A Beginner’s Guide to Tapestry Crochet

What Is Tapestry Crochet?
Tapestry crochet is a crochet technique that allows you to create beautiful pictures, graphics, and designs using yarn. I absolutely love this technique because, to me, it feels a little like painting with yarn. With every row, the design slowly comes to life, and I’m always amazed by how beautiful the finished piece looks in the end.

In tapestry crochet, you work with two or more colours at the same time. The yarn that is not being used at the moment is carried along and crocheted directly into the stitches. This allows you to create beautiful patterns without long floats hanging on the back and without constantly attaching new yarn or weaving in lots of ends afterward. In my opinion, that’s what makes this technique so practical and enjoyable for so many different projects.

Most tapestry crochet projects are worked using single crochet stitches, although half double crochet or double crochet stitches can also be used. Personally, I prefer using single crochet because it creates a much cleaner, more compact, and even-looking design. Since the stitches are almost equal in height and width, the finished pattern looks more balanced and detailed compared to taller stitches. This is especially important when working with pixel art designs, as they usually turn out much sharper and more defined this way.

I think tapestry crochet offers so many possibilities for patterns and projects, such as potholders, wall hangings, table decorations, or cushion covers. Smaller projects like coasters or mini wall hangings are perfect for practicing. You also get a finished result quite quickly, which I find very motivating, and it helps you get a feel for colour changes, yarn tension, and carrying the yarn. Plus, small projects make great last-minute gifts 😊

I also love how creative you can get with this technique. Geometric shapes and small pixel motifs can be turned into unique designs. With a bit of practice, you can even start designing your own patterns and crochet completely custom projects. I highly recommend the website “Stitch Fiddle,” which is great for turning your ideas into charts. Even the free version works perfectly if you’re a beginner or just want to create your own designs for fun.

I, personally, love working on flat projects. I enjoy decorating my walls with crocheted pictures or adding small tapestry rugs and coasters to my table decor.
However, there are also countless projects worked in the round, such as bags, pouches, round rugs, hats, cushion covers, or baskets.

If you search for tapestry crochet on Crazypatterns, you’ll find many beautiful patterns and see just how versatile this technique can be.

I finished a cute little chicken wall hanger a few weeks ago and hung it up in my hallway. My little one only noticed it the other day and was so amazed by it. Seeing that reaction made me realise once again how special it is to be able to create something with my own hands and turn a simple idea into something that brings joy to our home. It’s such a lovely feeling to look at something handmade and know how much time, care, and creativity went into it.

I’ve linked the pattern for this chicken wall hanger at the end of this blog post in case you’d like to make one yourself.

What do you need for tapestry crochet?
I generally use cotton yarn. This is a personal preference, as I react to acrylic yarn. However, you can absolutely use acrylic yarn if you enjoy working with it.
I would not recommend using fluffy yarn, as this technique needs clear and crisp stitches for the patterns and designs to stand out properly. With fluffy yarn, the stitches tend to blur into each other.
I would also recommend using a thinner yarn, such as 4 ply, DK, or Aran yarn. If you use a thicker yarn, you might end up with a very thick crochet piece since this technique involves crocheting around the unused strands of yarn.
Generally, I use a crochet hook that is 0.5–1 mm smaller than the size recommended on the label. This helps keep the stitches tight, so the carried yarn does not show through too much.
If I’m using 4 ply yarn, I usually use a 2 mm hook. With DK yarn, I use a 3 mm hook, and with Aran yarn, I use a 4 mm crochet hook.

I think it is important to start with colours that have a good contrast to each other. If the colours are too similar, they will blur into each other. Especially for beginners, I think it’s important to keep the design clear and easy to see.

How to read a chart:



In tapestry crochet, just like in many other crochet charts, each square represents one stitch. I would say that most, if not all, charts are read from the bottom up. If a chart is meant to be read differently, this is usually mentioned separately in the pattern

When working a flat piece, odd-numbered rows are read from right to left, while even-numbered rows are read from left to right, unless stated otherwise in the pattern. This means that odd-numbered rows are the right side rows, while even-numbered rows are the wrong side rows. This happens because the work is turned after each row, so you are alternating between looking at the front and back of the crochet piece.

