How To Finish Off Crochet: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Fasten Off Crochet & Weave in Ends PDF download Download Article Tying off crochet projects for a seamless finish Co-authored by Sarah Stearns and Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: November 7, 2024 Fact Checked

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  • Fastening Off a Flat Row
    • |
  • Fastening Off a Continuous Round
    • |
  • Weaving in Ends on Amigurumi
    • |
  • Joining New Yarn
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
    • |
  • Warnings
|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by Sarah Stearns and by wikiHow staff writer, Aimee Payne, MFA. Sarah Stearns is a DIY Specialist, Artist, Maker, Blogger, and the Founder of SarahMaker.com. With over ten years of experience, she specializes in fun, approachable crafts like crocheting, making polymer clay jewelry, quilting, and creating Cricut projects. Her work has been featured in several publications, such as Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Vox, and Apartment Therapy. Sarah holds a BA in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 432,856 times.

There you are, happily reading a crochet pattern and so proud of the work you've done so far…then you reach the end, and all the pattern says is, "fasten off" or "tie off." What does that mean?! We'll walk you through it for both flat row and continuous round projects, plus teach you how to weave in the ends (even for amigurumi) and join new yarn if you want to switch colors or create a border. To create a professional-looking finish and ensure your project doesn’t unravel later, read on!

How to Tie Off Crochet

  1. Cut the yarn so there’s a tail at least 4” to 6” long.
  2. Yarn over your hook and pull through the loop that’s already on your hook.
  3. Continue to pull the yarn until you pull the end through the loop.
  4. Tug on the tail until the last stitch pulls into a tight knot.
  5. Weave in the ends using a tapestry needle or crochet hook.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Fastening Off & Weaving in the Ends on a Flat Row Project

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  1. Step 1 Crochet the final stitch in your pattern. 1 Crochet the final stitch in your pattern. Make the final stitch in your row, just as you normally would before starting extra chain stitches to turn around and move on to the next.
    • Hold the yarn tight enough to maintain your tension but loose enough so that it can slide through your fingers while you crochet.[1] [2]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 2 Cut the yarn, leaving extra to make a working tail. Cut the yarn about 4-6" from where it comes off the piece you are working on. This extra yarn is called the tail.
    • If you plan to use the tail to whip stitch the crochet project to another piece (like when you’re attaching granny squares), measure the edge you want to sew and multiply it by 3 to get the length of the tail. For example, if the edge of your project is 3”, leave a 9” tail.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 3 Yarn over your hook and pull through the loop on your hook. There’s only one loop on your hook at this point. Catch the yarn tail on your hook and pull it towards the loop as if you were going to make another chain.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 4 Pull the yarn all the way through the loop. Now, instead of creating a loop with the yarn, pull the yarn all the way through until you have made a knot.[3]
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 5 Tug the tail to secure the knot. Give the tail a firm pull to tighten the loops behind and around it until it looks like your piece ends in a knot. Finish your piece by weaving in the ends.
  6. Step 6 Thread the tail through a tapestry needle. 6 Thread the tail through a tapestry needle. After you fasten off your crochet project, thread the leftover tail through a tapestry needle by pushing the end of the yarn through the needle’s eye.[4]
    • No yarn needle? No problem! Use a crochet hook to pull the tail through the stitches.
  7. Step 7 Weave the yarn tail along the length of the row. 7 Weave the yarn tail along the length of the row. Take the needle threaded with your tail and weave it back through the tops of the stitches in the row you just completed.[5] This will hide the tail and keep it from unraveling the knot you just made. Cut off any excess tail.
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Section 2 of 4:

Fastening Off and Weaving in the Ends on a Continuous Round Chain Project

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 1 Make your last stitch in the round. Crochet the final stitch as you normally would while working in the round. Stop just short of chaining extra to start a new row.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 2 Cut your working yarn to create a tail. Cut the yarn about 4-6" from where it comes off the piece you are working on. This extra yarn is the tail you use to fasten off your project.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 3 Pull the yarn through the final loop. Yarn over your hook and pull the tail through the loop until the end comes through and you have a loose tail.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 4 Thread a tapestry needle with the yarn tail. Get a tapestry needle and thread the yarn tail through the eye of the needle.[6] Leave at least 3” of the yarn tail hanging from the needle so it doesn’t pull out of the eye while you work.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 5 Push the needle through the other side of the gap in the row. The beginning and end of your final round are separated by a V-shaped gap. With your needle and yarn on one side, put the needle under the first stitch on the other side of the gap, past the beginning chain. Pull the tail under both loops to begin a fake chain stitch.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 6 Pull the tail to bring the two sides of the V together and close the gap. Gently tug the yarn tail until the two edges of the gap line up perfectly to make a smooth edge along the outside of the piece.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Finish off Crochet 7 Use the needle and yarn to loop back and finish the fake chain. Go back to the last stitch you made on the first side. Put the thread through the back loop of that first stitch from the facing side, and then pull it through. The joined section will look like a normal chain in the outside row, and be completely invisible.
  8. Step 8 Weave the tail into the middle of 3-4 stitches. 8 Weave the tail into the middle of 3-4 stitches. Use the threaded tapestry needle to weave the tail through the previous round, moving through the middle of 3 to 4 stitches.[7] Pull the yarn through.
  9. Step 9 Turn the piece and weave back in the opposite direction. 9 Turn the piece and weave back in the opposite direction. After weaving through 3-4 stitches, turn the piece and weave the yarn back through the 3 to 4 stitches to the place where you began.[8]
    • Weave through a different part of the row than you did when weaving through the first time. This will lock the tail in place to prevent it from unraveling.
    • Cut off the excess tail as close to the piece as possible.
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Section 3 of 4:

