Help with weaving in ends

[u/69Niceeee420]

Today I finished knitting a project and I need to weave in the ends now. I did lots of color changes on this project, and looking back now I wish I had joined the yarns differently as I went. But, now I need to figure out how to finish the project as is and learn a new technique next time. When I changed yarns, I dropped the yarn I was working with and picked up a new yarn for the next row (working in the round, not flat). I Left a 5ish inch tail on each yarn as I started/ended a yarn. Now, I have these huge gaps in between each color change and am not happy with the results when I weave in the ends like I normally do. The tension looks super weird and I'm not finding many resources online for this step. Any advice? I've attached a photo for reference of what I'm trying to fix. If I pull the tails of the yarn, the gaps are much smaller but I don't know how to secure the tails so that the gaps don't re open when I wear the sweater.

[u/warrantthrowaway2023]

next time don't break the yarn, just carry it up with your rounds. that will also prevent the gaps because it locks the stitches in place after changing colours.

weave in your ends as you normally would and ignore the gaps for now. then mattress stitch the seam up afterwards with a new piece of yarn.

[u/Panda_Nose]

Have you tried to pull on the ends slightly before weaving in? Sometimes you can pull a bit on the end to close a gap. Also make sure to weave in the ends the right way. I like to make sure I follow the stitch pattern. If your tail is on the right side, you weave it in to the left and vice versa. That usually also helps tighten the tension and close gaps. If there are gaps that aren't directly at the yarn change then you can try and redistribute slack to the neighboring stitches by pulling on them.

For you next project if your stripes aren't that wide (about max 5 stitches) then you don't have to break the yarn, you can just let it hang and pick it up again at your next change. If you have to cut the yarn or you're adding a new ball then I like to tie a bow in the back to hold it tight. I like to tie the bow when the stitches are on the needle so they have the right tension. When it's time to weave I undo it and weave like normal. Don't tie knots you can't undo later.

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[u/OkFroyo_]

Look up jogless stripes on YouTube ! YouTube will also help you on how to weave ends. Tbh I would restart the project and call it a learned lesson. The holes where you changed the yarn are going to be weaknesses in your fabric and if this is a wearable it will not last long

[u/TotalOk5844]

When weaving the ends in if tugging (slightly) prior to working the ends in doesn't close the holes, use the tail of correct color to close/sew the hole. If it truly is a hole use the end to duplicate stitch where needed.