Graph Crochet: Changing Colors and Carrying Yarn

[SammieLily2]

Hi there! So a while back I attempted to make some children's gloves Halloween-themed [as it was mid-October] just to try my hand at graphing, and I've also been interested in doing a graph-gan or two [if I ever get this granny-square blanket done]. However, I'm curious on something.

 

What I noticed when attempting the gloves was that anywhere I was constantly switching colors, the gloves were thicker since I was carrying the yarn. But I disliked carrying the yarn as well because I was using orange and black, and the carried yarn liked to show up underneath.

 

So what I wanted to ask was: for graph crochet, is it better to carry colors or to not carry colors? Which do you prefer, and which tends to be easier? Is there even a way to do a graph-gan without carrying colors, and if so, how?

 

Thank you for all of the wonderful help!

 

-Sammie

[redrosesdz]

Whether or not to carry colors is a tough question.  The pro to carrying colors is that you don't have as many ends to weave.  The con to carrying colors is that hiding them isn't easy.  When you're doing rows of colors, then hiding them is no big deal, because you can always hide them with edging.

 

There is a book that teaches how to hide carrying colors.  It's called Reversible Color Crochet by Laurinda Reddig.  She is amazing.  Her book is not cheap, nor is it easy to get the hang of it, but it's the best technique I've run across for hiding colors.  She even has a technique for splitting a single stich into 2 colors.  With her technique, the carrying is no thicker than a regular stitch.

 

Here is my post with 8 of the learning blocks from the book...

http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/155949-color-work-dishcloths-pic-heavy/

[SammieLily2]

Thanks Sharon! I'll have to find a copy of that book somewhere -- it looks like something I'd be interested in reading, considering I'm already attempting to teach myself graph crochet. It isn't very hard now that it clicked, but color changing is something I'm still working around.

 

I just really hate weaving in ends -- it doesn't help that I'm working on a granny square blanket with a ton of ends and I've managed to lose my yarn needle.

[Bailey4]

For me it depends how far I have to carry them.  If it's not far, then I'll carry them because I hate weaving.  However, if it's clear that I'm going to be wasting lots of yarn and risking it showing, then I'll use yarn bobbins to hold the yarn in place for that section so the yarn doesn't get tangled. 

[judianne]

Hi there! So a while back I attempted to make some children's gloves Halloween-themed [as it was mid-October] just to try my hand at graphing, and I've also been interested in doing a graph-gan or two [if I ever get this granny-square blanket done]. However, I'm curious on something.

 

What I noticed when attempting the gloves was that anywhere I was constantly switching colors, the gloves were thicker since I was carrying the yarn. But I disliked carrying the yarn as well because I was using orange and black, and the carried yarn liked to show up underneath.

 

So what I wanted to ask was: for graph crochet, is it better to carry colors or to not carry colors? Which do you prefer, and which tends to be easier? Is there even a way to do a graph-gan without carrying colors, and if so, how?

 

Thank you for all of the wonderful help!

 

-Sammie

I've made many graph guns over the years (see my blog) and I only carry the unused yarn for no more than 4 or 5 stitches, otherwise I drop the yarn (weaving it in at the end) and start a new ball of yarn for each section. It might be awkward doing mittens that way, but I haven't made those yet. Carrying colors throughout is really considered tapestry crochet. And the unused yarn is carried throughout the piece, making for a thick product, but uniformly so. Also, if you put the used piece of yarn you're working with and tuck it down a bit it shouldn't show. You also might consider going down a hook size. I hope I haven't  confused you....PM me if you want to get into it more than what I've said here.

I admire your wanting to make graphs. Not many do.....