How to Tie a Magic Knot

We're talking about magic today folks! That's right. You heard me. Magic. This is a magic knot. If you knit or crochet and haven't had a chance to use this knot to join your yarn, I'm about to become your new best friend.

The Magic Knot is a total game-changer for yarn lovers. It lets you join yarn ends without weaving or bulky knots. I learned it from a fellow yarn junkie, and once I figured it out, I never went back. If you’ve never tried it — or you’ve had it fall apart before — this step-by-step tutorial will help. Plus, I’ve included lots of pictures because the twisty part can get confusing fast.

The magic knot is used to join two separate strings or pieces of yarn. You may do this when you want to change the color of your yarn or when you come to the end of one string and need to add more. It's ridiculously strong, small, and virtually indiscernible in the middle of most projects. As you can see, once it's tied, it's no bigger around than the yarn, and there are no ends to weave in!

I've heard some people speak ill of the magic knot, but I've been using it for a couple of years now (for knitting, crocheting, string art and more!) and it's never let me down when tied correctly. So I ignore the naysayers. It's a simple, strong, small, and dependable knot. I like it. A lot.

(Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something. I only recommend things I use and love—thanks so much for supporting the blog because I love sharing it!)

All you need to tie a magic knot is:

• your working thread

• your new thread

• a pair of scissors

  • Yes. I have favorites and yes, I’m gonna tell you what they are. Spoiler alert - I love Fiskars and Olfa brands.

    • These good, all purpose Fiskars Scissors (we called these “the orange scissors” when we were growing up)

    • These Fiskars Fabric Shears (can’t live without them)

    • This Olfa 60mm Ergonomic Rotary Cutter or if you prefer the Standard Style

Speaking of scissors, does anyone else ever wonder if they have too many?

*Sigh*

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Back to the knot. Basically, what you're doing is using each thread to tie a knot around the other thread and pulling those knots tightly against each other. Pictures are worth a thousand words on this one, so look closely at them.

LESSON LEARNED: There's a catch. It DOES seem to matter which way you twist your pretzel. Several times I've put the thread under a loop instead of over and inevitably they end up pulling apart. So follow the arrows. If you don't do it this way and it still works for you, I bow to your knotting prowess!

Make a pretzel with your working yarn. Then, slide the new yarn through the pretzel.

Make a pretzel knot with your new yarn, around your working yarn

Tighten both knots, then snug them tightly against each other.

Give it a test tug. It should just get tighter. If the knots give any, you probably took a wrong turn somewhere.
If it's nice and tight, snip the ends as closely to the knot as you can.

LESSON LEARNED: You can nip it nice and close as shown, but be sure not to snip any threads of the actual knot.

After you snip the ends, give it a final test tug. Then, congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Bonus Yarn Recommendation:

You guys. I heart yarn in a big way. I love a lot of yarn and I love yarn a lot. Lately, I’m mad about this Lion Brand Cotton Yarn and I’m really feeling some bold earthy pairings like golden rod + grass. Or amber + eggplant. If you want to get super crazy, use all four together. Life is good.