When working in rounds, however, the work is usually not turned. This means that all rounds are read continuously from right to left. Many people find this a little easier, since the reading direction always stays the same.
Especially in the beginning, many people find it helpful to mark the current row on the chart with a piece of paper, a sticky note, or a pen. This makes it much easier to keep track of where you are.
You can also print out the charts from the blog post, which can make following the pattern easier. Simply right-click on the image, save it, and print it from your computer or laptop.

I also like to quickly count my stitches after each colour section, especially when working on more complicated motifs. This helps me spot small mistakes early, making them much easier to fix.

How to work a colour change:
The colour change works the same way as in many other crochet techniques:
Insert your hook into the stitch as usual and pull up a loop. Before completing the stitch, pick up the new colour and pull it through the last two loops on the hook. This creates a smooth and clean colour change.



When working the wrong side rows, I always make sure to cross the old yarn over the unused strands towards the right before picking up the new colour. This helps keep the strands neater and makes the colour change look cleaner.

The unused yarn is carried along and crocheted over as you work. On the right side rows, I place the unused yarn away from me, while in the wrong side rows, I place it towards me. This helps keep the carried yarn neatly hidden and prevents it from showing through too much.

How to carry and crochet over unused yarn strands:



You can either start with the new colour at the beginning of the row and carry it all the way across, or you can start the new colour where it is actually needed and crochet over it only until the point where it is needed again. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages.

If you only introduce the yarn where it is actually needed, you will generally use less yarn overall, and the carried strands often show through less, later on. However, one downside is that the crochet piece may not feel equally compact throughout. You also need to pay a little attention to where the colour will be needed again, so the yarn does not need to be pulled across too many stitches, as this can slightly distort the piece.

The advantage of carrying the yarn throughout the entire row is that the crochet piece becomes more even and compact, and you do not need to pay as much attention to where the colour will be needed next. The disadvantage is that you will use significantly more yarn, the stitches can become thicker because more strands are being crocheted over, and the carried yarn is more likely to show through.

Since I often work with many colours at the same time, I usually only start a new colour where I actually need it and crochet over it only until the point where it is no longer being used. This helps me avoid carrying and crocheting over too many strands at once.



Above, you can see an example with only one carried strand, while below you can see an example with several carried strands.

Let’s start with the first tapestry crochet project: the cactus! 🌵
I’ve used a 4 mm crochet hook and Aran Yarn in the following colours:
Dark Green (dG) approx. 2 g
Light Green (lG) approx. 2 g
Beige (B) approx 10 g
Brown (Br) approx. 2 g
a bit Pink (P)
and a bit yellow (G)

Tip: I gently stretch my work now and then to prevent it from warping. Since tapestry crochet is usually worked a little tighter, it can easily happen that the carried strands are pulled too tightly, which can cause the piece to shrink or curl up.



Start with a chain of 21 stitches, each row consists of 20 stitches.

1. Row (Front)
Work 20 Single crochet stitches in Beige, whereas the first stitch is worked in the second loop from the hook.

2. Row (Back)
Chain 1 and work 20 Single crochet stitches in Beige.

3. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige, 10 Single crochet stitches in Brown, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige

4. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige, 10 Single crochet stitches in Brown, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige.

5. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige, 10 Single crochet stitches in Brown, 5 Single crochet stitches in Beige
6. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 4 Single crochet stitches in Beige, 12 Single crochet stitches in Brown, 4 Single crochet stitches in Beige
7. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 4 Single crochet stitches in Beige, 12 Single crochet stitches in Brown, 4 Single crochet stitches in Beige

(To make the pattern clearer to read, I’ll start by introducing the abbreviations as I usually use them in my patterns. All stitches will still be worked as single crochet stitches, so from now on, I will only mention the corresponding colour.)



8. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 6 B, 2 dG, 1 lG, 2 dG, 1 lG, 2 dG, 6 B

9. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 5 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 5 B

10. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 4 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 4 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 4 B

11. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 3 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 6 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 3 B

12. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 3 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 6 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 3 B

13. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 3 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 6 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 3 B

14. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 3 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 6 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 3 B

15. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 3 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 6 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 3 B

16. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 4 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 4 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 4 B

17. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 5 B, 2 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 2 lG, 2 dG, 5 B

18. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 6 B, 2 dG, 1 lG, 2 dG, 1 lG, 2 dG, 1 P, 5 B

19. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 4 B, 1 P, 1 Y, 1 P, 1 dG, 1 lG, 2 dG, 1 lG, 1 dG, 7 B

20. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 14 B, 1 P, 5 B

21. Row (Front)
Chain 1, 20 B

22. Row (Back)
Chain 1, 20 B



This is what my piece looks like from the back, ready for weaving in the ends.
This is what my piece looks like from the front once finished.



