How do I work with double strands of yarn?

I found a pattern in a book for crocheting a bag. It says I should hold the catania yarn double. Does that mean I have to unwind the ball and then fold the yarn double? Or what’s the best way to do it?
Thank you very much
And enjoy the rest of the Christmas holidays

Hi Arni,

the best way to do this is to carefully pull out the inner strand (i.e., the end from the center of the ball) and then hold it together with the outer strand. That way, you’ll be knitting/crocheting with the yarn from both ends.
If you have a yarn winder, you can also use it to rewind the ball—then it’ll be easier to get to the inner strand.

Wishing you a lovely rest of the Christmas season, too.

Michaela

Good morning, Michaela,
Thank you very much for the tip, now I can start the next project.
Best regards
Sandra

Hello Steph,
That idea is good. But I only need one skein per color!
Best wishes
Sandra

Hi Arni,
I actually enjoy working with two strands of yarn at once every now and then. If you mix two different colors together, it creates some nice color effects. But of course, you can also use the same color, just to make it a little thicker. However, if you choose a crochet hook that’s slightly smaller than you’d normally need for the doubled yarn, the result will be firmer and sturdier, which might actually be quite practical for a bag.
If you already crochet quite tightly and with a small hook, though, it’s better to use a larger hook so you can still fit your hook into the stitches.
So if you want to crochet with double yarn, there are several options. You can use two skeins or just one.
However, if you use the starting end and the inner strand from just one skein, I’m sure you’ll end up with knots. That’s why I use two skeins—it’s always easier for me that way.

If you only have one skein but want to work with double yarn, it might be a good idea to have a measuring tape handy and start unwinding the yarn. So, first read the length on the label, then measure half of that with the measuring tape, but immediately wind what you’ve measured into a new, second skein—for example, by wrapping it around a pencil. Wrapping it around your hand wouldn’t work, since you’ll need your hand to measure with the tape. So, you wind and measure in stages, so to speak, until you’ve gathered half the total length, and then you cut the yarn in the middle of the skein, leaving you with two new skeins, each half as long.
Then you can easily work with the two starting ends together.
Theoretically, of course, you could also unwind the entire skein until you reach the middle—measuring as you go—skip cutting it, and then, starting from the middle, wind the two strands back into a single skein.
But that’s guaranteed to result in knots and a big tangled mess.
You’ll just have to try out which method works better for you.

Are you sure one skein per color will be enough if you’re working with double yarn? You don’t want to run out of yarn halfway through.

Hi Mützekatze,
The bag uses 9 colors, so I think that should be enough. It’s supposed to be several granny squares. I was already thinking about using a smaller hook. I think I’ll just give it a try.
Thank you
Sandra

@Sandra
Nine colors are quite a lot. Wow. Is the granny square pattern very complicated?

Nah, it looked easy. I’m still pretty much a beginner. But I haven’t even started yet. It’s one of those beginner granny squares—the kind with 9 rounds—in different colors.

Oh, and always changing colors—that’s sure to create nice color effects, but it can also turn into a yarn mess if you don’t weave in the ends properly. Or is there some trick in the pattern to prevent that? I was just thinking of using one color per granny square and then sewing them together or something, but your version certainly makes a bigger impression. Is that a hippie-style design, or not really?

Yeah, it’s kind of hippie-ish. But cool.

Well, hippie styles are still totally in, and they keep coming back again and again. You can’t go wrong with that, and of course it’s cool, too. As long as you like the bag, that’s what matters most. : )

Hi Arni!

The best thing to do is use two balls of yarn and crochet with both strands at the same time
that’s how I do it
or even better for crocheting a bag: T-shirt yarn
it’s very sturdy and is used for bags and baskets!
I hope I could help you a little.

Best wishes,
Gabi