There are various techniques for changing your yarn, either joining a new skein of the same color or adding a new skein of a different color. The five techniques presented in Part 1 are: no knot, single knot, double slip knots, split yarn and felting.

Subscribe to My Crochet Channel or go to: YouTube.com TanisGalik

Video: 9 Ways to Change Yarn – Part 1
Video: 9 Ways to Change Yarn – Part 2
Blog: 9 Ways to Change Yarn – Part 2

1. No Knot – This is one of the simplest ways. Before completing your current stitch, with two loops left on the hook add the new yarn by simply pulling the new loop through the two loops on the hook. Then continue working with the new yarn. I personally never feel too secure using this technique. So I would at least use the second technique.

2. Single Knot – The second way is to add a simple knot, tying the two yarns together. When you pull the knot through the two loops on the hook, it is hidden. However, you have the ends to deal with. You can work the ends in as you continue crocheting with the new yarn, which is what I usually do. However, if you are changing colors quite often, this can be unpleasant. If you are changing colors at the end of the row and floating the old color up the edge to use in another row, this float will be worked over later in the border. However, if that is not possible, the double slip knot could be the answer.

3. Double Slip Knot – Pick the location of the knot, wrap the new yarn around the old yarn and create a simple slip knot in one direction. Then take the old yarn end and wrap it around the new yarn, creating a simple slip knot in the other direction. Pull the ends, tightening both knots at the same time. It’s important to pull the knots very tightly. Take a pair of sharp scissors and cut the ends off very close to the knots. Always recheck the join by pulling the yarn strands again to make sure the knots hold. When you continue crocheting, the knot will disappear inside the two loops on the hook as you complete your stitch and best of all, there will be no ends to weave in.

4. Split Yarn – But what if I don’t want a knot at all? What if I’m working in the middle of a row and I don’t want a possible bump? Or I’m working with fine yarn? (Of course, this technique can be used with any weight yarn.) In this case I can split my yarns and blend them together. Usually this technique is used with the same color yarn. However, maybe I’m making a scrap yarn project and instead of having sharp breaks in color, I want the two colors to blend before I change. (In this case, I would work with at least 12″ of overlap.) Take 6″ of each yarn end and split the yarns apart. Take one half of one yarn end and one half of the other yarn end and work the two yarns together as one strand, until you come to the end of the first yarn. Pick up the other section of the new yarn and continue working that yarn strand as a whole. You will have split ends hanging out the back or wrong side. You can either weave in the ends (preferred) or take a sharp pair of scissors and cut them off.

5. Felting Ends Together – Another way to change yarn is to felt the two ends together. Obviously, this has to be done with yarn that can be felted such as a wool yarn or an animal blend (NOT superwash wool). Again, this technique is usually used with the same color yarn. However, as previously stated you may not want to jump from one color to another; you may want to blend the colors before beginning the new color. Unravel two or three inches of each yarn end. When the fibers are separated, dampen the ends with water. Work the fibers together with your fingers or roll them between your palms. It may take a little while to get the fibers to blend completely (just as when you normally felt an item). When the fibers are well meshed, allow the join to dry. When dry, the ends will be felted together and you can continue crocheting as if working with one strand of yarn.

Four more techniques are presented in Part 2.