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Watch the video: “How to Change Color in Crochet: The Intarsia Method” by LoveCrafts
Colorwork that looks crisp on both sides? That’s the promise of intarsia crochet. This beginner-friendly method lets you place neat blocks of color—without carrying yarn across the back—so your blankets, sweaters, and cushions showcase clean pictures and patterns.
What you’ll learn
- How intarsia crochet works and when to use it
- How to prepare and manage separate yarn bobbins for each color area
- Exactly when to switch yarns so the new color appears where you want it
- How to secure unused yarn to avoid holes and keep your edges straight
What is Intarsia Crochet?
Understanding the Technique Intarsia crochet uses separate little bobbins (or short lengths) of yarn for each color section. Instead of carrying one strand across the back, you work each color only where it’s needed. This keeps your fabric an even thickness and prevents the bulky feel that comes from floating strands across the wrong side.
Why Choose Intarsia for Colorwork? If you love motifs—hearts, animal silhouettes, initials, or geometric blocks—intarsia delivers clean transitions between colors. Because you’re not carrying yarn, the back stays neat and the front shows sharp edges on each color block. The video demonstration shows a gray rectangle nestled within a purple field, with tidy lines and no visible holes where colors meet.
Pro tip
- If you’re using US terms, you’ll be working single crochet. In UK terms, that’s double crochet. The demo also uses a 5.0 mm hook; the yarn weight isn’t specified, so match your hook to your yarn.
Essential Preparation: Creating Yarn Bobbins
Homemade vs. Store-Bought Bobbins Before you start, prepare small bobbins for each color block. You can wind yarn onto plastic bobbins, or do what’s shown in the video—wrap short lengths around folded paper cards. The key is to be ready with one bobbin per color area so you never have to drag yarn across the row.
Estimating Yarn Length for Bobbins The video doesn’t specify yarn length per bobbin; a good practice is to wind a modest amount and top up as needed. Keep your bobbins light enough to handle easily and short enough that they don’t become unwieldy.
Watch out
- Carrying yarn across the back will thicken the fabric and alter tension. With intarsia, avoid that by assigning a bobbin to each color section.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Colors
Starting the New Color Seamlessly Work along in your main color until the stitch before you want the new color to appear. Insert your hook and pull up a loop as usual. Now drop the old yarn and pick up the new color from its bobbin. Complete the stitch by pulling the new color through the two loops on your hook. That’s your color change.
Quick check
- The new color should first show on the very next stitch. If it appears too early or late, you likely switched one stitch off. embroidery frame
Securing Yarn to Prevent Gaps To avoid holes where colors meet, tuck the new yarn under the old color as you work the first stitch of the new section. This locks the strands together inside the stitch and closes up potential gaps. Keep your tension even as you proceed across the new color block.
From the comments
- Viewer questions are not available for this video; if you’re wondering about yarn weights or specific stitch counts, those details aren’t specified in the tutorial. magnetic embroidery hoop
Changing Back to Your Original Color When you’re ready to return to the main color, work the last stitch of the contrast section until two loops remain on your hook. Drop the current yarn, pick up the original color bobbin, and pull through to complete the stitch. As you begin the next stitch, bring the unused yarn to the back, and tuck it under the working yarn to secure it neatly.
Watch out
- If you forget to tuck the unused yarn as you switch, tiny holes can appear at the color boundary. Pause and check the front for gaps.
Maintaining Your Work: Bobbin Management
Tips for Keeping Yarns Untangled Color changes cause bobbins to twist around one another—it’s normal. Every couple of rows, stop and reorganize your bobbins so they sit in the right order for the next pass. The presenter straightens bobbins frequently to keep the workspace manageable.
When and How to Reorganize
- End of row: Lay the work flat and align bobbins left-to-right in the order you’ll use them.
- Mid-row reset: If twisting becomes intense, pause and let bobbins dangle to release twists.
- Keep each bobbin small: Lighter bobbins reduce drag and tangles.
Pro tip
- Bring the yarn you aren’t using to the back of the work before resuming. This avoids stray strands on the fabric’s front.
