Free Intarsia Crochet Technique Tutorial

Intarsia Crochet Technique Tutorial

The intarsia crochet technique is also often called tapestry crochet. So whichever of those words you’re using, this tutorial will teach you what you need to know. In honor of my latest published pattern, T. Rex Hat and Mitts, found in Interweave Crochet Accessories 2011, I have made this photo tutorial about working the intarsia crochet technique. 

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T Rex Hat and Mitts crochet intarsia project

This is my T-Rex Hat and Mitts set! The pattern is available to purchase from Interweave. Get this dinosaur crochet pattern here.

The chart for the T. Rex pattern is in the magazine for those who plan to make it. I didn’t think it would fly too well with the editor for me to post that here for all to see. So we will work with this simple H chart as an example. 

More intarsia crochet help!

This intarsia crochet tutorial was published in 2011, and my tutorials have improved a lot since then! Intarsia crochet is also often called tapestry crochet, and I have a great tapestry crochet video tutorial that you can see here.

On charts and color management

The intarsia crochet technique involves using 2 or more colors of yarn to stitch a picture into the fabric. It isn’t stitched on top, it is a part of the fabric. The chart above shows you visually how to use the 2 colors. 

When working in intarsia, it can be helpful at times to wind off some of a color into it’s own bobbin, ball, or mini-skein. I like to make little center-pull mini-skeins. See my tutorial for making those here.

The white boxes of the chart represent the background color and the green filled boxes, represent the color of the picture I am making.  So for each white box I work a stitch in white, and for each green box I work a stitch in green. Each stitch will be single crochet (sc).

Let’s get started

You’ll need yarn in two contrasting colors and a suitable crochet hook for the thickness of yarn that you are using.

I use and recommend Furl’s Streamline Metal crochet hooks!

I start with a couple of beginning rows of single crochet. My chart is 14 stitches wide. I’ll start by making 15 chains, and then single crochet into the 2nd chain and each remaining chain.

Then I will turn, chain 1, and single crochet across to complete the second row of single crochet. 

As we use the chart, we will follow the chart from right to left when working right side (RS) rows and from left to right when working wrong side (WS) rows.

Now I will begin with the first row that includes green squares/stitches. I’ve worked the first 3 stitches of the row in white. Next I need to make a green stitch. We will begin the color change with the third white stitch. 

I insert my hook into the stitch as usual, yarn over, pull up a loop and that’s where I am in the picture above.  I am NOT going to yarn over with the white here.

I drop my working white strand to the WRONG SIDE of my fabric and place the end of the green yarn over the end of my hook.  I do NOT make a slip knot, and I leave 4 to 6 inches of green yarn as a “tail” that will be woven in later.

I pull that loop of green through the 2 loops of the white stitch to finish it off. The top of that white stitch will be white because its top is formed by the loop pulled through the stitch before it.  By finishing this stitch with green, I have provided a green top for the next stitch.

Here I have almost finished working the 2 green stitches (sts) from the chart, each one represented by a green square. I have pulled up a loop with the green, and now I am going to switch colors again. 

At this point you can either 1) carry the white yarn you were already using behind your 2 green stitches making what’s called a “float” and use it across the rest of the row, or 2) use a separate bobbin (length of yarn that you either draw from the other end of the same skein, or wind off into it’s own ball or mini-skein) to work the white section between the 2 legs of the ‘H’.

I’m going to carry mine across the wrong side (WS) of the work as a float.

As before, I placed a loop of white yarn over my hook and pulled it through the green stitch to finish it.

Now I work the stitches between the 2 legs of the ‘H’ and will switch colors again when I have almost finished the 4th one. Again, I will have to decide whether to carry my yarn across the back or use a separate bobbin. I’m going to carry mine.

This will leave lots of floats across the back. The back will look neater if you use separate bobbins. I’ll demonstrate that method shortly.

Leaving floats across the wrong side (WS) is a little easier as you crochet it because you have fewer strands of yarn that can tangle. However, those strands could catch on fingers or toes when wearing or get caught on buttons or zippers in the wash, so that’s something to think about.

Now I have finished the first row and you can see the green stitches sitting very neatly in their places with white stitches all around them.

Now, when I work the next row, I am working a wrong side row. This is messy-looking, as you can see! I used floats instead of separate bobbins like I did when making the T. Rex Hat and Mitts. 

With bobbins, there would not be those white and green floats, but there would be more little bundles of yarn hanging off the back.

You will change colors the same way when working from the wrong side, but there are 2 important things to remember.  First, you need to read the intarsia chart backwards.  When you work a right side row, you read across the chart in the same direction as your work, from right to left.  But when you are working a wrong side row you must read it from left to right. 

With my example here it doesn’t make much difference because this design is symmetrical, but if the design is not symmetrical, as with the T. Rex, this makes all the difference. 

Another important thing to remember is that when you lay down one color and pick up another, all your strands need to hang to the WRONG SIDE of the fabric, which you are now looking at.

In the photo above you can see that I’m holding the white working yarn to the wrong side as I yarn over with the green yarn that was hanging out when I finished using it for the last row.

In the picture above, you can see, though it is hard to find among all that yarn, that I have the 2 loops of a white stitch on my hook and I am just about to change colors. The working end of my white is coming out from under my hook and I’m holding it on the wrong side and out of my way. I have picked up the working strand of the green and have it going around the back of my hook, just about to finish the stitch with it.

One of the common difficulties of working the intarsia crochet technique is tangled yarn. As you work, you will be twisting the different strands around each other. Try to pay attention to which way you could twist them to keep them untangled. Every few rows, stop and untwist anything that has gotten tangled..

Right after changing colors, if things are a little too loose, you may want to pull both your ends slightly to tighten up the last stitch.

Now I am about to work the crossbar of the ‘H’. I will need to stitch all in green from one leg of the H to the other. I could float the white all the way across, but I don’t want to make a float quite that long. So I’ve made a small “mini skein” of white to use as a bobbin.

I will start the row with my main strand of white, then work the green stitches, and then on the other side of the H, when I make the color change, I will yarnover with the end of this little mini skein and work the white stitches on that side with this bobbin.

Now that I’ve finished the crossbar of the H, I no longer need the extra bobbin of white yarn for the other side of the H. I will leave a 4-6 inch tail of yarn attached to the project and cut the mini skein or bobbin off and set it aside.

Once you are finished with the colorwork portion and all the remaining stitches will be worked in the background color, you can cut off all the unnecessary bobbins and additional colors leaving a 4-6 inch tail. DO NOT cut off the one that you still need to finish with!

As I work the top row that doesn’t have any color changes I will jut use the same strand of yarn to stitch all the way across the top in all the stitches.

You can see in this tutorial the most secure way to weave in your tails. With intarsia, or tapestry crochet projects, it is best to weave each tail into a section of stitching that is the same color as the tail so it doesn’t show through.

Ta-da!  I have stitched a letter ‘H’ into my crochet fabric just like the one shown on my intarsia chart.

Here is what the back of mine looks like. You can see all of the floats across the back. If I needed this piece to be stretchy, like for a hat or tight fitting top, I’d probably want the floats to be just a bit looser so the piece would have more give to it.

I hope this was helpful to you!  Was there anything you would like me to clarify? explain in more detail?  Leave a comment and let me know!  I’d also love to hear about it if this intarsia crochet technique tutorial was helpful! 

I would love to see photos of your in-process or finished projects! You can share them on Instagram and tag me, or you can join my friendly Facebook group and share them there.

Happy crocheting!

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