Crochet 102: Changing Colors

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Hello, yarn friends!

It’s time for the next installment in my Crochet 102 series and it’s all about how to change colors in crochet!

A while ago, I released a series of photo and video tutorials called Crochet 101 for those starting from absolute scratch learning crochet. But as time has gone on, I know that in order to help you become more adept at crochet, we need to go a little farther to better understand how to use our stitch knowledge to make a pattern.

Psst! If you aren’t yet familiar with all of the basic stitches, check out my Crochet 101 series here.

Once you learn those basic stitches, you’ll want to try your hand at a pattern, and rightly so! To aid you on that journey, I’ve come up with a series of videos aimed to help you go deeper with your crochet knowledge to ensure that you can confidently make any pattern you put your mind to. It’s my goal to help you understand a bit more of the intricacies that make those projects work and how to make them your own. From understanding gauge to changing colors, the videos in this series will help you toward that finished project.

Every tutorial will feature both a photo and a video tutorial, so whether you learn best from photos or watching someone do it in real time, I’ve got you covered. In each of these tutorials, I take a deep dive into common crochet terms associated with them and the mechanics of the techniques involved. Here are the topics I plan to release and I will update with links in each of the posts when new tutorials are live.

• Gauge and the Golden Loop
• Yarn Substitutions and WPI
• Changing Colors in Crochet – Today’s Tutorial!
• Blocking

Crochet Speak

The below terms will be used throughout this tutorial series. As we proceed with each new Crochet 102 tutorial, I will be adding to this list of terms as needed to understand the tutorial being taught. You will see these terms in the video tutorial, the photos that follow, as well as defined for you below.

From the Gauge and the Golden Loop Tutorial

Tension: how tightly or how loosely you work your stitches
Gauge: the measurement of tension, portrayed as the number of stitches and the number of rows in a given measurement of fabric
Golden Loop: the first loop on your hook after pulling up a loop through a stitch; controls the height of a stitch

From the Yarn Substitutions and WPI Tutorial

Craft Yarn Council (CYC): an independent authority setting standards for yarn crafts; see www.craftyarncouncil.com
Yarn Weight Category: also referred to as yarn weight, this refers to the designation given to a particular yarn by the Craft Yarn Council; see further info on their website here.
Skein Yardage: the length of yarn included in a single skein of yarn, measured in yards (yds) or meters (m)
Skein Weight: how much a single skein of yarn weighs, measured in ounces (oz) or grams (g)
Fiber Content: what material is used to make the yarn, ie merino wool, cotton, acrylic, silk, etc.
Yardage Ratio: measures the proportion of a skein’s length to its weight, calculated by dividing the skein length by skein weight
Wraps per Inch (WPI): How many strands of yarn fit side by side around an opject of uniform thickness in an inch’s worth of wraps

From This Tutorial

In the Round: working in a circular, 3D tube shape so that there are no edges to sew together later; each new tier of stitches is referred to as a round
Joined Rounds: rounds that use a slip stitch to connect, or join, the last stitch of a round to the first for an uninterrupted, level circle of stitches; leaves a seam in the finished product
Continuous Rounds: rounds that work the first stitch of the next round immediately after the last stitch of the previous round without a joining slip stitch, forms a spiral of stitches that jog at the beginning of each new round; leaves no seam in the finished product
Carrying Yarn: the act of nesting a yarn end or the working yarn of a dropped color inside the stitches of the current working row/round

Changing Colors in Crochet

From stripes to tapestry crochet to graphgans, colorwork is a fun way to add a new level of creativity to your crochet. But it can feel a bit intimidating if you’ve never attempted it. This tutorial will introduce you to the most common situations you might want to change colors and show you how to do it!

This tutorial will illustrate changing colors

• at the end of a row
• in the middle of a row or round
• at the end of a joined round
• when you need to attach a new color in a different location from where your last color finished
• and how to minimize all those ends!

Video Tutorial

Learn better watching and listening in real time? I’ve recorded a video for this tutorial as well!

At the End of a Row

When you are working in rows and you want to work stripes of color across your project, you will need to change colors at the end of the row. The trick is to join your new color before you complete the final pull-through of the last stitch of your old color.

In the example below, the final stitch is a single crochet. Insert your hook into the last stitch of the current row and pull up a loop in the old color (green) and now you’re ready to make my final pull-through-two. Instead of using the old color to complete the stitch, drop it from your grip, leaving the last two loops on your hook, and make a loop with the new (blue) color by folding the yarn. Make sure to leave a good length for weaving in your ends later, about 6-8 inches.

Place that loop of new color on your hook and pull it through the remaining loops of the old color on your hook. This finishes the previous row in the old color and sets you up with a loop of the new color ready for your turning chain(s). If that stitch looks a little stretched, just tug lightly on the old color’s yarn tail to get it back into shape. You can cut the old yarn and leave a tail long enough to weave in later, or leave it and consider carrying your yarn. More on that in a few.

In the Middle of a Row or Round

What about when you’re working tapestry crochet or working from a graph and you need to change colors in the middle of your row? Whether you’re working in rows or in the round, the technique is the same for both. Use the same trick as before! Before you work that final pull-through on the last stitch of your old color, drop the old color and pick up the new one then complete your stitch!

In the swatch of half double crochet below, we want to change from purple to pink mid-row. In this case, the last stitch of the old color is a half double crochet, so you’ll have three loops left on your hook before that final pull-through. With those three loops left on my hook, it’s time to drop the old color and pick up the new color (pink). Again, when folding the yarn to make a loop, leave a long tail to weave in later.

