Crochet jogless stripes tutorial

Jog On

Adding a new ball of yarn to your work can cause problems, so firstly, try to follow these simple tips:

·      Make sure you try to change colour or add a new yarn at the beginning of a row, especially when there will be a seam, as you can weave the ends into the seam for a very neat finish. 

·      Try to fasten on your new yarn in the last stitch of the previous row, as this is the neatest way to join a new colour.

Stripes worked straight are simple to keep tidy, but stripes worked in the round are a real pain. The colours never seem to match up, even if the rounds are not worked in a spiral.

There are many ways to deal with a jogged stripe. We are demonstrating the most invisible. It seems a pain as it uses a yarn needle to sew the last stitch instead of making a slip stitch join, but it is really the best way to make a truly invisible join.

When you get to the end of the row, do not join the round with a slip stitch, but instead draw up the loop on your hook to make it slightly bigger, then cut the yarn, leaving enough tail to weave in and pull it through the loop 

Thread the tail onto a yarn needle and insert needle into the first stitch of the round, from front to back, under both the top loops.

Pull to close gap, then insert needle into last stitch of round, under the back loop only of the stitch, and out to the back of the work. Pull to create a “stitch” the same size as all other loops on the row, then weave in the end neatly to secure. Et voila! A perfect join.

Why not try out the technique on some of the projects from our back issues? The cute coin purse (top) from issue 43, the Akuna men's beanie by Rohn Strong from issue 49. Or even start planning for the adorable animal skittles project by Sally Shepherd in issue 51, which uses DMC Natura Just Cotton and out at the end of the month.