Last week at knitting one of our friends had started a shawl. Just a basic shawl, but she’s using two contrasting colors. It looked like it was about 20 rows of dark blue and 20 rows of a wildly variegated yarn. It was fun and looked gorgeous, but she’s a new knitter (though she’s crocheted since she was young) and was carrying the yarn up the sides because she hates weaving ends.

Maridee showed it to the group and asked our opinions on whether to carry up the sides or rip it back and reknit, starting each section with new yarn. To be honest, I don’t think we even let her finish her question. Yes, she absolutely had to rip it back. No, she couldn’t keep carrying the yarn. She was disappointed, but she knew it was the right decision, she was just hoping we’d tell her what she wanted to hear. While we understood and empathized, no, we weren’t going to let her get away with it.

Friends don’t let friends knit badly.

That started a whole discussion on weaving in ends and blocking. I was the oddball of the group. I mentioned I loved finishing. I loved taking that finished object and weaving in all the ends. And blocking! I love blocking, too. I don’t do it too often, because furniture needs to be moved when I do, so I let it pile up, but I love it. I love the transformation knitted things go through when blocked, or even just washed and laid flat. Blocking is magic!

Heather stared at me a little confused. “It’s weird. You’re saying the same things about finishing I do, but…you sound CHEERY about it. I don’t understand.”

Me, happily: I let all the finishing pile up and then I’ll turn on the TV and sit for a few hours until it’s all done!

Her, grumpily: I let all the finishing pile up and then I’ll turn on the TV and sit for a few hours until it’s all done!

Me, happily: I weave in all the ends, and then it’s finally finished!

Her, grumpily: I weave in all the ends, and then it’s finally finished!

Tone is everything. I was mocked a little, but in a way only good friends do. And I KNOW Heather is trying to figure out a way to get me to do her finishing in the future. (Nice try!)

What about you? Do you love weaving in ends? Do you loathe it and wish you could get someone else to do it for you? Do you let them pile up and get them all done in one fell swoop, or do you do them as soon as the knitting/crocheting is done?

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Finishing is Fun Fish
aka The Fish With Sticks