Place the loop of new color on your hook and use that for the final pull-through-three to complete your half double crochet. Just like before, you’ve finished the old color and are left with a working loop of yarn in your new (pink) color. Also, like before, if your last stitch looks a little wonky, just tug a little on the old color’s yarn tail to tighten things up. You can cut your old yarn to weave in later, or this is another opportunity to carry your yarn. We’re almost ready to talk about that, hang in there! We’ll get to it, I promise. 🙂

At the End of a Joined Round

Okay, simple enough so far, right? What about when you’re working in the round and want to work some fun stripes using joined rounds? Joined rounds use a slip stitch to connect the last stitch of a round to the first stitch so that there are no edges you need to sew together later. Changing colors at the end of a joined round uses the same trick but with one deviation.

Instead of stopping at the final pull-through of your last stitch of the old color, when you’re working a joined round, you’ll go ahead and complete that stitch with the old color like any other stitch. When it’s time to slip stitch to join, keep the working loop on your hook and insert your hook into the first stitch of the round like normal, then drop the old color and pull a loop of the new color through the stitch and working loop on your hook to complete the slip stitch.

In a Different Location

There are plenty of times you might want to add a new color in a different location than where your last color left off. Maybe you want to add a border to a blanket and want to start it away from the corner. Maybe you’re working a corner-to-corner graphgan and need to join to the side of a stitch. Or maybe you’re trying to avoid the granny square tilting by starting new rounds of color in opposite corners. Whatever your reason, your best bet is a slip knot attachment.

In my example below, the first round of my granny square is complete. I’ve tied off my old color (blue) and woven my ends in and now I’m ready to change my next color (gray). This method differs from above because instead of just folding over the new yarn to make a loop, you make a slip knot with a working loop in your new color. This is the same as if you’re starting a new project. It’s the same knot.

When you have that slip knot and working loop of the new color, pick up your work and insert your hook into the indicated stitch (or in my example, the space) where you want your new color to begin. Place the working loop of the new color on your hook. Pull that loop through the stitch (or space) and chain 1 to secure. You’re ready for your starting chain. You can let that securing chain stitch act as one of your starting chains, then you’re on your merry way!

Minimizing Those Ends

Finally! It’s time to talk about carrying yarn!

If colorwork has a downside, it has to be the plethora of ends to weave in at the end of your project. But there’s good news! There’s a trick you can do to minimize them! It’s called “carrying” your yarn. When you carry your yarn, you don’t have to cut your old color when switching to your new color. You’ll be able to pick the old one back up again when you need it. Carrying refers to nesting the working yarn of a dropped color inside the stitches of the current working row/round. Basically, you’re hiding it inside the stitches like magic!

Carrying Up the Side

When you work in rows, you’ll change colors just like I’ve shown you above, using the new color for the final pull-through of your last stitch of the old color. When you drop the old yarn, don’t cut it, leave it attached to the skein.

In the sample below, the stripes are worked by changing colors every two rows. That means that all of my carrying is done on the same edge of my work so that when I finish with one color, the other color is on the correct side of my work for me to pick up and begin the next section. What you’ll notice when you change colors at the end of rows is that by bringing the alternate color up the edge of your work, it creates little jumps of color along the edge of your work. These jumps are called “carries.”

I love this method for blankets and wash cloths, anything I’m already planning a border for because if you’re using this method of carrying the yarn up the edge of your work, you’ll need to hide the carries. Just be careful when you pull up your alternate color that you don’t pull too tightly on it or you’ll risk cinching up the side edge or your project. You want the carries to be taut but not tight.

Carrying Across Rows/Rounds

If you’re working tapestry crochet, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to change from one color to another for a few stitches then switch back to the other color. Carrying yarn across the row or round you’re working allows you to switch back and forth with ease, all while hiding the yarn and preventing unnecessary ends to weave in later.

If you have a distinct right and wrong side of your work, it’s easy enough to carry the yarn across the back of your work without nesting it and hiding it in the stitches. You’ll still have the carries just like in the example above, but this time they’ll be on the back or wrong side of your work instead of the edge. This is used most commonly for wall hangings where no one is going to see the back anyway, or sweaters that no one will see the inside of.

But what if you have a project where people will see the front and back? You carry the yarn inside the stitches as you work your row! In the example below, I’ve got two alternating colors again, but not only am I changing colors at the end of my rows, I’m also changing colors in the middle of my rows for a fun and trippy design effect. Each row starts with Color A (pink), changes to Color B (blue) mid-row, then changes back to Color A (pink) at the end of the row so I can begin the next row in the same manner.

To do this without a visible carry, I nest the working yarn of the dropped color inside of the stitches of the current row by laying the yarn on the top of the stitches from the previous row and working over them. Then when I’m ready for a color change, I use the methods described above for an end-of-row and a mid-row color change as required, picking up the previously dropped yarn and using it to work over my newly dropped color.

Show this in photos is a bit challenging, so I did my best here to explain picture by picture. However, this is one of those times when I think the video illustrates this technique better. Find this part of the tutorial video here.

PRO TIP: Working over the dropped yarn is also a great way to take care of some of those pesky ends when you’re NOT trying to pick up a dropped color again and instead just cut the yarn. One less end to weave in later!

That’s it for changing colors!

Now that you know how to add more color to your work, you are free to let your creativity fly! If you have any questions, drop them below and I’ll reply ASAP!

Next up in the series I’ll be talking about blocking. Until then, keep practicing and learning!

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