FAQ: Hints For Changing Colors

Following are some hints that answer some commonly asked questions about changing colors in crochet.

Sometimes crocheters who are crocheting colors in, for the first time, confuse the "wrong side" to be whichever side is currently facing away from them, which results in unused color strands being carried along both sides of the crocheted piece. This leaves no side for the right side to be displayed. Following are some hints about the "wrong side", when crocheting a pattern that has multiple colors in any row.

Related Resources • How To Change Colors in Crochet (Diagram) • FAQ Main Page

Right Side / Wrong Side: Before crocheting a color pattern, it's important to decide which will be the wrong side of your crocheted piece.

Wrong Side Always The Same Side: When you crochet the first row, you'll have the right side facing you and the wrong side on the back. When you turn the piece to crochet the next row, the wrong side will be facing you and the right side will be on the back. When crocheting a color pattern, it's important for the same side to be the wrong side all the time, because you will have unused strands of color carried across whichever side you have determined to be the wrong side.

Keep Unused Strands On Wrong Side: When a pattern says to "drop the unused color to the wrong side", if the wrong side is currently on the back, place the unused yarn color strand so that it is at the back of your crocheted piece. If the wrong side is currently facing you, place the unused yarn color strand so that it is at the front of the crocheted piece. This keeps the unused color strands on one same side all the time, so the right side of the piece looks "nice". The right side of the piece is the side that you will display.

How To Change Colors in a Single Crochet Stitch

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