for this wonderful tutorial. As a self taught knitter, I have not been shown how to properly weave in tails. I just did my first weave in with this method and am so elated at how nice it looks. WOW !

[@Marny5580]

I have hundreds of tails to weave in - and your method fits the bill for my brain and what needs to be done to finish the afghan... finally. Thank you.

[@feliciaweatherspoon2303]

Thank you, Roxanne, for sharing your techniques!! ❤

[@5dorkycastillos]

I have watched every video there is on this technique, yet still struggled with it. You found the PERFECT way to help a brain such as mine FINALLY STINKING GET THIS! You are my hero.

[@donnagelina8548]

I know this is a couple of years later but I am the same way. I finally can finish some stuff I abandoned out of frustration!

[@liquidlites]

I enjoy the logical way you actually think about the process. Your videos are brilliant. Thanks

[@knittyheidi]

Thank you for simplify this method! Not just great for weaving in ends but to understand our knitting better 🤩

[@susanhawkes2519]

Had to do this duplicate stitch to repair a new, very nice sweater a dog put his toenail through. For 35 years I thought I invented this. Ha! It actually has a name! Wish I could fit into that beloved sweater.

[@maureenbell1628]

The only tutorial you will ever need on this subject! Brilliant 😊

[@ajsdfkajsdf3219]

Yet again, an incredibly useful technique presented so clearly, and with your inimitable charm! Many many thanks from London....

[@KatyMacky]

Big thanks Roxanne, you have enabled me to get a lovely finish on my baby pinafore and first ever fairisle pattern. As always your demos are clear and easy to understand. I am so happy to have found you :-)

[@1222cat]

I always split my yarn when weaving in, I find it’s great to eliminate bulking. Love your videos, Roxanne.

[@rosemarygriffith26]

Thank you! I admire how you explain WHY. Not enough teachers do this. Very thorough and complete. ☺️🆒

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Some of them may not know why. :-)

[@graceparisi1590]

as always, super helpful and illuminating. The split yarn duplicate stitch is a game changer! I wish i'd watched this 3 sweaters ago!

[@summerking8659]

That was a fab instruction Roxanne, with great camera work too - can see exactly what you are talking about - thank you so much :-)

[@katrillion2389]

Didn't find this in time for my first duplicate stitch mended sock, but luckily I still have to do the second! The way you walked through it was very clear and I feel like I have a better understanding of knit fabric and of course how to weave the ends in better (I also found the bit about blocking helpful even though I have nothing to block right now lol). Thank you for the video!

[@SherlocksMom]

It all makes sense to me now! Thanks for making it so easy to understand and providing a method to practice! Guess what I'm going to do now!

[@vadec5909]

Wow! That is so cool! Thank you so much Roxanne

[@robertastewart2083]

This was so helpful! I dread sewing in ends as I don’t have a clear understanding on how to do it. Maybe I will be successful in the future!

[@ooohlaa13]

I usually just wing it because I could not easily follow the path of the yarn, but the green REALLY helps, thanx so much. I prefer to do it consciously rather than any old way which has seemed to work in the past OK but this makes me more confident as to workmanship. I like using the mantra smile to umbrella to smile, smile to umbrella etc ... I could never before find the path so thanks much.

[@lesliebowles3649]

Your videos are so helpful and easy to understand! Thank you.

[@elizabethhenson9954]

your video is awesome.you explained it more clearly.i have been struggling on how to weave in my yarn tails.i am so glad that i found your video.

[@riccihershey405]

Thank you so much! This made soooo much sense and is the best tutorial on weaving in yarn tails I've watched!

[@rsds8989]

Thank you so much! Best tutorial out there as always! 👍🏼

[@helencaudill1583]

Amazing, after watching your video I feel I understand it. I have watched many never feeling it was clear to me. Thank you

[@mistyblue5312]

Helen Caudill p

[@aarontrish02]

Thank you so much for your thorough explanations! This was marvelous! ❤

[@ajsdfkajsdf3219]

Finally I will not DREAD weaving in ends. I once left a striped pullover for about 3 years in the UFO basket because I just could not face those ends ... Brilliant that it not only looks good, but has the advantage that the ends don't pop out when you stretch the fabric.

[@maryalgar8779]

Great explanation, thank you.

