Hats by Elvee
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  • Stitch Dictionary
    • Basic stitches
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    • Bobble stitch
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  • Tutorials
    • "Help, there's a hole at the top of my hat!"
    • Help! My hat's too big/too small!
    • Help, my hat's too short/too long!
    • How to measure your head
    • How to measure the depth of your hat
    • How to check the size of your hat midway
    • How to join rounds
    • Near-invisible fastening off
    • How to change colors
    • How to seam with slip stitch
  • Errata

How to change colors

Normally, you change colors in crochet by working the stitch up to the final step, which you then make with the new color.  For example, in single crochet, you would insert your hook into the designated stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch. (Two loops on hook.) Yarn over with new color and pull through both loops.  Now you're ready to start with the new color.

How to change colors at the end of a round

Make last stitch in round.
Insert hook in first stitch of round.
Yarn over with new color.
Bring new color through first stitch of round.
Join with last stitch of round.
Chain up to start next round.
If you need to change colors at the end of a round, above are step-by-step photos that show how to do this.  (Hover over photos to read captions.)  NOTE: This method for changing colors is used in conjunction with my method of joining rounds. 

What if you need to use the same color again?

If you're alternating colors in a seamless hat, this method will prevent holes in your work where you join the rounds.  Basically, you're just wrapping the new color around the old color.  Here are the step-by-step instructions:
1) The new color lies to the left of the old color.
2) Bring the new color UNDER the old color.
3) Bring the new color OVER the old color, and make slip stitch with new color.
4) The back of the work shows the yarns wrapped around each other in a vertical line.  The connecting strands need to maintain the same tension as the rest of your work: if they're too tight, they'll draw in the fabric.

NOTE: This method for changing colors is used in conjunction with my method of joining rounds. 



TIP for less-conspicuous seams (hover over photos to read captions)

After you pull the new color through ...
... tighten the loop of the old color.
So that the color change shows up as a small blip of contrast on the right side.
And makes the joining "seam" (in the middle here) less apparent.