How to Crochet Better Stripes for Amigurumi when Using Cotton Yarn- An Experiment

Hi friends! In the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with different methods for crocheting stripes for amigurumi. If you have ever tried to make anything with stripes in amigurumi, you’ll notice that the transition always creates an ugly little jog where the colour change happens.

A lot of amazing amigurumist have come up with different methods to try to reduce the jog. And while most of those methods work really well when working with acrylic, it isn’t always as effective when working with cotton yarn.

The colour change jog is extra noticeable when working with cotton yarn, as you’ll see in the photo below. Cotton yarn is a lot less fuzzy when compared to acrylic yarn, so stitch definition when working with cotton yarn is always going to be very distinct. This is great when you want to create really neat looking stitches that stand out, but the stitch definition also highlights the step created from colour change. So, as someone who pretty much exclusively uses cotton yarn, I wanted to find a stripe method that creates more level looking stripes when working with cotton yarn.

I tried out various different methods for creating stripes, but decided to only showcase three of the internet’s most popular methods for creating stripes. In my video, I’ll be comparing the three methods, what I like and don’t like about each method, and when I would use each method.

The purpose of my experiment was to find a method that is easy to implement, but also creates more level looking stripes when working with cotton yarn. Here’s the list of methods I show in my video.

I ended up just adjusting one of the methods to create my own method*, so I also show my preferred method towards the end of the video. (*As far as I can tell, I haven’t come across this method during my search and kinda just made this up as I went.)

For my method, work up until the 2nd to the last stitch of the round before changing colours. With the same colour, work a slip stitch into the final stitch, then cut the yarn tail and fasten off. Work a seamless join in the round.

To pick up the next colour, start with a slip knot on your hook. Pick up a standing single crochet stitch in the false stitch created by the seamless join. Work the rest of the round as you would normally and repeat these steps if you have to change colours again.

To ensure that the yarn tails from the slip knot and the seamless join in the round don’t get in the way, you can sandwich it into the final few stitches of the round.

Watch my video here:

I hope that my experiment gives you a better understanding of the different methods and helps you decide what method you prefer.