How to do the invisible crochet join!
Invisible joins are a fab way to finish your crochet rounds and squares without any unsightly knots!
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There’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned slip stitch join, but an invisible join produces a much more polished and professional looking result – just take a look at the difference below!
With an ‘invisible join’ the circle has a consistent look with no bump, plus it also makes the stitches easier to count and easier to work into on the next round. This technique is also great for finishing off Granny Squares as well as circular motifs, and once you’ve mastered it we think it’ll be your favourite way to finish your stitches!
How to work an invisible join
To try an invisible join, just grab any yarn (you’ll find that a smooth yarn will be easier to practise with), a suitably sized hook for the yarn weight and a tapestry needle. Start by making a round of trebles, but don’t join them. We used a DK yarn and a 4mm hook to work a magic loop (check out our guide on how to make a magic loop), ch3, 11tr into the loop.
Step 1
Cut the yarn leaving a 10cm tail, but keep your hook in the working loop. Use the hook to pull the loop until the tail comes all the way through. Don’t worry, your work won’t unravel!
Step 2
Your final stitch should now look like this, with the tail end emerging from the centre of the top loop of the last stitch.
Step 3
Next, thread that tail onto a tapestry needle.
Step 4
Locate the first two stitches at the beginning of the round. Skip the top of the first stitch – in our example, that’s the top of the ch-3 turning chain. Insert the tapestry needle into the second stitch, under the top two strands, in the same way as you’d normally insert the hook to work into that stitch.
Step 5
Pull the tapestry needle and yarn all the way through, but don’t pull tightly. You will have made a small strand between the last stitch and the second stitch, which runs over the top of the first stitch.
Step 6
Keeping the tail end of yarn on the tapestry needle, insert it into the last stitch, in the same place as it emerged in Step 2 – this is the centre of the top loop of the last stitch. Don’t push it all the way through yet.
Step 7
Flip the work over so you can see the back of the stitch. You should be able to see that the stitch has an extra horizontal strand of yarn at the back, parallel with the top strands of the stitch. Make sure the tapestry needle goes under this extra horizontal strand at the back of the stitch.
Step 8
Pull the needle and yarn all the way through (don’t pull the tail end too tight) and flip back to the front of the work. You will have made a loop between the last stitch and the second stitch that looks like the top loop of all the other stitches – it should sit over the first stitch and be the same size as each of your crocheted stitch loops. Now weave in the tail end at the back, once again taking care not to pull your carefully worked stitch too tightly.
And that’s how you make an invisible join. It might take a bit of practice to get them perfect, but once you’ve got the hang of it they’ll make your finished items look so much neater!
If you want to find more tips and tutorials, make sure to check out our other How to Crochet guides!
If you found this tutorial useful, why not check out some more!
- How to fasten off crochet
- What do you need to start crocheting?
- How to hold your hook and yarn
- What are yarn weights and which yarn should I use?
- How to work crochet stitches in the round
- How to make a crochet magic loop
- How to make a pompom
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