Legend has it that Alexander the Great cut the Gordian Knot and to this day, the story is used as a metaphor for finding an easy solution to a difficult problem. Another, considerably smaller, “knotty problem” concerns yarn. While it can’t be considered a quality flaw, there is hardly anything more irritating when knitting or crocheting than to discover a knot in the yarn. For this reason, we make every effort to keep the numbers of knots as low as possible.

 

How many knots are allowed?

During the machine manufacturing of a raw material into a ball of yarn, many intermediate production steps are made. The production of a yarn is not a continuous process. For some of the intermediate steps, the yarn must be knotted on. Depending on the effect and the dying process, the technically required number of knots per set weight can vary. Even with today's state of the art techniques, knots in the yarn cannot be entirely avoided and a certain number of knots must be tolerated. One or two knots in a 1.75 oz/50 g yarn ball lie within the tolerance specifications and are industry standards.

 

Why does a knot interrupt the color repeat?

At the current state of production technology, it is not possible to take color and pattern into account when knotting yarns.

 

What does REGIA "Knot-free" mean?

Balls of yarn which are marked with “Knot-free” on the wrapper have also not been produced by a continuous process, but instead of being knotted, they have been created with an alternative joining technique. In the past few years, it has become possible to also use this technique for threads or yarns which are slightly thicker than the fine threads of the clothing industry. To connect two yarn ends, both are spread slightly open, by means of air, and then plied firmly together with a concentrated stream of air. The finer the thread or yarn, the more invisible is this join. As a result of a years-long testing phase, this technique can now be used for the classic REGIA yarns. If a knot now appears in a ball of such yarn, then it is the result of a production error and is a justified ground for a complaint.

 

How should one deal with knots in the yarn?

You should never just ignore the knot and continue knitting or crocheting. The knot might untie during washing of the final object. Untie the knot then join the ends as you would join yarn ends when beginning a new ball. Start the new yarn at the beginning of a row. The yarn ends can then be most easily used for sewing pieces together or hidden in a seam. When making socks, the yarn ends should not be hidden in the stitches of the sole. Instead, weave yarn ends into the stitches on the inner side, preferably diagonally to the knit grain. A “Russian join”, a special technique which is worked with the help of a darning needle, is an almost invisible method for joining two yarn ends. 

 

If there are too many knots in a ball of yarn due to an error in production, please contact our end consumer service by indicating yarn, color and batch at endverbraucherservice@mezcrafts.com