color change working in round

[Eugenie]

Hi,

 

I am a new crocheter and I am trying to make a cute girl's sweater called the "yo-yo cardigan." The adorable pattern is designed by Annie Modesitt and was published in Interweave Crochet 2004.

 

The pattern requires making 39 "yo-yo" circles and 12 little "flags" motifs which are just circles within a larger square. The sweater has six which colors are meant to be used in a random manner in these circles/squares.

 

It seemed like good practice to start with something repetitive like this. After making 10 circles and FROG-ing them I think that I am getting how to work in the round. Still I am not clear on when exactly I should be changing color? I seem to do something different every time! Sometimes the color "bleeds over" into the next row, in other words, the ring looks discontinuous.

 

The rings are worked in single crochet around a center loop. There are three rows, including the crochet in the origin loop. Each row is joined with a slip stitch and then a single chain is made to begin the new row. Each circle is edged in blue.

 

Here are three circle examples, I hope that they are not too blurry:

 

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/Eugenie3141/colorfulcircle1.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/Eugenie3141/colorfulcircle2.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/Eugenie3141/colorfulcircle3.jpg

 

 

How/when should I bring on the new color?

 

1)as yo for the second time on the last sc of the row

2)when I yo for the slip stitch

3)as a loop when I ch for the start of the new row

 

I have tried all of these things and I am confused about which works best.

 

Thanks to anyone who has the patience to read this

 

Eugenie

[donnalynn2]

Whenever I work in the round and need to change colors I usually do the slip stitch to join the round, then I pull up a loop of the new color and start from there. It doesn't appear that the new color is starting in the middle of the row at all. It looks seamless...

 

I'm sure others have other suggestions but this is what works for me... GOOD LUCK!

[megan]

I agree with Donna- I always slip stitch the round closed, and then pull up a new loop of the next color to start the next round. Looks good to me!

[Eugenie]

So basically what your both saying is pull the new color in as the ch basis stitch for the next round. I have made a few circles with this and it seems to be the ticket. I think some of my prior problems may have been due to counting mistakes.

 

Thank you both!

[donnalynn2]

Yep! Just pull up the new color as the first CH of the new row. After pulling through the first stitch, I pull the old color tight then cut off and work my new color over the tail of the old color (if that makes sense) you can't even tell where you began and ended that way... Looks seamless!

[Dejhia]

Thanks for posting the question. I've seen a few patterns that I wanted to try that involved color chaing in the round, and I wasn't sure how to do it. now I know.

[crochet smartcat]

Personally I prefer to switch colors for the sl st to close the round and then continue with the ch-3 etc for the new round. But I think it basically comes down to which way you like the look of. There are always the directions found in books and online, and I think they all differ from one another, depending on the author's personal preference or how they were taught. So I think it really does come down to personal preference, what you like the look of.

[jacqui]

I do it how Donnalynn does whether its in the round or rows and i've never had a problem. Keep trying and ENJOY if it makes you mad put it down for a while and start again later.

[Eugenie]

Well, I've completed my 39 circles. Here they are laid out before being sewn together for my WIP:

 

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c333/Eugenie3141/circleslaidout.jpg

 

 

In the end, I realized that I should have been more worried about maintaining proper gauge than I was about my color changes! Oh well, there's always the next project to worry about that.