How to use intarsia crochet bobbins (Without the Tangles)
A gorgeous crochet portrait blanket, a bold geometric wall hanging, or a sweater while scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest! Did you find it mesmerizing? Have you thought of making it? But the reality behind that picture is different. Swiping to the next photo shows the backside of the project: a chaotic jungle of fifty different yarn strands or a tangled web of knots. You give up on the idea and start looking at a granny square project instead.
Wait, it does not go in that way.
The key to getting a clean, professional, graphic, picture-perfect crochet colorwork without frustration isn't magic—it’s intarsia crochet bobbins. When used correctly, they become your personal yarn management system, keeping your workspace neat and organized. In this ultimate guide, we are going to break down everything you need to know about intarsia crochet bobbins.
Understand Intarsia Crochet
Before we start explaining the bobbins, let's explore the intarsia crochet. This means making a picture crochet using separate blocks of yarn.
Let's understand it with an example: Suppose you want to put a red heart inside a white blanket, you do not need to carry the red yarn across the whole blanket. Instead, you use the red yarn in the exact spot where the heart is. After completing the heart section, you drop the red yarn and pick up a completely separate strand of white yarn.
As you are working with different strands of yarn all the time, you need to hold those small strands neatly. That's what bobbins do.
Read More: Different Types of Colorwork Techniques in Crochet
What is a Crochet Bobbin?
A small tool that helps you organise the multicoloured crochet project. This tiny object holds a short piece of yarn for you. Instead of pulling yarn from the large skein, you wind just a small amount of yarn onto a tiny holder.
These holders remain at the back of the crochet project. Because these are light and small, there is no worry of yarn tangling.
4 Easy Ways To Get Bobbins
You don't need to spend a lot of money on buying bobbins from the store. Here are four options that you can try out:
1. The Cardboard Cutout (Highly Recommended!)
This is one of the easiest and most favourite among the beginners. For this, pick up any shoe box or gift box from your recycling bin.
How to make it: Cut out a small rectangle of cardboard, about 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Cut a tiny "V" shape into the top and the bottom edge.
How to use it: Wind your yarn around the middle of the cardboard. When you are done, slide the yarn into the "V" notch to keep it from unravelling.
Do you have wooden or plastic clothespins in your laundry room? If so, this becomes the great crochet bobbins!
How to use it: Wind your yarn around the middle of the clothespin. When you want to stop the yarn from slipping, just open the clip and clamp it right onto the yarn strand.
3. The "Butterfly" Bobbin (No Tools Needed)
If you do not have cardboard or clothespins nearby, you can use your own hand to make a temporary bobbin.
How to make it: Hold your hand open like you are going to wave. Take your yarn and wrap it around your thumb and your pinky finger in a "figure-8" pattern. Do this until you have a nice little bundle.
How to use it: Slide the bundle off your fingers. Take the end of the yarn and wrap it tightly around the middle of your figure-8 a few times to tie it together. You can now pull the yarn smoothly from the very center of the bundle.
4. Store-bought plastic bobbin
If you decide you really love this type of crochet, you can buy colorful plastic bobbins at a craft store or online. They are usually small, flat pieces of plastic with built-in clips to hold the yarn in place.
How to count how many bobbins you need?
Look at the chart or graph, which is like a grid of colored squares. Each square represents one crochet stitch.
To find how many bobbins you need or prepare, look at a single row from left to right. Count how many different sections of color you see.
For example, imagine a row that looks like this:
Even though there are only two colors (blue and white), there are three separate sections of color. Therefore, you will need three bobbins:
One blue bobbin for the first section.
One white bobbin for the middle section.
A second blue bobbin for the last section.
How to Change Color Perfectly?
Now, your bobbins are ready! Let's look at how to change colors effectively while you are crocheting. To make your work look neat and professional, you only need to learn a simple method:
Trick: The "Last Pull-Through" Rule
Never finish a stitch before changing to a new color. If you do, your color lines will look messy.
1. Insert your crochet hook into the final stitch of Color A.
2. Yarn over (YO) and pull up a loop using Color A. You now have two loops of Color A on your hook. Stop right here!
3. Drop Color A out of your hands and let it hang down.
4. Pick up the yarn from your Color B bobbin.
Wrap Color B around your hook and pull it through both loops to finish the stitch.
Now, your old stitch is perfectly finished in Color A, and the new loop on your hook is the perfect color to start your next stitch in Color B!
Where to drop your bobbin?
As you start working, your bobbins will hang off your fabric. But which side should they hang on?
A crochet project has a Right Side (RS), the beautiful front part everyone will see, and a Wrong Side (WS), the back part where all the messy details are hidden.
When you are working on a Front Row (Right Side): Always drop your bobbins to the back of your work, away from you.
When you are working on a Back Row (Wrong Side): Always drop your bobbins to the front of your work, facing right toward your chest.
Note: By doing this, you keep all the twists, knots, and hanging bobbins on the messy back side of the fabric, and the front side looks perfectly clean.
5 Simple Tips for Beginners
If you are feeling nervous about your first project, keep these simple five tips in mind:
1. Choose smooth yarns and avoid dark, fuzzy, black, or dark blue shades because you won't be able to see the stitches. Classic acrylic or cotton yarn in light colors is ideal for these projects.
2. Keep your bobbin tucked right up close to your stitches, leaving only 3 or 4 inches of loose yarn to work with at a time.
3. Do not try to make a giant, 20-color portrait of your dog for your very first project! Start with something tiny that only uses two or three bobbins.
4. When you are managing multiple bobbins, trying to crochet while curled up in a messy bed or a deep couch can be tough. Try sitting up at a clean desk or kitchen table.
5. If your crochet stitches are very loose, your color changes might look a bit sloppy. Try using a crochet hook that is a half-size smaller than the yarn label recommends.
Intarsia crochet with bobbins might look complicated from the outside, but once you break it down into small steps, it is just a simple rhythm. You wind a little yarn, you do a quick twist when you change colors, and you flip your project back and forth.
Put on your favorite movie, grab some leftover cardboard to make your first set of bobbins, and give it a try today!