How to carry yarn in crochet means crocheting over an unused color strand, encasing it inside your working stitches rather than letting it float loosely across the back of the fabric, a technique especially useful when you will need that color again within just a few stitches. This technique suits small, frequent color changes where bobbins would be overkill and loose stranding would create too much visible mess on the wrong side. This guide covers the technique and when it earns its place over other color-carrying methods.
How to Carry Yarn Inside Stitches
- Lay the unused color strand along the top of your current row, in the direction you are working.
- Work your next stitches in the active color as normal, but insert your hook so it also catches the carried strand, effectively crocheting over it and encasing it inside the stitch.
- Continue this way until you reach the point where you need to switch back to the carried color, then simply pick it up and set the other color down the same way.
The carried strand becomes invisible from the front, hidden entirely inside the stitch structure, while the working color’s stitches show normally on top.
Carrying vs. Stranding vs. Bobbins
| Technique | Best for | Wrong side appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying inside stitches | Frequent color changes, tapestry crochet | Clean, no visible strands |
| Loose stranding (Fair Isle style) | Frequent color changes, less structural need | Visible loose strands on back |
| Bobbins (intarsia) | Large solid color blocks | No strands, but many yarn ends to weave in |
When Carrying Works Best
Carrying suits projects where a clean wrong side matters, like a bag or blanket that might be seen from both sides, since it avoids both the loose strands of Fair Isle-style stranding and the numerous separate yarn ends bobbins require. It works less well for very long stretches between color uses, since carrying a strand for many stitches can start to show slightly through the working stitches, adding unwanted bulk or a faint color shadow.
Practicing the Technique
Start with a simple two-color striped swatch, alternating colors every few stitches within a single row rather than every full row, specifically to practice the motion of catching the carried strand consistently before attempting a real project with this technique.
Frequently asked questions
Does carrying yarn add bulk to the fabric?
Slightly, since the carried strand sits inside the stitch alongside the working yarn, though this is usually minor for short carrying distances and becomes more noticeable only over longer stretches between color uses.
Want the Fair Isle stranding technique compared too?
See how loose stranding differs from carrying yarn inside stitches.
See the Fair Isle technique guide
