In mosaic crochet, particularly techniques that blend with tapestry or inlaid styles, you carry inactive yarn by laying it along the top of the previous row's stitches and crocheting over it with your active color. This method integrates the dormant yarn into the fabric, effectively hiding it within the new stitches you create.
Understanding Yarn Carrying in Mosaic Crochet
While traditional overlay mosaic crochet often involves cutting and rejoining yarn or carrying it up the side for subsequent rows, certain mosaic applications and patterns, especially those with a tapestry influence, require carrying yarn directly within the fabric. This technique is crucial for creating intricate colorwork without an excessive number of yarn ends to weave in.
How to Carry Yarn within the Fabric
To carry yarn effectively in mosaic crochet:
- Identify the Inactive Yarn: This is the yarn color you are not currently working with but anticipate using again in the near future within the same row or a short distance away.
- Position the Yarn: Lay the inactive yarn strand directly on top of the stitches of the row below, along the path you will be crocheting.
- Work Over the Yarn: When making your stitches with the active color (e.g., single crochets, double crochets), insert your hook as usual, but ensure that the inactive yarn lies over your hook before you complete the stitch. This means you will effectively be working around and over the inactive yarn, encasing it within the new stitches. You're "going over a lot of stitches, a lot of bits of yarn" to conceal it.
- Maintain Tension: Keep a consistent tension on both the active and inactive yarns. If the carried yarn is too loose, it can create bumps or be visible; if too tight, it can pucker the fabric.
- Hide the Color: For best results, especially with contrasting colors, ensure that the active color completely covers the carried yarn. This may require slightly looser active stitches or using a hook size that allows the carried yarn to be fully enclosed.
When to Carry Yarn
| Method of Yarn Management | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying Up the Side | In overlay mosaic, the inactive yarn is often brought up along the edge of the project. When you switch colors every two rows, you simply drop the current color, pick up the inactive color from the edge, and continue. This avoids long floats across the back. | Standard overlay mosaic crochet patterns where color changes occur every two rows, and the yarn will be needed at the same edge. |
| Carrying Within Fabric | Laying the inactive yarn along the top of the stitches and crocheting over it with the active color. This method is common in tapestry crochet and can be adapted for certain mosaic patterns where multiple colors are needed close together within a single row or where cutting yarn frequently is undesirable. This is often seen in "Mosaic Tapestry Crochet." | Patterns requiring multiple color changes within the same row, intricate colorwork designs, or when minimizing ends to weave in is a priority, especially when working over "a lot of stitches" to conceal the carried yarn. |
| Cutting and Rejoining | The simplest method: when a yarn color is no longer needed, it's cut, and a new color is joined when required. This leaves many ends to weave in. | When a color is used for a very short section or will not be needed again for many rows, and carrying it would create visible bulk or long, loose floats. |
Benefits and Considerations
Benefits:
- Reduces Weaving: Significantly cuts down on the number of yarn ends you need to weave in, saving time and effort.
- Smooth Fabric: When done correctly, carrying yarn can create a slightly thicker, more stable fabric with a smooth finish, especially if you're aiming for a tapestry-like effect.
- Efficient Color Changes: Allows for quick and seamless color changes without breaking the yarn.
Considerations:
- Fabric Bulk: Carrying multiple strands can make the fabric thicker and less pliable.
- Color Bleed-Through: If the active yarn is sparse or very light-colored, the carried yarn might show through. Choose yarn weights and colors carefully.
- Tension Control: Maintaining consistent tension is key to preventing puckering or visible carried strands.
- Yarn Consumption: Carrying yarn uses more yarn overall than cutting and rejoining, as the inactive yarn is embedded in the fabric.
Tips for Success
- Practice Tension: Work a swatch to find the right tension for your carried yarn. It should be relaxed enough not to pucker but firm enough to stay hidden.
- Match Yarn Weights: Ideally, use yarns of similar weight and fiber content to ensure an even fabric.
- Avoid Long Floats: While carrying within the fabric, aim to embed the yarn regularly. Don't carry it unsupported for too many stitches, as this can create loose sections or cause the carried yarn to sag.
- Strategic Carrying: Only carry yarn when it will be used again within a reasonable distance (e.g., 5-10 stitches). If the next use is far away, cutting and rejoining might be a neater option.
By understanding these techniques, you can effectively manage your yarn in mosaic crochet projects, creating beautiful and neat colorwork.
