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Changing color · Easy

Ombre

An ombre is a piece that fades from one color or shade into the next with no sharp line between them. There are three ways to crochet one. Stripes of the old and the new color can take turns, the old ones getting narrower as the new ones get wider. Two strands can be held together and swapped one at a time, so that a band of both colors mixed stands between the two. Or the fade can be left to the yarn, with a ball dyed to change color slowly along its length.

How to work it

  1. Choose colors that sit close together

    A fade needs at least two colors. It is smoothest between colors that blend well, such as shades of one color family. Decide the order of the colors before you start, and keep to it.

  2. Way 1: stripes that trade places

    A plan of a fade in stripes, twelve rows tall, with the number of rows in each stripe written beside it. From the bottom: three rows of the first color, one of the second, two of the first, two of the second, one of the first, three of the second. The stripes of the first color get narrower as those of the second get wider.

    Work the piece in one stitch pattern throughout and change color by rows. Begin with a wide band of the first color, then a narrow stripe of the second. Make each stripe of the first color narrower than the last one and each stripe of the second color wider, until the second color has taken over.

  3. Way 2: two strands, swapped one at a time

    A plan of a fade worked with two strands held together, six rows tall, in three bands numbered 1 to 3 from the bottom. Band 1: both strands are the first color. Band 2: one strand of each color, drawn as a speckle of the two. Band 3: both strands are the second color.

    Hold two strands of yarn together and work them as one. Start with both strands in the first color. After a few rows, drop one strand at the end of a row and bring in a strand of the second color, so that the next rows are worked with one strand of each: a mix of the two. After the same number of rows, drop the last strand of the first color and bring in a second strand of the second. Go on in the same way through as many colors as you like.

  4. Way 3: a yarn dyed to fade

    Some yarns are dyed so that the color changes slowly along the length of the ball, through different tones of one color or from one color to another. They are sold as gradient or ombre yarns. Work straight through the ball and the fade appears by itself.

At a glance

Also called
fade, gradient
Used for
blankets and baby blankets; scarves, shawls and cowls; hats
Colors
Two or more, close enough to blend.
Stripes
The old color's stripes narrow as the new color's widen.
Two strands
Both in one color, then one of each, then both in the next.
Dyed yarn
The ball changes color slowly; nothing to plan.
Stitch
Any: the fade is in the yarn, not in the stitch.

With two strands, give every stage the same number of rows: a band with both strands in one color, an equal band with one strand of each, an equal band with both strands in the next color. The mixed band stands between the two colors as a step from one to the other.

Two strands held together mean two balls in work at once, or both ends of one ball: the end from the middle and the end from the outside.

A fade in stripes leaves an end at every change of color. In narrow stripes of two rows the resting yarn can be carried up the side edge and need not be cut. Where a color is dropped for good, cut it and weave in the end.

When it goes wrong

There is a hard line where my colors change.
The colors are too far apart, or the change is too sudden. Put a band between them in which the two take turns in narrow stripes, or work a band with one strand of each.

Variations

  • Two strands. Holding two strands together and working them as one.
  • Stripes. Changing color at the end of a row, and carrying the resting yarn.

Questions

How do I crochet a fade without a jump between colors?
Put a mixed band between every two colors: narrow stripes of both taking turns, or rows worked with one strand of each color held together.
How many colors does an ombre need?
Two are enough for a fade made of stripes. More shades of one color family, taken in order, give more and smaller steps.
Can I get an ombre from one ball of yarn?
Yes, with a gradient or ombre yarn, which is dyed to change color slowly along its length.
Does the stitch matter?
No. The same way of fading works in any stitch, as long as the whole piece keeps to one stitch pattern.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

Patterns