Are knots in yarn common? Have just come across my second skein of Schoppel Wolle cotton ball with a knot. It is super frustrating. I’m knitting the mood cardigan and so hiding the knots mid row isn’t easy. The only other time I’ve ever come across this was in super cheap synthetic yarn. I won’t buy this yarn again, although otherwise I like it. But at the price it expect better.
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I think they are more common in some yarns than others and agree they can be a pain. In that pattern I would probably cut the knot and rejoin the yarn but that is entirely personal preference.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I posted this a couple of days ago at least but it only just got approved. I just knit thru the knot as is already changed yarn and few rows back. Usually I do as you suggest, but I was too tired and hot to fuss. (Seattle is having record breaking heat)
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I’ve seen the heat on the news. Stay cool and safe!
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I agree, knots in yarn are a pain! I’ve found knots in expensive yarn (angora rabbit) and less expensive (cotton/synthetic blend). If it’s an animal fiber I’ll cut it out and spit splice it;) If other, I’ll cut it out and do a magic knot! At least it’s almost invisible then.
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As others said, knots are found in yarns of various price points. However—bad news—NEVER knit through them, as they really never hide. Take it from a knit finisher on that. Untie or cut them, and do whichever joining you would do for a new ball of yarn. Overlap and knit 3 or 4 stitches with both; Russian join; twist then drop tail; splice; needle felt splice, whatever. Leve yourself 6” of tails to weave in on the diagonal and it’s now invisible. Sorry, but knots have to go.
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As a yarn shop owner, this has come up before and we did a little research. During manufacturing breakage happens and knots may have to be made. Skein posted that they find 3 knots per 100g too many (https://skeinyarn.com/blogs/notions/lets-talk-about-knots). Schachenmayr posted that 1-2 per 50 gram ball is within the industry standard. https://schachenmayr.com/en/tips-tricks/faq/knots-yarn. In our shop, we will replace skeins with 3 or more knots and want to hear about it so that we can keep track of what our knitters and crocheters are experiencing and which lines might not be wholly meeting industry standards.
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Interesting, thank you for this info!
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So I’m curious… since I’m knitting from the skein which didn’t need winding, if I hit 3 knots how do I get it replaced since I’ve already knit it? And why put a knot in if we are supposed to undo it and treat it as a new end? Seems like it is just a bunch of pieces wound together to make the right length.
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I am tired of knots too, popping up usually not at the edge. It doesn’t matter if it’s economy or luxury yarn, there will be knots but when you run into more than 2 in a hank or whatever, it ticks me off. Or worse, when a fairly short length of yarn is knotted. Why bother with the short length?
The best thing whoever’s decides to knot a skein is to at least use a suitable, appropriate knot for the type of yarn.
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Knots happen. So do potholes. If you know where they are you can handle it better. I run the yarn through my left hand while winding with my right. When I feel a knot I stop and start a new ball. (This is a good reason to have your own swift and winder.) I will even do this with balls like schoppel cotton if joins need to be strategically placed. (BTW, I love that yarn. I have summer scarves that I’ve worn for years)
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I couldn’t agree more, know (and love) your yarn ahead of time.
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Well yes… but I’m not paying for potholes. And I’m not wanting to aquire more things - such as a ball winder and a swift. I posted initially because in all my years of knitting (40+) I’ve only every had knots in inexpensive yarn.
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I have found many knots in yarns. I usually just cut the knot out and work with it as if I were joining a new skein. The only time I find it really annoying is when it is on a lace project as it is much more difficult to hide the ends in lace. I’d love to know how other people work with yarn ends in a lace project.
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Lace can use the Russian join, or if the yarn is plied, the peel-apart, snip a ply off, overlap and re-twist.
I appreciate you sharing this info about industry standards but those often need be revised. In the grand scheme of things, this is not an earth shattering problem. But when I pay good money for my yarn I expect to know what I’m getting.
If the standard in your yarn manufacturing facility is 3 knots per skein, then put it on the label so I know what to expect. It’s not the knot that annoys me, it’s the sudden stop.
And let the manufacturer know. Drop them an email and let them know that their quality assurance team is dropping the ball. Be nice about it. They usually want to know. Most companies really want to be good but you can be sure that all companies want to protect their brand and give people a product that they’ll buy again and again.
I the meantime, never knit through a knot. It’s an ornery little beast that will always pop through to the front. I’m a big fan of a braided join. I use it 95% of the time. I find it super easy, virtually invisible and I don’t have to spit on my yarn.
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Years ago when I was crocheting with 100% acrylic I never came across a knot. Now that I’ve started knitting with more expensive blended yarns I seem to run into knots. At first I left them but now I cut them and knit on. The good thing about using wool is they felt together 
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Noro is also famous for having knots in the middle of the skein - they actually talk about this in the history of the yarn. Sometimes you also get a twig, piece of cotton etc wound into the yarn. Noro yarn is usually thick and thin (not consistent) so the knots aren’t as noticeable as in other smoother yarn. It’s part of the “charm”, lol
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ElleMC I just completed 2 shawls using Noro and noticed the same situation! LOTS of knots actually. I also encountered a few sections that were so thin they broke away from the strand.
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Old thread I know, but I’ve been knitting with Rowan Big Wool and the knots have really irritated me so I looked at this… the thing that irritated me the most was I’d have one or two knots in the skein and then get ALMOST to the end and find a knot that joined just a yard or so. In a few places I backed out to the beginning of the row, otherwise I’ve been leaving six inches or so and weaving in the ends.
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