The key technique in tapestry crochet

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You Just Need 1 Hour and 1 Free Pattern to Master Tapestry Crochet

Tapestry crochet is really hot at the moment, and you’ve probably thought about giving it a go. Maybe

you’ve hesitated because it just looks too tricky. Well, it’s not as easy as crocheting with one

color, but tapestry crochet is actually a lot less complicated than it looks, particularly if you start

off by making something simple to get the hang of the color changing technique.

I came up with this very simple tapestry crochet sun coaster pattern in rich jewel colors so that you

can give it a go in just an hour.

The key technique in tapestry crochet

Before we get into the step-by-step tapestry crochet tutorial, let’s quickly review the technique and

to know how it differs from standard crochet.

You can do tapestry with single crochets, half double crochets and double crochets — and probably

other stitches too. We’ll focus on one to get going: the hdc. The only difference between the stitch

in standard crochet versus tapestry crochet is that you’ll use two yarns at once. For more complex

patterns, you can work three or even four colors at the same time.

Changing color in tapestry crochet

In tapestry crochet, you use one yarn as the working yarn while “carrying” the other along inside the

hdc stitches.

If you look at the sequence below, Yarn A is the working yarn at the start, and the stitches are worked

over Yarn B.

To change color, insert your hook in the next stitch and under Yarn B. Yarn over with Yarn A and pull

through, leaving three loops on the hook. Switch so that Yarn B becomes the working yarn and Yarn A is

carried and crocheted over. Yarn over with Yarn B and pull through all three loops. You’ll now have

Yarn B on your hook.

Carry on working in Yarn B and you will see that the colour change point is neat and tidy.

Tapestry Crochet Sun Coaster

To practice, try your hand at this simple coaster. Before you get started, consider making a small

sample for practice. A simple hdc swatch with color changes in the middle of a row should do the trick.

Once you are confident changing colors, you are ready to go!

What you’ll need:

Yarn: Two small balls of yarn in contrasting colors, including a yellow or gold for the sun. You can

use any yarn for practice, but a heavier weight yarn is best for a sturdy coaster. Bulky or worsted are

ideal. A lighter yarn may require more rounds. I used Stylecraft Special Chunky, which is a bulky yarn.

Crochet hook: A size or size and a half smaller than you would usually use for the yarn. I used a size

F hook (4.5 mm) — I would normally  Rayon fabric use an H or an I.