Note: These tutorials use UK crochet terms for stitches. Where necessary, the US terms for stitches will be given in brackets the first time they’re mentioned, then the UK terms will be used from then on.

Changing Colour in Crochet

In this tutorial, I will show you a common method for switching to a new colour in the middle of a piece of crochet.

How to Switch to a New Colour:

On the last stitch you will make with the old colour, stop before pulling through the last loop of the stitch. For example, in the pictures below, I am doing a double crochet (US single crochet) stitch, so I stop after pulling yarn through the hole in the next stitch, leaving two loops on my hook:

Hands holding rows of double crochet in blue on a crochet hook; the most recently made double crochet stitch is labelled "2nd to last blue double crochet stitch"
Hands holding rows of double crochet in blue on a crochet hook; the most recently made double crochet stitch is not finished and is labelled "Last blue double crochet stitch (incomplete)"

Then, WITHOUT fastening off in the old colour, take the yarn in the new colour and make a slip-knot on your hook. (You can learn how to do this here.)

Two loops of blue yarn and some rows of double crochet in blue on a crochet hook; hands use the crochet hook to make a slip-knot with yellow yarn
A yellow slip-knot and two loops of blue yarn on a crochet hook with some rows of double crochet

Learn how to make a double crochet stitch here.

Now pull the new-coloured loop through the other loops on the hook to complete the stitch.

Hands using a crochet hook to pull a yellow slip-knot through two loops of blue yarn to complete a double crochet stitch
A completed double crochet stitch with rows of crochet in blue on a crochet hook; the loop of yarn on the hook is yellow

Done!

Now you can just keep crocheting in the new colour. Once the new colour is established, you can simply cut the old-coloured yarn and weave in the loose end.

Some rows of double crochet on a crochet hook; the most recently made six stitches are in yellow while the rest are in blue
Some rows of crochet in blue and yellow on a crochet hook with scissors cutting the trailing blue yarn
Hands using a small crochet hook to weave a loose end of yarn into some rows of crochet

You can learn how to make the double crochet and other fundamental stitches here.

Once you’ve got the hang of this, head here to check out some other crochet techniques.

Got a question? Get in touch at koalamea.crafts@gmail.com.