Tapestry Crochet: How to Crochet Pictures and Patterns with Charts
Tapestry crochet makes colour designs by carrying the unused yarn inside single crochet stitches, so there are no floats on the back. Learn colour changes, carrying, reading a chart — and make a heart coaster from a 12-stitch chart.
Pattern at a glance
US terms- Skill level
- Easy
- Yarn
- Worsted (#4) cotton in 2 colours, about 25 yd each
- Hook
- 4 mm (G-6)
- Time
- About 2 hours
- Finished size
- Coaster about 5 × 5 in (13 × 13 cm)
You'll need
- Worsted (#4) cotton in a background colour (A) and a design colour (B) — about 25 yd each
- 4 mm (G-6) hook
- Tapestry needle
In this post
Tapestry crochet is single crochet colourwork where the colour you're not using is carried along the top of the row and crocheted over. Each stitch hides the carried strand inside it, so the back looks as neat as the front and there are no loose floats. You follow a chart — one square is one stitch — and change colour on the last step of the stitch before the colour change.
The rest of this post is just below — free, as always.
The three techniques
- Carry: Lay the unused colour along the top of the stitches you're working into and crochet over it, so it's enclosed in each sc.
- Change colour: Work the last sc in the old colour until 2 loops are on the hook. Drop the old colour, yarn over with the new colour and pull through. The new colour is now on the hook.
- Keep tension even: Give the carried yarn a gentle tug every few stitches so it doesn't show, but not so tight the fabric puckers.
Working in the back loop only or in rounds keeps the stitches straighter; flat rows make the stitches lean slightly, which is fine for small pieces.
Heart coaster
The coaster is 24 stitches wide. The heart is 12 stitches wide in the centre, with 6 background stitches on each side.
- Row 1: In A, ch 25. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across, carrying B from the start. Ch 1, turn. (24)
- Rows 2–6: In A, sc across, carrying B. (24)
- Chart rows: For each of the heart rows below, work 6 A first, then the chart, then 6 A.
| Heart row | Centre 12 stitches |
|---|---|
| Row 7 | 5 A, 2 B, 5 A |
| Row 8 | 4 A, 4 B, 4 A |
| Row 9 | 3 A, 6 B, 3 A |
| Row 10 | 2 A, 8 B, 2 A |
| Row 11 | 1 A, 10 B, 1 A |
| Row 12 | 1 A, 10 B, 1 A |
| Row 13 | 1 A, 4 B, 2 A, 4 B, 1 A |
| Row 14 | 2 A, 2 B, 4 A, 2 B, 2 A |
- Rows 15–21: In A, sc across, carrying B, then cut B. (24)
- Border: Sc around in B, with 3 sc in each corner. Fasten off.
The heart is symmetrical, so it reads the same on rows worked left to right and right to left.
Tapestry vs other colourwork
| Method | Unused yarn | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Tapestry | Carried inside stitches | Bags, baskets, coasters (dense) |
| Intarsia | Separate bobbin per colour block | Big picture blankets |
| Mosaic | One colour per row, long stitches drop down | Geometric patterns |
| C2C | Bobbins, blocks of 3 dc | Pixel pictures |
For the basics of colour changes, see how to change colours.
Common questions
What is tapestry crochet?
Colourwork in single crochet where the colour not in use is carried along and enclosed inside the stitches, creating a dense, two-sided fabric with no floats.
How do you read a tapestry crochet chart?
Each square is one single crochet in the colour shown. Read right-side rows right to left and wrong-side rows left to right (or every round right to left if you work in the round).
Why does my carried yarn show through?
A contrast colour can peek between stitches. Use a smaller hook, keep tension even, and work into the back loop only for tighter coverage.
What picture will you crochet first? 🎨
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