5 Tips to Prevent Yarn from Splitting While You Crochet
By Rachel Choi – 5 CommentsIt is really annoying when you crochet and your yarn splits! You end up with only part of the strand of yarn on your hook instead of the entire strand. Here are some tips to help you prevent your yarn from splitting while you crochet:
- Use a bigger hook – The bigger your hook, the less chance that your hook will split your yarn. Smaller hooks are more pointy and tend to “stab” your yarn in half. While bigger hooks obviously have a larger hook to grab you strand of yarn without splitting it.
- Take your time – If you take your time, and move extra slow when you crochet, there is no way you can split your yarn. Try working in slow motion for a few stitches and be sure that your yarn is properly under your hook before you pull it. You can speed up, once you get the hang of it.
- Work with the opposite end of the yarn – Yarn is made with a bunch of plies of yarn twisted together. Sometimes your yarn splits because you are working against the direction that the yarn is twisted in, so you are basically untwisting it. By working with the opposite end of the yarn you can work into the same direction that the yarn is twisted in, so that it doesn’t split.
- Use a different brand – Different hooks made by different companies are shaped differently. There isn’t one hook that is great for everyone, so try out different types of hooks to see which one works best for you. Be sure to try out different brands of yarn as well.
- Practice – Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes, and it is so true. I remember when I first started crocheting, my yarn would split all the time. But now, using the exact same hook and brand of yarn, it doesn’t split anymore because I have practice crocheting. So just be patience and practice, you can do it!
Do you have a tip to prevent yarn from splitting that you would like to share?
dumb question-which is the opposite end? cuz it doesnt matter which end I pull its always dividing
Hi Bananas, the opposite end refers to the end you aren’t working with. But if it splits on both ends of the strand of yarn, I would ignore this tip and try the others.
Hi Rachel
I was begnning to despair because my cotton yarn was constantly being split by the hook when crocheting in the round. I was new to Arigurumi and was convinced I could not do it even though I have crocheted for a while now! Then I read your article and started using the yarn from the other end and problem solved!
Thank you!!
I’ve been crocheting sense I was five and I knew all the answers but still got irritated this time and put “my yarn is splitting” in and all the answers came up. I didn’t want to believe what I already knew and that is, I got a bad skein of yarn. Usually you can solve this by working at the opposite end and I don’t even like to do that when I’m working on something.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for TIP #3. Working and makes it possible where I was so frustrated. The only problem was pulling from the other end brought out the worst twisted spaghetti mess of yarn …. but I patiently worked out this big mess and trusted and hoped. Worth IT. Now I can get on with my baby afghan 🙂