Yarn Over vs. Yarn Under: Is there a right way?
Yarn Over vs. Yarn Under: Is there a right way? Whether working with single crochet, half double crochet, or a post stitch, we want to make sure we do it right.
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I love working post stitches! They add a fun texture and wonderful thickness to projects. And of course, we can’t forget that they give us cables… swoon!
Recently I made the Watermelon Chunky Slippers (ADULT | CHILD) which are made almost solely from post stitches.
However, I ran into an issue: when I started to alternate Front Post Double Crochet (FPdc) and Back Post Double Crochet (BPdc) stitches, it changed the look of my slippers. Oh no!
I had worked the whole toe in the round using FPdc only, and then I began to alternate FPdc and BPdc for the heel. BPdc look so different, that I had to figure out a solution to make the heels a little more uniform with the toe!
I played around for a bit and made a discovery: Yarn UNDER (YU) instead of Yarn OVER (YO) when working the BPdc!
This method makes the bottom of the stitch have a “loopy V”, just like the bottom of a FPdc.
Technically, the “correct way” to work crochet stitches is to Yarn Over.
Yarn over is worked when you pull the yarn tail from behind the hook, up over the top, and down the front.
Yarn under is when you bring the yarn tail to the front of the hook, up over the top, and down the back.
You should not Yarn Under unless a pattern specifically calls for it, or your finished piece will not turn out the same as shown in the accompanying photos. It won’t necessarily change the size, but it will change the finished look.
After seeing the change YU made for the BPdc stitch, I decided to sit down and compare YO vs. YU. I made two post stitch swatches, two single crochet swatches, and two half double crochet swatches; one using YO and one using YU. Check it out:
The change in the single crochet is subtle, but so pretty!
I absolutely love how much the half double crochet changes! It give this stitch all new possibilities… and it was already my favorite!
I can’t wait to play around a little more and come up with some cool new patterns!
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Give it a try and let me know what you think!
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Been doing yarn under for at least one part of the stitch. I like how different it makes it look, also how much tighter it makes the fabric
Are you doing every step of the stitch with the YU technique? Or YU just the first loop you have pulled up in the next stitch, and then switch back to normal YO technique for the rest of the stitch?
Hi Renae!
Yarn under the whole stitch! Isn’t it pretty?!
-Sonya