Learning how to change yarn colours in crochet makes it possible to add stripes, contrasting sections and shaped colour details to amigurumi. The method depends on the direction of the transition: use a standard single-crochet change for a vertical division, or begin the new section with a slip stitch for a smoother horizontal line.

Before You Begin

This beginner-friendly technique uses US crochet terminology.

You will need:

A crochet piece worked in single crochet
An old yarn colour
A new yarn colour
A suitable crochet hook
Scissors if the old colour will be cut

Keep both yarns within easy reach before starting. The key is to introduce the new colour while completing the final stitch made with the old colour.

How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet

Vertical Colour Change

Use this method when two colours meet along a vertical boundary.

Begin the last single crochet in the old colour. Insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over with the old colour and pull up a loop.
Stop with two loops on the hook. Do not finish the stitch with the old yarn.
Yarn over with the new colour.
Pull the new colour through both loops on the hook. The last stitch began in the old colour and was completed in the new colour.
Leave both tails long enough to weave securely on the reverse side or inside the piece.
Work a regular single crochet with the new colour.
Continue crocheting normally in the new colour.

Checkpoint: One loop in the new colour should remain on the hook, and the completed stitches should form a clear vertical transition.

Amigurumi worked in continuous rounds naturally shifts or twists as the rounds progress. Securing the yarn ends together at the back can help stabilize a vertical change. Working in joined rounds is another way to reduce that movement, but do not switch round styles unless the project pattern instructs you to do so.

Horizontal Colour Change

A horizontal crochet colour change begins with the same process:

Start the final single crochet in the old colour.
Stop when two loops remain on the hook.
Yarn over with the new colour and pull it through both loops.

If the pattern explicitly uses a slip-stitch transition, work it exactly as written. A slip stitch is not a universal replacement for the first single crochet because it can alter height and stitch counting.

Continue in the new colour according to the project instructions. Check the front of the work before progressing to confirm that the colour boundary is positioned correctly and the stitches remain even.

With both methods mastered, you can create cleaner stripes and controlled colour details while preserving the compact stitch texture of amigurumi.

Choose the Method for the Construction

A basic colour change is completed with the new colour on the final yarn-over of the last stitch in the old colour. In flat rows this creates a controlled boundary. In continuous rounds, the spiral structure naturally shifts the boundary, so a perfectly vertical seam is not guaranteed. Joined-round and jog-reducing methods alter the join and must be used only when compatible with the pattern.

Manage and Secure the Yarn Ends

Do not rely on a bulky knot as the default finish. Leave tails long enough to weave securely through the reverse side or inside the stuffed piece. If a pattern instructs you to carry the unused colour, keep it relaxed so the fabric does not pucker and conceal it within the stitches. Cut the old colour only when it will not be needed again soon.

About Slip-Stitch Transitions

A slip stitch can lower a transition in a pattern designed for that method, but it is not a universal first stitch for every horizontal colour change. It may change height or counting. Follow the project's stated method; otherwise use the basic final-yarn-over change and keep the stitch count unchanged.

Visual guide

Use these images as placement checkpoints. Match the loop count and hook position before moving to the next step.

Step 2 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 2: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.

Step 3 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 3: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.

Step 4 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 4: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.

Step 5 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 5: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.

Step 6 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 6: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.

Step 7 in the How to Change Yarn Colours in Crochet and Amigurumi visual guide. — Visual checkpoint 7: compare the hook, working loop, and fabric position with the written instruction.