Learn how to weave in the yarn ends from your crochet project using a needle or crochet hook plus get answers to all of the questions you might have about the tools and techniques.

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Some folks crochet over their ends, some weave them in with a yarn needle. While I have crocheted over them on occasion, I prefer to weave them in with a tapestry needle to safely secure them to prevent the yarn tail/s from unraveling over time from wear and washing.

You’ll find a FAQ section first, and then I’ll show photo and video tutorials for weaving in ends, and multiple ways depending on the stitch pattern and where the end is in that stitch pattern. As I do different projects, I’ll update this post with photo & video tutorials.

I am not creating anything new here, but I did take the time to take the photos, edit them, and put this tutorial together, so please respect my work. Do not pin or share any of the tutorial process images – just the main photo. Provide the link for others to find my page (help out me and my blog with the traffic). Do not copy and paste my work anywhere. Thank you!

What Does it Mean to Weave In Ends?

Weaving in your ends in crochet means to secure the tail ends left throughout the project so they become hidden and the project doesn’t come unraveled.

Can I Crochet Over My Ends To Weave Them In?

Absolutely! And if you wrap them around your stitches, or run them up into the next row/round and crochet over them again, it adds security to the tail ends, but I do recommend weaving them in with a needle to prevent them from slipping through as the project is used and washed.

Can I Knot My Ends Instead of Weaving Them In?

Absolutely! And if you do, I recommend adding a small dab of glue on it once finished to prevent the knot from coming loose and undone over time. Let me ask you this – have you ever hot glued crocheted fabric, and then tried to take it apart? It’s not easy! And there are several fabric glues that provide flexibility. However, knots do create bulkiness and hard little bumps in the crocheted fabric so just keep that in mind.

Sometimes where I’ve added a new ball of yarn after running out, I do like to do a basic knot before weaving in with a tapestry needle as it completes one of the legs of the stitch giving a finished look, and I don’t find that it adds any bulkiness though it does adds a little bit more security.

Can I Use the Russian Knot to Weave in Tail Ends?

Absolutely! The Russian Knot is an excellent technique to mesh two yarns together and requires zero weaving of ends. It’s ideal for use with yarns that will not felt, like synthetics (ie acrylic) or cotton yarns. If using wool, you can felt your ends together using a felting tool.

When Should I Weave in my Ends?

Whether you weave in your ends as you go, or weave in your ends at the end of the project that is up to you! I have found that if I wait until the end, I struggle to find the motivation to get them woven in, and if there are lots of ends, the project may end up in my WIP bin eternally so I try my best to weave in as I go.

If you dislike weaving in the ends on your projects, and often have finished projects end up in your WIP bin because all it needs is the ends to be woven in, I highly recommend having someone else do it for you – it is a game changer! I don’t do it that often, but it has been extremely helpful, and honestly, better for my mental health. Candace is amazing! I highly recommend her for finishing services and custom orders!

Should You Weave in Ends Before Washing a Crocheted or Knitted Project?

You definitely should weave in all ends before washing a crocheted or knitted project, otherwise your fabric will most likely come unraveled in the wash, unless you are hand washing, but nonetheless, best to weave in ends beforehand.

Should You Weave in Ends Before Blocking?

You should weave in all ends before blocking. If weaving in ends distorts the fabric, blocking will smooth everything out.

Does It Matter Which Direction I Work In to Weave In My Ends?

I find it best to weave ends in vertically into the height of the stitches, or into the bulkiness of a cluster or corner. I don’t often weave ends in horizontally because it can easily bunch up the fabric distorting it, and in some projects, prohibit the stretch of the project – like on a hat.

How Do You Hide the Ends of Weaving?

The trick to hiding where you’ve woven in the ends is to keep to the wrong side of the fabric, and work through just the top layer, not weave all the way through. When you insert your needle into the fabric, if you flip your fabric to the right side facing and can see your needle through the fabric, it means your tail end will also be visible. This mostly matters if you’re weaving in a different color in the section your working, but it also prevents the fabric from looking distorted.

What is the Right Side and Wrong Side?

The right side is the front side of the fabric, which may look prettier than the wrong side, and the wrong side is the back of the fabric. I think they’re both pretty, but after you turn your work to begin on (in this case) Row 3, you will see the difference in appearance from Row 1 and Row 2. Row 1 is considered the right side, and Row 2 is considered the wrong side. In the photo above, we have just finished working across Row 2, and about to turn and work Row 3. Do you notice the difference between the look of Row 1 and Row 2?

What Tools Do You Need to Weave In Ends?

To weave in ends, you’ll need a needle and a pair of scissors. I like to use straight tapestry needles with a round end – usually size 18 for lightweight and worsted weight yarns, and size 20 or 22 for lighter yarns. You may also use a darning needle, or yarn needle (come in plastic and metal), and either a straight version or bent tip – that’s about personal preference. I find a bent tip tapestry needle to be helpful when working with tough and/or chunky yarns. I like this silver set from WeCrochet, but Amazon also has a lot of cute, colorful options.

A pair of jewelry pliers is great to have handy when weaving in ends as it can be quite tough on the fingers. Thread your needle, insert under several stitches as normal, turn the needle in the direction so the eye is facing you and you can see directly down it, then grab the tip of the needle with the jewelry pliers.

Hold the fabric where weaving in between your fingers, and pull the needle through. Easy peasy, and no sore thumbs!

In some cases, a small crochet hook can be a useful tool to use to weave in the ends of a super bulky yarn that doesn’t fit into the eye of a tapestry needle well, or is tough to pull through the fabric. I always use a G6/4.25mm crochet hook when working with Super Bulky #6 yarn.