[@moonwaves9904]

Ok, I watched two other videos yesterday and got most of the way there with weaving in somewhat better than my own version (which it turns out wasn't too far from the 'real' method 😁). This video has really helped clarify this diagonal method for me - really good idea to use a different colour yarn to knit a stripe in the swatch and not just use it to demonstrate the weaving on a swatch that's all one colour. Thank you. Thanks also for the reassurance that those little holes are normal when you change colours - it didn't happen every time so I wondered if I was just being picky when it bothered me.

[@shoelessmonk1941]

always learning something new from you. thank you....stacy

[@doinafred3049]

wish I would know this when I did my last sweater! thank you, Roxanne!

[@theastewart6721]

Very helpful! Thanks for sharing!

[@ajsdfkajsdf3219]

Also, I LOVE your recommendation to wait until after blocking to weave in tails -- I once waited about 7 years (truly) to weave in tails on a stripey pullover. Should have waited another 2 years so that I could have seen this video before attempting it -- there were hundreds!

[@michelebovero5286]

Thank you so much for your tutorials! You have helped me so much.

[@clbedwell]

Roxanne, this is a great video about weaving in yarn tails! I have shared it to my Facebook page called I Play With Yarn.

[@janemellowes674]

Thank you that is such a clear explanation.

[@vivrbn]

Good information. Thank you!

[@shannonoliver5414]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. 😊

[@paularubina9843]

This was great. Thank you!

[@clolivo7498]

Thank you!!

[@18daisydoll65]

Oh my goodness I have so much to learn 😳

[@susansands]

Thanks so much. Really clear!

[@neverstoplearning2]

So helpful, thank you!

[@cindymitchell6525]

Very helpful. Thx.

[@MarilynWiley]

Thank you i really can see now the right stitches ( smiles and frowns) or (smiles and umbrellas) much clearer with the colored yarn. Can you show us how to on garter stitch fabric? I seem to have a more difficult time with it over stockinette. Your a great teacher.

[@rosemarygriffith26]

Thanks!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You bet!

[@XtopherCB]

wow, intimidating technique, even with a clear video.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

This is why you knit a swatch to try it out!

[@janicemiller9114]

Thanks! Your videos help so much. I'm actually learning how to knit. Ha!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You are so welcome!

[@tanjawinter6492]

Roxanne, I love your videos! When I saw this one, I thought you weave in while you knit. You use a needle afterwards. I don't know how to do it by watching the videos that are already on KZbin and I thought you explain it your way. I am from Germany and maybe you want to see what I mean. I am sure you will understand immediately by seeing it. Just look for "Einweben" on KZbin. By weaving in while knitting you just cut off the yarn afterwards without using the needle. I wish you would make a video for that as well because you explain so well. Your videos are so much better than most of the German ones I know although I don't understand everything you say without a dictionary. By simply looking at what your hands do I learnt a lot, thanks a lot for that!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Yes, I know how to weave in the tails while knitting. :-) I originally planned to compare the two methods, but decided the video was long enough. Thank you for your suggestion to do a video with the other method. They both technically achieve the same result, but each has advantages and disadvantages.

[@tanjawinter6492]

Roxanne Richardson Your tips and tricks for sock heel flap is just amazing, the best video I have ever seen for knitting socks. I am a beginner with knitting socks and the tricks made my third pair of socks so much better that the two ones before! Perfect light and camera, I wish all tutors would be like you when they want to teach. It is so important for people that know almost nothing. Keep up the fantastic work, Roxanne, and thanks a lot for all your videos!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I think that lots of people know how to do a particular technique, some of those people know *why* the technique works, or what other options are, and some of *those* people are able to teach. All different skill sets! On top of that, you have to figure out how to film it and edit it! It's a lot to learn. I am lucky to have a husband who has a background in audio and video, so he has offered tips and help for improving my sound quality and making sure my camera is at the right distance to always be in focus, even when I zoom in.

[@sandygrogg1203]

The town I grew up in...just outside of Cincinnati..had s very active Grange.. I’m pretty sure very few members were actually farmers.. It was..and tendons..more if s social organization.. I thought it was a little strange, because they had secret initiations..just like the Masons did... We had friends who were members. The Grange eomfn always served a meal of some kind she never we had a festival or other big celebration.