Weaving in Ends on Amigurumi

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  1. Step 1 Weave the tail around the center of the bottom of the amigarumi. 1 Weave the tail around the center of the bottom of the amigarumi. Amigurumi are small, crocheted stuffed dolls that were originally made in Japan but have become popular in the US and UK.[9] Because amigurumi are three-dimensional, the method for weaving in the ends after fastening the project off is slightly different after you thread the yarn tail through the tapestry needle.
    • Insert the tapestry needle near the beginning of the yarn tail.
    • Weave the needle in and out of a few stitches.
    • Pull the yarn tight, then repeat, moving around the piece.[10]
  2. Step 2 Trim off the excess tail, leaving a few inches. 2 Trim off the excess tail, leaving a few inches. Pull the tail out of the tapestry needle when you have woven it in a rough circle around the center of the bottom of the piece. Use scissors or the back of your crochet hook to tuck the end of the tail inside the amigurumi.[11]
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Section 4 of 4:

Joining New Yarn

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  1. Join new yarn to the end of a fastened-off row with a slip stitch. Join new yarn to the end of a fastened-off row with a slip stitch. Use a simple slip stitch if you want to add a row to a piece after you’ve already fastened off the last row. Use this technique when changing colors at the end of a row or beginning a crocheted border.
    • Start by making a slipknot in your new yarn. Then, loop the slipknot over the end of the hook.[12]
    • Insert the hook into the top of the first stitch in the row to join. Make sure to hold the tail of the slipknot to keep it close to the top of the stitches.
    • Yarn over the hook with the new yarn, and then pull it through the loop on your hook.[13] Yarn over a second time and pull through the loop on your hook again. Congratulations! Your new yarn is joined to your project. You can continue with the pattern you’re following.

Community Q&A

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  • Question How do I finish my baby blanket with a shell all-around border? Jenny Marie Jenny Marie Community Answer Using any color you choose, attach the yarn to your hook with the standard slip-knot. At any point on the blanket make a slip-stitch to attach the yarn to the blanket. Make one round of single-crochet all the way around first, joining the last stitch to the first stitch with a slip-stitch. Doing this is useful as you can count the number of stitches on each side and end, making sure you have the same number on each side and end. Now make the shell stitch pattern you have chosen. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 13 Helpful 4
  • Question How can I fasten the end of a magic ring so that it doesn't pull partially open? Community Answer Community Answer You have to join both sides together with a very loose slip stitch. Then, if you like how it looks, very carefully and slowly pull the working yarn or string slowly. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 7
  • Question I am crocheting a dark brown bomber jacket. The stitching is cream colored. How do I finish the light ends off so people can't see them on the brown? Community Answer Community Answer You have to sew and then work the loose ends back and forth through your finished jacket seam. You have to do this on the wrong side, or inside, of the jacket. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 6
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Video

Tips

  • Use a bit of saliva or water to twist the end of the yarn into a narrow point to make it easier to push it through the needle’s eye. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

  • Make sure you pulled the yarn end ALL the way through. If you didn't, it will unravel. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.sigonimacaroni.com/best-way-to-hold-yarn-when-crocheting-how-to-control-yarn-tension/
  2. ↑ Sarah Stearns. DIY Specialist. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/jUIfV-Qcq2c?t=1016
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/jUIfV-Qcq2c?t=1053
  5. ↑ https://youtu.be/jUIfV-Qcq2c?t=1064
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l8TBUBnUIg
  7. ↑ https://youtu.be/NPcRcMFH0Ns?t=140
  8. ↑ https://youtu.be/NPcRcMFH0Ns?t=147
  9. ↑ https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/c/article/a-guide-to-amigurumi
More References (4)
  1. ↑ https://youtu.be/DJAc3-QLT5o?t=143
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/DJAc3-QLT5o?t=229
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/ZOqFzP25XNQ?t=72
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/HCwDWNWdn20?t=144

About This Article

Sarah Stearns Co-authored by: Sarah Stearns DIY Specialist This article was co-authored by Sarah Stearns and by wikiHow staff writer, Aimee Payne, MFA. Sarah Stearns is a DIY Specialist, Artist, Maker, Blogger, and the Founder of SarahMaker.com. With over ten years of experience, she specializes in fun, approachable crafts like crocheting, making polymer clay jewelry, quilting, and creating Cricut projects. Her work has been featured in several publications, such as Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Vox, and Apartment Therapy. Sarah holds a BA in Psychology from Vanderbilt University. This article has been viewed 432,856 times. 7 votes - 72% Co-authors: 13 Updated: November 7, 2024 Views: 432,856 Categories: Crochet Stitches Article SummaryX

To finish off crochet using the basic row method, make your final stitch in the row as normal before cutting extra thread about 4 inches long. Next, start as if you are going to make a chain, but pull the thread all the way through the loop on your hook instead of making another loop as you would when chaining. To finish, tug the thread to tighten up the knot and weave the tail into the stitches you just created with the hook or a yarn needle so the knot doesn't come loose. For tips on how to finish with the continuous round chain method, keep reading! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Sarah Stearns Co-authored by: Sarah Stearns DIY Specialist 7 votes - 72% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 13 Updated: November 7, 2024 Views: 432,856 Lirael Thaen

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"Steps 1 to 5 helped me, as I was just making a bracelet, but I plan on making a beanie for a friend, so this shall..." more Alexis Cook

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