Tutorials

Two skills that turn a flat blanket into a design: switching colors cleanly, and charting pictures into your rows.

Switching colors

Change yarn mid-row or at the start of a row without a visible jog.

1
Finish the last stitch of the current color but leave the last yarn-over undone.
2
Yarn over with the new color and pull it through the loops on your hook to complete the stitch — this anchors the new color at the top of the row.
3
Cut the old color leaving a 6-inch tail, or carry it up the side if the next row uses it again.
4
Continue crocheting the row in the new color. Keep your tension even so the join stays invisible.
5
At the end of the project, weave all loose tails in with a tapestry needle, hiding them inside matching-color stitches.

Pro tip: To change color at the start of a row, work the turning chain in the new color so the edge stays clean.

Turn a chart or grid into stitches using tapestry crochet or intarsia.

1
Sketch your idea on graph paper or in the designer grid — one square equals one stitch.
2
Decide the method: tapestry crochet (carrying the unused color inside the stitches) for dense charts, or intarsia (separate bobbins per color block) for larger shapes.
3
Read the chart bottom-to-top, right-to-left for right-handed work (mirror for left-handed).
4
On color-change stitches, complete the previous stitch with the new color so the change lands cleanly on top of the stitch.
5
Keep floats (carried strands) even — too tight puckers the fabric, too loose leaves gaps.
6
Block the finished blanket to even out the stitches and make the design crisp.

Pro tip: For your first charted design, pick a motif no wider than 20 stitches — it's easier to manage the bobbins.