Floss Field.
SearchSaved
All crafts

Finishing · Beginner

Fastening off

To fasten off, cut the yarn 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) from the hook and pull the cut end all the way through the last loop, then pull it snug. That finishes the last stitch and locks it, so the work cannot come undone. Nothing more is tied: the tail is woven in afterwards. Patterns say "fasten off" or "finish off".

How to work it

  1. Finish the last stitch

    Work the last stitch of the piece. One loop is on the hook.

  2. Cut the yarn

    The end of the last row, with one loop on the hook. The yarn has been cut: the strand that led to the ball now ends in the picture, a short tail.

    Cut the yarn that leads to the ball, leaving a tail of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) hanging from the work. One loop is still on the hook.

  3. Pull the end through

    The cut tail has been drawn all the way through the last loop, which still stands open on the end of the row, and ends free. The hook is out of the work.

    Take the tail over the hook from back to front (up behind the hook and over its top toward you), catch it in the head of the hook, and draw it through the loop on the hook. Keep pulling until the cut end has come all the way through the loop. The hook is now free: nothing is on it.

  4. Tighten

    The tail has been pulled: the last loop has closed down into a small knot at the corner of the work, and the tail hangs free from it.

    Pull the tail away from the work. The last loop closes down on it into a small knot, and the stitches can no longer come undone.

At a glance

Used for
the end of every piece; the end of a color that will not be used again
In a pattern
"Fasten off" or "finish off"
The tail
4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), long enough to thread on a needle. Leave more if the tail will be used to sew pieces together.
A knot?
Pulling the end through the last loop is the knot. Nothing more is tied.
In the round
At the end of a spiral, a slip stitch into the next stitch brings the last stitch down level before the yarn is cut.
What comes next
The tail is woven into the fabric.

Until it is fastened off, crochet can unravel from its last loop. That is why the last loop has to be locked.

Fastening off is not the end of the work. The tail it leaves, and the tail at the start of the piece, still have to be woven in.

Tips

  • To set work down without fastening off, put a stitch marker or a safety pin through the loop, so that it cannot run back.

When it goes wrong

I cut the yarn and the last stitch came loose.
The cut end has to go through the last loop and be pulled tight. Put the hook back in the loop, catch the tail and pull it through.
My tail is too short to thread on a needle.
Leave at least 4 inches (10 cm) next time.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Variations

  • With a chain first. Some crocheters work one chain after the last stitch and fasten off through it: the yarn is cut and its end goes through that chain.

Questions

How do I end a piece of crochet?
Fasten off: cut the yarn, pull the cut end through the last loop on the hook, and pull it snug. Then weave the tail in.
Is "finish off" the same as "fasten off"?
Yes. Both mean cutting the yarn and pulling the end through the last loop.
Do I tie a knot?
Pulling the end through the last loop makes the knot. The tail is then woven in so that it stays put.
How long a tail do I leave?
4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm), which is enough to thread on a yarn needle and weave in.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

Patterns