Troubleshooting Common Intarsia Issues
Fixing Holes in Color Changes Holes typically happen when the unused yarn isn’t secured during the first stitch of the new color. On your next row, you can close a small gap by snugging the boundary stitches and making sure you tuck the strand correctly this time. If the hole is noticeable, calmly unpick a couple of stitches and redo the switch with the tuck in place. magnetic hoops
Ensuring Consistent Tension
- Keep your hands relaxed during the switch; avoid tugging the yarn tails.
- Check both sides after each color transition. If one side looks tight or puckered, adjust your pull-through to be slightly looser on the next change.
- Work a small practice swatch to find the tension that gives you flat edges.
Quick check
- The video uses single crochet (US) consistently for the demo. If you’re used to UK terms, remember that’s double crochet. embroidery machine for beginners
Unleash Your Creativity with Intarsia
Project Ideas for Intarsia Crochet The presenter calls out how this technique opens the door to picture motifs on cushions, pillows, blankets, and sweaters. Think color blocks, hearts, pets, or seasonal icons—all without floats across the back. Change colors where you want your picture to begin, keep bobbins tidy, and your fabric will lie flat with a polished reverse.
Designing Your Own Charts While the video doesn’t include a chart, you can map your design on graph paper or digital grid tools—one square per stitch. Mark color boundaries clearly and assign a bobbin to each section where a strand won’t naturally meet up with the next row’s needs. Work in short rows of color to limit tangles and make frequent bobbin resets part of your rhythm. embroidery hoops uk
Putting It All Together: A Mini Walkthrough 1) Prep bobbins: One for each color area you’ll work this row. Paper or plastic both work fine. 2) Crochet to the boundary: Work single crochet in your main color up to the stitch before the new color appears.
3) Switch colors at the right moment: Insert hook, pull up a loop, then complete the stitch by pulling the new color through the last two loops.
4) Secure the yarns: For your first stitch in the new color, tuck the unused yarn underneath the working yarn to avoid holes.
5) Work the color block: Keep tension even across the section in the new shade.
6) Change back cleanly: On the last stitch of the block, switch colors at the final pull-through and tuck the yarn to secure.
7) Reset frequently: At row ends, reorganize your bobbins to prevent twists.
Watch out
- It’s normal for bobbins to look messy mid-row. Focus on clean switches and tidy them at logical breaks. monogram machine
Practice Plan: Build Confidence in 3 Short Sessions Session 1: Make a small swatch in single crochet. Add one rectangular contrast block as shown in the video. Focus on changing color at the end of the stitch before the block starts.
Session 2: Add a second block and practice switching back and forth. Work two or three rows past the block to confirm your edges stay straight and your tension consistent.
Session 3: Chart a simple motif—a heart or initial—and assign bobbins to each color area. Work slowly, secure at each change, and reset bobbins every couple of rows.
Quick check
- If your edges wobble near the color change, review your tension as you pull the new yarn through the last two loops. Small adjustments make big differences. fast frames embroidery
Glossary (as used in the video)
- Single crochet (US): The stitch used throughout the tutorial. In UK terms, this is double crochet.
- Bobbin: A small, separate length of yarn for a single color area. The video shows simple paper bobbins.
- Tuck: Placing the unused yarn under the working yarn at the first stitch of the new color to close gaps.
Frequently Asked Questions Q: Which hook size should I use? A: The demonstration uses a 5.0 mm hook. Choose a hook suitable for your yarn and the fabric feel you want.
Q: What yarn weight is used in the tutorial? A: The specific yarn weight isn’t mentioned.
Q: How many stitches are in the swatch? A: The video doesn’t specify stitch counts; it focuses on the color-change method.
Q: Can I use this technique for large images? A: Yes. Prepare more bobbins—one for each color section along your row—then reorganize frequently to avoid tangles.
Finishing Thoughts The intarsia method is straightforward once you lock in three habits: switch at the end of the stitch before the color shows, secure the unused strand by tucking, and reset your bobbins every couple of rows. With those basics, picture motifs and color blocks stay sharp, edges lie flat, and both sides look tidy. magnetic hoops for embroidery
Optional Gear Crossovers (for multi-craft makers) If you also enjoy machine embroidery, you may already be familiar with hardware like frames and magnetic supports, which are different from crochet tools but similarly help with alignment and tension in that craft. While not used in crochet, you might see terms such as magnetic embroidery hoops, magnetic hoops, and magnetic embroidery hoops uk in your research. These are machine-embroidery accessories rather than crochet notions.