[@MrsMelrom]

With the excellent way you explain all stuff knitting, I would love to see technique Tuesdays on yarn weights, wpi, adjusting to get the right guage I find it all quite confusing and think your explanation would clarify.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

That's a great idea, and it's one I have had on my list of possible topics. Thanks for suggesting it!

[@chan58]

Ty great video, would this work and not be too noticeable on a multi coloured garter stich blanket for example a temperature blanket? 😊

[@justme1492]

Thank you for this great technique. Any thoughts on what is best to do with Bulky two-ply Superwash Merino? It is so slippery to join, that I've had to wait until the end of the row to begin a new ball. And am using contrasting colors. TIA.

[@blackpprs1893]

Those colors are amazing!im too lazy to change that much color i prefer yarns with gradation although it only can cover for small project.your color scheme is amazing!can you make video about colors combination?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I am the *worst* when it comes to picking colors, because I am slightly color blind, and therefore very intimidated by combining more than 3 colors. For this sweater, I chose a pack of mini-skeins for the stripes, and then asked the shop owner for help finding a main color that would work with the five mini-skeins. I am trying to push myself harder this year to do things that I normally shy away from, and am building a set of techniques that the color-combining deficient amongst us (color blind or not) might find useful. Whether or not I'll amass enough tricks and techniques to be useful and can be turned into a video remains to be seen.

[@purplespinach17]

To avoid that hole could you use the intarsia technique of taking the "old yarn" over the "new yarn" while you are still knitting? Or would that not work?

[@beth7467]

Fantastically thorough explanation -- thanks! Question: I've seen recommendations to work reverse duplicate stitch by splitting the plies of the underlying stitches with the needle in order to prevent show through on the front of the fabric. I wonder if doing that weakens the yarn/fabric. What are your thoughts?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Do you mean that a needle is used to split the plies of the yarn tail? That's what I did to split the plies in the example I showed. I inserted it between the plies and then pulled toward the tip of the tail to split them. I probably wouldn't do that with a yarn that was fragile to begin with, but for a standard plied yarn, I wouldn't worry about it.

[@beth7467]

Roxanne Richardson no, I mean that the loaded needle splits the existing stitches as it follows their path, so that the yarn tail is woven amongst the plies, rather than beneath the entire strand of the stitch. Seems to be the recommended way for the master hand knitting program, at least as demonstrated in recommended videos.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Hmm. I've used that method when I've had a *lot* of ends to weave in within a short area, or when the fabric was knit at a firm gauge, or when the ends I have to weave in contrast with the RS color (like for weaving in ends of yarn used for regular duplicate stitch). I'll split the plies of the tail, and weave those ends along the surface of the sts on the wrong side. I'll also use it sometimes in a textured fabric, where there are purl heads on the RS, so that the purl heads don't appear on the RS with double heads. As standard practice in same-color stockinette, I hadn't heard that recommended when I was in the program, and never received any comments from the committee members that it would be preferred. Their recommendations change as committee members change, so it's possible they've changed their minds on what the best practice is.

[@jaesrealm]

This is wonderful! Thank you. I am also working a piece using seed stitch and don't know how to do the duplicate stitch on the reverse side to hide my cast-on and bind-off tails. Can you help me with this? Thanks, again.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Use the purl heads and running threads from sequential rows to guide the path of the yarn tail. That is, the tail will span multiple rows, rather than just one.

[@jaesrealm]

@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you

[@Kankescu]

I often knit in cotton and weave in considerably more than 3-5 stitches because I assume cotton won’t felt like wool and I don’t want my project to fall apart. Comments or advice please? Thanks. (I’m sensitive to wool and it doesn’t get very cold where I live.)

[@brandip2446]

If you have time what is the needle your using to weave in called?

[@SorceressJade]

I have a striped moss rib scarf that I tried a lot of things on. I settled on this method and the ends are still slipping out. I have little tufts of ends all over the place and I'm afraid if I keep trimming them they'll just get shorter and shorter and eventually the scarf will fall apart. I also feel guilty giving it to the recipient, who paid for the yarn, because it looks terrible. :(

[@suadaJ]

T

[@lyncampbell1626]

Very helpful! Thank you for sharing!