How to manage all the yarn strands and yarn balls?
When working with many different colours in tapestry crochet, the yarn balls can quickly become tangled. I often notice that what gets twisted in one row tends to untangle itself a little again after turning the work and crocheting the next row.
That’s why I usually only sort out the yarn balls every second row. This way, I do not have to constantly untangle everything while still avoiding a huge yarn mess.



Tapestry Crochet in the round:
Unlike tapestry crochet worked flat, the piece is not turned when working tapestry crochet in the round. Instead, you keep working in the same direction throughout. I, personally, prefer closing each round with a slip stitch, as I feel this prevents the pattern from leaning too much to one side. However, you can also work in spiral rounds without any problems. It really comes down to personal preference and what you enjoy more.

When working in the round, the chart is read from right to left in every round, which makes it a little easier since you do not have to think about whether you are working on the front or back side of the piece. The unused strands are carried throughout the rounds, and it is important to keep them even and not too tight, otherwise the piece can start to shrink or warp.

To avoid creating a huge yarn mess, it also helps to turn the work occasionally or the yarn balls slightly, so the strands can untwist themselves again. I usually quickly sort out the yarn after each round.

When working tapestry crochet in the round, I only crochet into the back loop of the stitches.



Reverse crochet in tapestry crochet:
Sometimes, when working tapestry crochet, I crochet the wrong side rows in reverse. I still turn the work as usual, but instead of inserting the hook from the back, I insert it from the front. This can help prevent the pattern from becoming distorted, since the front of each stitch always stays on the front side of the piece. Especially with geometric patterns, I often find that the finished result looks more even this way.

But, reverse crochet does take some practice and is usually a bit slower than regular crochet. For beginners, it is often easier to simply turn the work normally and crochet as usual.

I have also tried crocheting the return rows left-handed to completely avoid turning the work, but personally, I did not have much success with that method.



How to work reverse tapestry crochet:
With this technique, the stitches are not inserted from the front as usual on the wrong side rows. Instead, the hook is inserted from the back of the stitch. The yarn is pulled through from underneath and then pulled over from above behind the work to complete the single crochet stitch.
The yarn strands are carried along and crocheted over just like in regular tapestry crochet, with the unused yarn always being carried along.
The easiest way to understand this technique is usually by watching a few videos. I also have a video about it in the Reels section on my Instagram profile.




The dark green sample was crocheted using reverse rows, while the light green sample was worked using the regular crochet technique. This makes it easy to see the difference between the two methods.

I think tapestry crochet can sound a little complicated at first, but with every row, it becomes easier and more fun. Once you give it a try, you get better with every project and slowly find your own little tricks and techniques that make it even easier.

I, personally, think it’s easiest to start with just two colours so you can get a feel for the technique, especially for handling the yarn balls. After that, you can slowly work your way up to projects that use more colours. This helps you gradually get used to working with multiple yarn balls without everything becoming tangled, and it also helps keep you motivated.

Want to try more?
I hope you enjoyed this guide and that it maybe even inspired you to give tapestry crochet a try yourself. Of course, everyone works tapestry crochet a little differently, and there are many ways to achieve beautiful results. This is simply the way I personally enjoy working and what works best for me. I hope this guide helps make the technique a little easier to understand and maybe even helps you fall in love with it as much as I have.

You can also find a few tapestry crochet patterns in my shop and on my blog if you feel inspired to try this technique yourself.



If you feel like making a small heartfelt project, you can find these cute heart coasters here
Heart Coasters in Tapestry Crochet

I’ve also recently added this cactus table runner to my shop:

Cactus Table Runner in Tapestry Crochet

You might also enjoy this free pattern for a wall hanging with a cute chicken design:

https://www.crazypatterns.net/en/blog/4958/crochet-your-own-cute-chicken-wall-hangers-free-pattern

I’m always very happy to receive comments or feedback.
You can also find more free knitting and crochet patterns on my blog on Crazypatterns under “Posts.” Feel free to follow me so you do not miss any new patterns or tutorials.