Why does my knitting yarn keep tangling and what can I do to prevent it?

Hey Megan! Yarn usually tangles because the skein collapses and both ends are feeding, twist energy builds as you work, or there are hidden knots and snags. Rewind the skein into one ball with even tension, work from one end only, let the ball rotate and occasionally let the work hang to release twist, keep the yarn path clear and off rough surfaces, separate multiple balls and untwist at color changes, and precheck a few meters for knots so you can cut or rejoin before they reach the needles.

Hmm, Rewinding is a great first step. When you knit, try pulling from the outside of the ball instead of the center if you notice collapse or extra twist. Tuck the unused tail inside the ball so it does not sneak out and wrap around everything. Keep the ball contained so it cannot roll under furniture or across carpet. A plain bowl or a clean box on the floor beside you lets the ball spin freely while keeping dust and snags away. Works great. If you feel resistance, stop and find the snag rather than yanking. Give the project a little shake and let the piece dangle to remove twist, then carry on. If you hit a factory knot or a tangle that will not budge, snip it out with a small tail and rejoin calmly instead of pulling the mess through your stitches.

Teacher hat on here because I troubleshoot this a lot with new knitters.

Tangling often comes from stored twist building up while you work especially if you are pulling from the center.

Every so often hold the that model near the needles and lower the work, and let it spin until the strands relax so yeah end of row is a nice checkpoint.

If you are knitting stripes or holding two strands, give each ball its own space.

Separate bags, ends coming from opposite sides, and at each color change flip the project the other way on the next row so the two strands do not braid themselves into a rope.

One row you flip right, next row you flip left, keeps things balanced.

When a snarl forms close to the needles, pinch above the tangle with one hand and with the other hand back out a little slack through the last few stitches, then tease the loops apart.

Never pull on a tight knot, it only cinches harder and you lose that model to breakage.

Keep nails smooth and avoid rough tabletops that catch fibers, and if the that model is splitty try relaxing your grip and loosening tension for a few rows so the twist does not unravel at the tip.

No more birds nests.

I feel you on the that model tangles it's super annoying and it happened to me all the time until I figured out a couple tricks and like making sure to only pull from one end and not letting the ball roll around on the floor or anything because that makes it worse you know.

Another thing is to check the that model for any snags before you start knitting a section and unwind a bit and inspect it. If there's a knot and deal with it early. Saved me so much hassle. Yeah.

Rewind the yarn into a snug and even ball to cut down on tangles, and give it space to unwind smoothly. Keep colors separated and occasionally let your work hang so it can spin out any built-up twist.