The three main ways to change colors while knitting
You change colors in knitting by working with two yarns at once and switching which one you're holding when you reach the point where the color needs to change. The three methods—carrying yarn inside the fabric, weaving it in as you go, or cutting and rejoining—each leave a different look on the back of your work and suit different projects. Carrying yarn works best for small color changes close together. Weaving works for larger gaps. Cutting and rejoining is cleanest for projects where the back won't show, like a blanket or a garment worn inside-out.
The method you choose depends on how far apart your color changes are and whether anyone will see the back of the finished piece. A colorwork sweater with changes every few stitches calls for carrying. A striped blanket with color blocks several inches apart can use weaving. A single large color block in the middle of a project might call for cutting and starting fresh.
Key Takeaways
- Carrying yarn inside your work keeps both colors ready to use and works best when color changes happen within about five stitches of each other.
- Weaving yarn in as you knit hides the unused color inside the fabric and works for gaps of five to twenty stitches.
- Cutting the old yarn and joining the new one leaves the cleanest back and works best for large color blocks or projects where the back won't show.
- Tension matters most when you switch colors—pulling too tight creates puckers, and pulling too loose creates loose loops that snag.
- The first stitch after a color change is always the hardest to keep even, so practice on a swatch before starting a finished project.
Carrying yarn: keeping both colors ready inside your work
When you carry yarn, you hold both colors as you knit and straightforward switch which one you're working with when the pattern tells you to. The color you're not using rides along inside the fabric, held loosely against the back of your stitches. This method works only when your color changes happen close together—usually within five stitches—because yarn carried over longer distances creates long loops on the back that can snag or pull.
To carry yarn, hold both colors in your working hand the way you normally hold one. Some knitters hold one color in each finger; others hold both in the same hand but separated. When you reach the stitch where the color changes, straightforward start knitting with the other yarn. The unused yarn stays in place, held by the stitches you're making. At the end of your row or round, both colors are ready for the next color change without any cutting or joining.
The main risk with carrying is tension. If you pull the carried yarn too tight, your fabric will pucker and bunch. If you leave it too loose, it creates loops that catch on things. The carried yarn should be just loose enough that you could slide a toothpick under it. Practice on a small swatch first—the tension becomes automatic after a few rows.
Weaving yarn in: hiding the unused color as you go
Weaving works when your color changes are farther apart—roughly five to twenty stitches. Instead of carrying the yarn loosely, you weave the unused color into the stitches you're making, trapping it inside the fabric so it doesn't create long loops on the back. This method takes a little longer than carrying but gives you a much neater back and works for larger color blocks.
To weave, hold both colors in your working hand. When you're using one color, every other stitch or every two stitches, you bring the unused yarn over the needle before you knit, then under the needle after you knit. This traps the yarn inside without it becoming part of the stitch itself. The pattern of over-under-over-under creates a small zigzag on the back that's nearly invisible from the front.
The rhythm takes practice but becomes natural quickly. Many knitters weave every other stitch for simplicity, though you can weave every two or three stitches if your color block is very large. Like carrying, tension matters—weave loosely enough that the fabric doesn't pucker. A common mistake is weaving too tightly, which makes the front of your work bunch up. If you notice puckering, loosen your weaving tension on the next color block.
Cutting and rejoining: the cleanest method for large color blocks
When your color change happens far from the next one, or when the back of your work will never be seen, cutting the old yarn and starting fresh with the new one is the simplest and cleanest approach. You cut the old color, leaving a tail about four inches long, then tie on the new color and keep knitting. Later, you weave in the loose ends by hand.
To join a new color this way, cut the old yarn, then tie the new yarn to the old tail using a square knot pulled tight. Slide the knot up close to your working stitches. Knit the next stitch or two with both tails still attached—this anchors the knot. Then continue knitting with just the new color. The knot sits inside your fabric, hidden by the stitches around it.
Some knitters prefer a Russian join instead of a knot. Thread the new yarn through a tapestry needle, weave it back through the last few stitches of the old color, then weave the old yarn forward through the first few stitches of the new color. This creates no knot at all and is nearly impossible to see from either side. It takes longer but leaves the neatest result, especially for projects where the back will show.
Managing tension at the color change
The stitch right after a color change is always looser than the stitches around it because you're switching which hand is controlling the tension. This is normal and nearly impossible to prevent completely, but you can minimize it. The trick is to pull the first stitch after the color change slightly tighter than your normal tension, then return to normal for the stitch after that.
If you're working in the round, the color change is less noticeable because you're moving forward constantly. If you're working flat rows, a color change at the beginning of a row is more visible than one in the middle. Some knitters deliberately place color changes at the edge of a garment where a seam will hide them, or at the beginning of a row where they can tighten the first stitch without it looking deliberate.
After you finish a project, the tension at color changes usually evens out during blocking—the process of wetting and shaping your finished piece. If a color change still looks loose after blocking, you can tighten it by pulling the loose stitch gently from the back with a tapestry needle.
Choosing the right method for your project
A striped sweater with colors changing every row uses carrying because the changes are constant and close together. A colorwork pattern like Fair Isle, where you switch colors every few stitches, also uses carrying—in fact, Fair Isle is designed around the carrying method. A blanket with wide horizontal stripes uses cutting and rejoining because the back won't show and the color blocks are large.
A project with both small and large color changes can use different methods in different places. You might carry yarn for a small motif in the center, then cut and rejoin for a large background color change. The back of your work will show the different methods, but the front will look the same.
Before you start a large project, knit a small swatch using the method you plan to use. A four-by-four-inch swatch takes fifteen minutes and shows you whether your tension is even and whether the method suits the look you want. This small step prevents mistakes on a sweater or blanket that took weeks to finish.
Weaving in ends after color changes
Once you've finished knitting, you have loose yarn tails wherever you cut and rejoined or tied on a new color. These tails need to be woven into the fabric so they don't unravel. Thread each tail through a tapestry needle and weave it back and forth through the stitches for about two inches, staying inside the fabric so the weaving doesn't show on the front. Weave horizontally along a row of stitches, not vertically up a column, because horizontal weaving is less likely to create a visible line.
For tails at a color change, weave them into the color they match so the weaving blends in. If you have a tail of red yarn, weave it through red stitches. After weaving, trim the tail close to the fabric. If you leave it too long, it can poke out; if you trim it too short, it might unravel. About a quarter-inch from the fabric is the right length.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I carry yarn over too many stitches?
The carried yarn creates a long loop on the back that can snag on fingers, jewelry, or other fabric. If you must carry over more than five stitches, weave the yarn in instead. This traps it inside the fabric and prevents snagging.
Can I use all three methods in the same project?
Yes. Use carrying for small color changes, weaving for medium ones, and cutting for large blocks. The front of your work will look the same; only the back will show the different methods. This is common in projects that mix colorwork patterns with solid color sections.
How do I fix a color change that looks too loose?
After blocking, if the stitch is still loose, thread a tapestry needle with matching yarn and pull the loose stitch gently from the back to tighten it. You can also use a crochet hook to tighten it from the front, though this takes practice. For future projects, pull the first stitch after a color change slightly tighter as you knit it.
Is a square knot or a Russian join better for tying on a new color?
A Russian join is neater because it creates no knot, but it takes longer and requires a tapestry needle. A square knot is faster and works fine as long as you pull it tight and weave the tails in securely. Choose based on how much time you have and whether the back of your project will show.
Do I need to block my work to even out color changes?
Blocking helps but isn't required. Blocking wets and shapes your finished piece, which relaxes the stitches and makes tension differences less noticeable. Even without blocking, most color changes look even after a few wears and washes as the fabric relaxes naturally.