Colour Changes in Amigurumi
The basic explanation
To make a neat colour change, keep an eye out in your crochet pattern or instructions for the approaching change. As you make the last stitch in the old colour, pause before the last step of that stitch. For the final ‘yarn over and draw through all loops on hook’, substitute the new yarn, so you draw the new yarn through your loops. This gives a cleaner edge to the colour change.
Left: last loop of previous stitch uses new colour; Right: first complete stitch in new colour
Full Tutorials
Need more details? For full illustrated step-by-step instructions, jump to:
What to do with the yarn
You have several options for what to do with the yarn colour you aren’t currently using:
Carry the yarn along the top of the row you’re working into. This is known as tapestry crochet, and is an excellent technique to use if your pattern continually switches between two or more colours of yarn. However, it adds bulk to your stitches, so if you only use colour changes for a few rounds, and don’t carry the second yarn the rest of the time, the piece may end up looking bulkier around the area with the colour changes. Also, if you aren’t careful, the carried colour can show through between your stitches, particularly if you stuff your work firmly, which can stretch the stitches open slightly.
Left: The grey yarn is carried along the top of the row; Right: The row of shadowy areas (marked with arrow) are actually the grey yarn peeking through – notice that the ’shadows’ only appear in that top row where I carried the grey yarn
Drop the yarn to the back (inside) of the work and pick it up again when it’s needed. This is a quick and easy method if you’re changing back again after one or two stitches, but leaves a long annoying span of yarn inside your work for any more than that.
A view of the inside after several colour changes of several stitches each time (note that this is a demo piece only!). I don’t recommend leaving connected strands of yarn this long inside the piece; they can cause difficulties when you try to stuff your work
Drop the yarn to the back (inside) of the work and cut it. Knot this end together with the loose end of the new yarn. This can be a bit time-consuming, but if you tie each pair together after you’ve crocheted a couple of stitches past the colour change, it’s not too much trouble. A tip: the knot is simply to prevent your stitches from working loose, so don’t pull the ends too tightly when knotting them together; the goal is to maintain the tension in the yarn so the stitches stay even.
The two ends knotted together inside the piece. Tie the knots as you go – it can be difficult to reach them once you’ve crocheted a few more rounds!
My preference is to use a combination of all three methods, depending on the pattern. I generally cut the yarn and tie the ends together to give a smooth neat finish, but if I’m just making one or two stitches in the second colour, I usually drop the yarn to the inside, or crochet over it, so I can resume using it a couple of stitches later.
17 Comments »
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Wen Rou Said,
February 18, 2008 @ 9:23 am
Thanks, that was very useful
Joy Abara Said,
March 5, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
A crochet beginner dreading a color-change, so far I’ve been sticking to the ‘monochrome’ amigurumi. But this tutorial is so encouraging, I’m excited to try a 2-toned amigurumi!
mocaloca Said,
March 27, 2008 @ 8:05 am
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for putting the time!
Joel Said,
March 28, 2008 @ 11:17 am
I’m working on a little ‘rumi dog in blue and white, and have been adding little spots on the body. This gives me more options — thanks!
Amigurumi Tutorial 3 (additional techniques) | Hook and Needles: Knitting and Crochet Blog (cool stuff, techniques, and things I find) Said,
April 15, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
[...] You’ll often want to add a splash of color to your projects. The following video shows how to change color yarns. PlanetJune also has a Colour Changes in Amigurumi tutorial. [...]
Melisa Sriwulandari Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 5:59 am
Hi, if you don’t mind, I’m placing a link to your tutorials in my blog.
http://ami-quelle.blogspot.com
Thank you very much!
Regards,
Melisa
Rebekah Said,
June 29, 2008 @ 4:37 am
Your amazing! Thankyou!
Make It: Color Changes in Amigurumi | Craft & Found Said,
October 11, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
[...] do (this is twice in one day from her!)? Then head over to her blog (again!) to check out her tutorial on color changing in amigurumi. Now you can do more than just have stripes of color in your work, [...]
ana Said,
November 2, 2008 @ 6:58 pm
gracias x la info es exactamente lo que andaba buscando.
Thanks
Holly Said,
November 15, 2008 @ 2:55 am
I still cant get this very well. all the threads end up on the outside and it looks really stupid. I have tried many times but it still wont work for me.
Thnakyou anyway. I will try some more.
June Said,
November 15, 2008 @ 9:10 am
Holly, when you make your amigurumi, it forms a sort of ‘bowl’ shape as you crochet. I’m wondering if you are crocheting ‘inside out’ – that would explain why the threads end up on the outside…
When you insert your hook into a stitch, does your hook go from the outside edge of the ‘bowl’ to the inside, or from the inside edge of the bowl to the outside? If your hook goes from the inside to the outside, you’re working inside out. All you need to do is flip the ‘bowl’ shape the other way out, and then when you insert your hook into the next stitch, it will go from the outside of the bowl to the inside, and all your thread ends will be on the inside.
Tutorial de Amigurumi 3 (técnicas adicionales) | Gancho y Agujas Said,
May 11, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
[...] trabajar con más de un color a la vez, el siguiente video muestra cómo añadir un nuevo color. PlanetJune tiene un tutorial en inglés al respecto [...]
Tilia Linden Said,
June 9, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
Your tutorials are very helpful to newbies such as me. Thank you for placing them online.
DLY Said,
August 6, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
This is just what I needed! Very helpful.
Tracy Said,
October 3, 2009 @ 9:09 pm
I just started working on your Lemur pattern. I got frustrated with the head because of the color changes, but after reading this, I started over and got it! Thank you!
cheryl Said,
January 6, 2010 @ 7:38 am
OMG THANKYOU! I have been stressing about this so much and if I’d only had the sense to consult June sooner! You’re fab!
Samantha Moon Said,
January 22, 2010 @ 1:37 am
Wow! that’s so much easier than what I’ve been doing for years! haha! amigurumi is a new venture, I’ve actually only ever knitted. Thanks!