How To Weave In Yarn Ends in Crochet

Leave a tail end of about 4″ – 6″. Thread the tail end into the eye of your tapestry needle. Keeping on just the top layer of the fabric, insert the needle into a nearby stitch breaking the first stitch in half to help capture the yarn (optional – alternatively, picking up the entire stitch). Run the needle under several stitches, breaking the last stitch in half as you exit (optional). Hold the fabric in between your middle finger and thumb overtop of the weave as you pull the needle and thread through. Give it a tug, then use your fingers to manipulate the fabric to ensure it’s laying naturally, and not bunching up. Rotate the fabric, and repeat the same process working back through several of the stitches you just worked.

My magic number is 3 passes – I almost always worked 3. If you feel secure with your end after 2 passes, you can fasten off, and if you don’t feel secure enough, than work a 4th pass. It’s whatever you feel the most secure with your stitches, and it can vary per weave and even depending on the yarn you’re working with.

Fasten off, or trim, the yarn end close to the work. You can choose to leave a small nub sticking out. As the project is handled, the yarn will pull in on itself, and it will be hidden within the fabric.

Video Tutorial Showing How to Weave in the Ends for a Granny Square:

video Tutorial Showing How to Weave in the Ends on Single Crochet Fabric:

This is the video tutorial from my Santa Cosmetic Bag or Hook Pouch set at 46:14 where I weave in the yarn ends. I show how to weave in crochet ends at the end of each of my video tutorials.

How to Weave in the Ends crochet with a needle:

Yarn is WeCrochet Dishie in the Fiesta Red, Bumblebee and Black colorways.

Thread the tail end into the eye of your tapestry needle.

Keeping on just the top layer of the fabric, insert the needle into a nearby stitch breaking the first stitch in half to help capture the yarn (optional – alternatively, picking up the entire stitch).

Keeping on just the top layer of the fabric means where you have your needle inserted into the fabric and you look from the right side of the fabric, you cannot see your needle. If you can, you will also see the tail end pulled through. This mainly matters if you are weaving in a different color tail end into different colored section of fabric. If it’s the same color, it will really just blend in, but for added security and evenness, I do try to still keep as little showing from the right side as possible.

Run the needle under several stitches, breaking the last stitch in half as you exit (optional).

Hold the fabric in between your middle finger and thumb overtop of the weave as you pull the needle and thread through. Give it a tug.

Then use your fingers to manipulate the fabric to ensure it’s laying naturally, and not bunching up.

Rotate the fabric, and repeat the same process working back through several of the stitches you just worked.

My magic number is 3 passes – I almost always worked 3. If you feel secure with your end after 2 passes, you can fasten off, and if you don’t feel secure enough, than work a 4th pass. It’s whatever you feel the most secure with your stitches, and it can vary per weave and even depending on the yarn you’re working with.

Fasten off, or trim, the yarn end close to the work. You can choose to leave a small nub sticking out.

As the project is handled, the yarn will pull in on itself, and it will be hidden within the fabric.

Continue weaving in the ends working vertically when possible and matching the color tail end up with the color section. If you have to work into a different color section, just watch that you aren’t showing from the right side. If working horizontally, make sure the stitches don’t bunch up or prevent stretch where need.

This is the Santa Shay Cosmetic Bag or Hook Pouch (Free Crochet Pattern) found on the Cre8tion Crochet blog.

Video Tutorial Showing How to Weave in Ends Using a Crochet Hook:

Photo Tutorial Showing How to Weave in Ends Using a Crochet Hook:

When choosing a crochet hook to weave in your ends, you’ll want to pick one that has a deep throat that is more open so that it can catch the yarn and hold the yarn without the yarn popping out. When working with Super Chunky Yarn, like Bernat Blanket Yarn, I like to use a G6/4.25mm Boye brand hook. A hook with a shallow throat will not be able to grab the yarn and if it does, will most likely lose it in the stitches.

Keeping on just the top layer of the fabric, insert the crochet hook into a nearby stitch. Unlike with a tapestry needle where I like to break the stitch in half, in this case, we’re going to just be working right underneath the loop of the stitch.

Yarn over and pull through.

It is the easiest to work through only a few stitches at a time to avoid having the crochet hook possibly get stuck inside the fabric, but…

… you can also work through several stitches at one time.

Yarn over and…

… pull through working slowly to ensure the crochet hook makes it through each stitch. If the crochet hook gets caught in stitches, push the crochet hook up the same direction you started from and restart, perhaps with a smaller section of stitches.

Once it’s all the way through, use your fingers to manipulate the fabric to ensure it’s laying naturally, and not bunching up.

To begin the next pass, anchor the yarn first by wrapping it around a nearby stitch. Locate the stitch and insert the crochet hook into it.

Yarn over…

… and pull through.

Repeat the same process working back through several of the stitches you just worked. You may choose to rotate your fabric.

My magic number is 3 passes – I almost always worked 3. If you feel secure with your end after 2 passes, you can fasten off, and if you don’t feel secure enough, than work a 4th pass. It’s whatever you feel the most secure with your stitches, and it can vary per weave and even depending on the yarn you’re working with.

Fasten off, or trim, the yarn end close to the work. You can choose to leave a small nub sticking out.

As the project is handled, the yarn will pull in on itself, and it will be hidden within the fabric.

This teal colored project will be a super chunky blanket similar to my Volume One Afghan Square or Volume One Hand Towel. It’s actually finished in a throw blanket size, but the grading has proven to require a lot more energy than I anticipated. What sizes would you like to see this crocheted blanket in so I can prioritize those?