In a previous post I showed you how to use the Russian join to make a Magic Ball with your yarn scraps.
But maybe you don’t want to join your scraps in advance! What if you want to start crocheting right away, and join your yarns as you go? No problem! Today, I’ll show you how!
I’ll show you a technique for joining yarns as you crochet with no knots. First, I’ll show you in photos… then I have a video for you!
How to crochet yarns together
First, crochet until you have about 3″ remaining in your current yarn (shown here in brown):
Then, hold up your new yarn (shown in yellow) so that the new yarn extends beyond the tail of your current yarn:
Holding the two yarns together, crochet a stitch:
Now, drop the old (brown) tail of yarn…
… and continue to crochet with your new yarn!
Ta da!
The yarns are secure… you don’t need to do anything else. Just let the tails hang on the inside of your piece!
And for the video…
Just in case you want to see it in action:
To view larger, click ‘play’, then the rectangle in the lower right-hand corner.
So handy!
In this post, I’ve used this technique to change colors of yarn, but it’s also a great way to change yarns… even if you’re just finishing one skein and starting another (of the same color).
I also use this technique while crocheting with two strands together. Just add one new yarn when one is about to end… easy!
And I do this when knitting, too!
One possible drawback to this technique is that you do get one stitch using both yarn colors. If your design calls for a “clean” color change – where you don’t have that blending of colors in one stitch – then take a look at this post on changing colors with single crochet. It’s also easy!

Here are handy links to all the posts about yarn. . .
- How to Join Yarn with No Knot
- 3 Ways to Join Yarn without Tying a Knot
- What to Do If There’s a Knot in Your Yarn
- How to Work with Eyelash Yarn
- How Much Yarn Do I Need?
- How to Calculate Yarn Weight from Length
- How to Make a Magic Ball
- How to Use a Ball Winder
- Using a Nostepinne Replacement to Make a Center-Pull Yarn Ball
- How to Make Yarn from Fabric Strips
- Dye Yarn with Wilton Icing Dye
Return to the main table of contents for Let’s Learn to Crochet Amigurumi.
Move on to the lessons for the basic crochet stitches.
Happy stitching!

