Crochet guide
Changing colors in Tunisian crochet
In Tunisian crochet a new color can come in at three places. Changed at the end of the return pass, it makes a solid stripe. Changed at the end of the forward pass, it puts two colors into one row. Changed in the middle of a row, it makes blocks of color and pictures.
On this page 7 parts
The three places to change color
| Where the color changes | What it gives |
|---|---|
| At the end of the return pass | Solid stripes with a straight, clean edge |
| At the end of the forward pass | Two colors in one row, with a woven or tweed look |
| In the middle of a row | Blocks of color, letters and pictures |
A change of color works as it does in ordinary crochet. The new yarn is brought in on the last yarn over of a stitch. See changing colors.
This page takes the two passes of a row as known. They are taught in the guide to Tunisian crochet.
Solid stripes
For a stripe that is one color all through, the new color has to start a forward pass. So the change is made at the very end of the return pass before it.
- Work the return pass in the old color until two loops are left on the hook.
- Drop the old color. Wrap the new color over the hook and draw it through both loops.
- Work the next forward pass and return pass in the new color.
Two colors in one row
Here the forward pass is one color and the return pass is another.
- Make the forward pass, all of it, in the first color.
- Start the return pass with the second color. The first move of the return pass, the one through a single loop, is made with the new yarn.
- Finish the return pass in the second color.
The upright strands of the forward pass show against the color of the return pass, and the two colors mix. The fabric takes on a woven or tweed look.
Carrying the yarn up the side
When a color will be used again soon, the yarn does not have to be cut. Let the color that is resting hang at the edge, and pick it up again when its turn comes. See carrying yarn.
Blocks of color inside a row
Pictures and letters are worked from a chart, usually in Tunisian simple stitch. Each square of the chart is one stitch. Where the chart changes color on the forward pass, let the old yarn go and pull up the next loop with the new yarn. This page gives the change on the forward pass only. Where the yarn changes on the return pass is set by the pattern in hand.
There are two ways to handle the yarn that is not in use.
Intarsia. Each block of color has a ball or bobbin of yarn of its own. Nothing is carried across the back, so there are no loose strands there. See intarsia crochet for the same idea in ordinary crochet.
Stranded work. Two or more colors are used along the same row. The color that is not in use is carried across the back of the work until it is needed again. Small repeating patterns in the Fair Isle style are worked this way.
Every forward pass runs in the same direction, so every row of the chart is read from the same side. For charts in general, see how to read a crochet graph.
The ends
Every color that is cut leaves two ends. Sew them in with a yarn needle when the piece is done. See weaving in ends.
Where to go next
- Tunisian crochet teaches the hook, the foundation row and the simple stitch.
- Tunisian crochet stitches sets the stitches side by side.
- Double-ended crochet works each pass with a ball of yarn of its own.
- Colorwork compares the ways of working with color in ordinary crochet.