amigurumi basics: changing colour [video]
I have a new Crochet Quickies video for you today, showing how to make clean colour changes for amigurumi. This is the same basic technique I explain in my original Changing Colour tutorial (and you may also want to check out my tutorial Changing Colour: Managing the Yarns for my advice on what to do with all the yarn tails you end up with when you’re changing colour).
In this short video, I demo the colour change technique, and show you what happens if you don’t use this method!
Crochet Quickie: Changing Colour (right-handed)
Click to watch this video on YouTube.
Crochet Quickie: Changing Colour (left-handed)
Click to watch this video on YouTube.
Note: The videos may look a little small embedded in the blog: if so, you can fullscreen them or click through to YouTube to watch them full-sized 🙂
Although I’m demoing with single crochet for amigurumi purposes, you can also use this technique with any other crochet stitches, to give cleaner colour changes. The trick is to always pull through the last loop of the stitch before the colour change with the new colour, no matter which crochet stitch you’re using.
(I’ve made this video now for a reason: you’ll need to know this as background info for a brand new exclusive crochet technique that I’ll be demonstrating in my next crochet video…)
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Lesley Hartley said
I often thought there must be a neater way of decreasing stitches. The usual method is a bit clumsy so your video of invdec was very useful. I shall adopt that method from now on. Thanks Lesley
Mimi said
Hi I got a crochet hook T tbe thrift store and I am in love I never knew I can crochet so fast and so well but it has no name company or anything I want to find out and vuy the set PLEASE HELP ME. It looks like susan Bates inline ones but I bought the Susan Bates hook set Nd no they are not the same how can I find who made it. My Crochet friend thinks its a Canadian or British company.
Gemma said
when changing the colour what do you do with the tail of the second colour?
June said
Gemma, please see my article Changing Colours: Managing the Yarns 🙂
Marg Lomond said
Hi. Enjoyed watching your tutorials.
My granddaughter gave me a crochet book for Christmas and it was published in the United Kingdom. Is there a difference between the U.K.and Canadian stitches? They say a double crochet is the same as the way I have been doing a single crochet. ( one loop on hook, go into next stitch and pull up a loop, 2 sts. on hook, then pull yarn thru 2 sts.). And they say a treble is one wrap around hook with a loop on hook already, go into next sts. and pull up a loop, 3 loops on hook, pull yarn thru 2 and then pull thru last 2. I always thought a treble had 2 wraps around the hook to start off with? Or have I been crocheting all wrong? Hope you can answer me. The book is Creative Crochet. Thanks.
Marg
June said
Don’t worry Marg – you haven’t been crocheting wrongly! There is a difference between the crochet terms used in the UK and elsewhere – see my article Crochet Terminology for all the details 🙂
Dorothy Atkinson said
Hi June, I just purchased your book Amigurumi for Dummies. It is super. I have made 8 Amigurumi stuffies so far. I’m quite pleased with them. I wish I had, had your book before I started there is such wonderful information in it. I see you have another book out. I believe it’s called Crochet for Idiots. Is it the same as the book that I have or is there more information in it? This is my first visit to your site, so off I go to browse. Thank you again Dorothy.
June said
Hi Dorothy, you can read all about my books (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Amigurumi and Idiot’s Guides: Crochet) from the links on my Publications page – as you’ll see, they are completely different books, and if you want to crochet more than just toys, I think you’ll find the new book very useful too. (If crocheted toys are your only interest, you won’t find any in the new book, but you may still find it useful as a general crochet reference.)
Gillian McMullen said
Hi June, I am thrilled with the updated invisible decrease and invisible increase. I recently had a pattern which required three sc in one sc, so I adapted your technique and did one sc in front loop, one sc in both loops, and one sc in front loop – it came out looking great. I tried the same thing with double crochets, and that works well too. I’m finding that using your updated techniques is making my amigurumi neater and smoother. The only problem is that the increases and decreases are SO invisible, that I can’t find them when I’m counting to see where I am in a round!! Small price to pay, though! Thank you so much.
June said
That’s so good to hear, Gillian! I wonder if there are any other areas of crochet that could benefit from improved techniques… hmmm… 😉
Dorothy Atkinson said
Hi Gillian, Clever girl, I’m keeping your new found technique in my notes. Great idea. When you say that you can get lost as to where you are in a round, are you making sure that you are using a marker of some sort at the end of your round? Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you are referring to. Happy Amigurumi making, isn’t it fun.
Dorothy said
Gillian, my apologies I did misread what you were saying. The way I identify my invisible increase is if you look closely you will see that the first stitch which is done through the front loop sits up higher than the second stitch. Look closely at it the next time you do it and you will see them quickly ever time. I haven’t got a tip for the decrease I just recognize it after studying how it looked.
Chrystal said
Awesome! Great video. You have a neat accent. 🙂
Judy Carlson said
I’m curious to see what your new technique is!
pam said
Thank you! I just sent a link over to Diane – she was wanting to doa color change while working in Tunisian crochet – know this will be so helpful!
June said
Ack, there’s always an exception to every rule… When I say ‘all’ crochet stitches, I mean all standard crochet stitches. Tunisian crochet is a different matter entirely – none of my crochet tutorials apply to Tunisian, as it’s really a different craft. In Tunisian crochet, each stitch is worked in 2 separate parts (during the forward pass and the reverse pass), so there isn’t really a ‘last step’ of the stitch where you should change colour, and the colour change point for Tunisian crochet would depend on whether you want to change colours during the forward pass or the reverse pass – each creates a different effect. Here’s a helpful link for basic Tunisian colour changes: www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/tunisian-crochet/changing-colors
Stocki said
Thanks June! I’ll be needing this today :)x