Let’s Talk Intarsia Crochet: My Go-To Tools, Yarns & Techniques

Tangled yarn. Confusing charts. Tools you’re not sure you really need. If you’ve tried intarsia crochet and felt like everything was a bit… much, you’re not the only one.

The basics are easy enough to pick up. But it’s the practical stuff that gets messy. Sorting through yarn options, figuring out how to keep things from tangling, and managing your chart without constantly losing your place, that’s where people get stuck.

If you’re just getting started with intarsia, it’s worth getting comfortable with the basics first. My Intarsia Crochet Basics Q&A: What It Is, How It Works & Where to Start covers what it is, how it works, and where to start, then come back here for the practical stuff.

Intarsia Crochet Yarn & Tools

What hook size should I use for intarsia?

Choose a hook size that gives you nice, crisp stitches. You want the colorwork to look clean, not loose or floppy. If your stitches feel too open, the design may look messy. I usually go down half a hook size from what I’d use for the same yarn in a standard project. That tightens things up and helps the colorwork pop. If you’re following a pattern, use the recommended hook size and make a quick gauge swatch to check your stitches before committing.

Which yarns are best for intarsia?

You can technically use any yarn for intarsia crochet, but some are definitely more suitable than others. I recommend smooth yarns that aren’t fluffy or fuzzy. The cleaner the strand, the cleaner your colorwork will look. Also, look for yarn lines with a wide color range, especially if you’re designing your own charts or want to get creative. For specific recommendations, I’ve shared a roundup of my favorite yarns for graphgans and colorwork projects, including the ones I reach for time and time again.

You can also use any yarn weight for intarsia crochet. I’ve used everything from fingering weight in my Wander & Roam wall hangings to chunky in my Big Mountains blanket, and both worked beautifully. The key is to think about the purpose of your project. Do you want something lightweight and decorative, like a wall hanging or cushion? Or are you aiming for something thick and cozy, like a throw or bedspread?

Keep in mind that thinner yarn creates smaller stitches, which means you can include more detail in your design without it becoming oversized. That’s perfect for intricate motifs or when you want clean, crisp edges in your colorwork. Chunkier yarns, on the other hand, will give you a faster finish and a bold, graphic look, but they don’t handle fine detail as well. So it all comes down to what you’re making and how much detail your design requires.

Do I need to use bobbins for intarsia crochet?

If you need to use the same color more than once in a row, you’ll need separate pieces of yarn for each section. You can wind up smaller balls by hand or wrap your yarn around bobbins. I use these bobbins from WeCrochet, and I love them because they come in three different sizes that work well with different yarn weights.

Should I use the same brand/type of yarn for all colors?

You don’t have to, but I usually recommend it. Even if different yarns are technically the same weight and fiber, they can look and feel quite different. Some might be shinier, fuzzier, softer, or a little more loosely spun. And when you’re switching between those textures in the same project, it can be distracting. You might end up with patches that look uneven or draw attention away from the actual design. Using the same yarn brand or line helps everything look more polished and cohesive, and it takes one more variable out of the equation when you’re planning your project.

How do I keep all my yarn balls from tangling?

Bobbins and a bobbin holder, set up before you start. That is the short answer. Tangling is honestly the hardest part of intarsia for most people — I used to get really frustrated with it until I changed how I set up before each session. Now I wind everything onto these bobbins from WeCrochet and a simple bobbin holder. That extra five minutes at the start makes everything smoother once you are actually crocheting.

I even made a quick video showing exactly how I set up my bobbins worth a watch if you are new to it.

I also recently came across a new product I’m excited to try: the We Love Crochet Colorwork Snap Bag. It’s designed to keep yarn strands separated while you work, and it folds up into a neat little bag, which could make taking intarsia projects on the go so much easier. I’ll report back once I’ve given it a proper test, but it looks super promising for portable colorwork.

How many bobbins should I use?

Count how many blocks of color there are in a single row. That’s technically how many bobbins (or separate yarn strands) you’ll need. But honestly, I don’t usually plan that part out in advance. I just add bobbins as I go. If I hit a section that needs a new strand of yarn, I pause and wind one then. So don’t overthink it. You don’t need to sit down and do all the math before you start. Just get going and build the bobbins in as you need them.

What do I do when I have lots of small color sections?

Use lots of bobbins!

In all seriousness, sometimes it’s fine to carry a color if the changes are happening really frequently and the carried yarn won’t show. I won’t judge.

Reading and Following Colorwork Charts

How do I read an intarsia crochet chart?

Find the ‘1:1’ square and start from there. Each square represents one stitch, and the color tells you what yarn to use. At the end of each row, make a turning chain (this isn’t shown in the chart), then turn your work and read the next row in the opposite direction.

It sounds more involved than it is once you are looking at an actual chart. If you would rather see it in action, I have a full video tutorial that walks you through exactly how to read and follow a crochet chart step by step.

Should I read charts from right to left or left to right?

It depends on how the chart is set up. Look at the numbering at the bottom. If the “1” is on the bottom left, read odd-numbered rows left to right and even-numbered rows right to left. If the “1” is on the bottom right, it’s the opposite. Easy peasy!

Do I need a special pattern or chart for intarsia crochet, and how do I follow it without getting lost?

Nope! Any colorwork chart can be used for intarsia, so you don’t need anything special. If you’re looking to make your own, my post on how to make your own graphgan chart walks you through the process step by step.

Once you’ve got your chart, the trick is staying on track. If I’m using a printed chart, I love my chart keeper. It uses small magnets to hold your chart in place and a longer magnet that slides up row by row as you work. I use this basic chart keeper from WeCrochet, and I also wrote a review of it here on the blog. If I’m working digitally, I use Stitch Fiddle. It has a built-in row tracker so I can always see where I left off.

Can I use cross-stitch or knitting charts for intarsia crochet?

You can, but I wouldn’t. Cross-stitch and knitting charts use perfect squares, but crochet stitches aren’t square. That means your image can end up looking stretched or squashed, especially if you’re using a short stitch like single crochet or a taller one like half double crochet. In my colorwork patterns, you’ll notice the charts are designed with this in mind.

Charts written for single crochet have shorter blocks to reflect the stitch height, while those written for half double crochet use slightly taller blocks. If you’re looking to make your own, my post on how to make your own graphgan chart walks you through the process. I promise it’s not as scary as it seems.

Making Intarsia Crochet Less Intimidating

The honest truth is that intarsia looks harder than it is. Most people who struggle with it are not struggling with the stitches, they are struggling with the setup. Tangled yarn, a lost place on the chart, or too many bobbins to manage at once. Those are organizational problems, not skill problems, and they are all fixable.

Start smaller than you think you need to. A project with three or four colors is genuinely manageable for a first attempt. Twelve colors is not. Save the complex stuff for once you have a few projects under your belt and the setup feels automatic.

Give yourself five minutes before you start each session to check your bobbins, find your place on the chart, and get everything untangled. Five minutes of setup saves an hour of frustration mid-row.

And if something goes wrong, a missed color change, a row worked in the wrong direction, it is almost always fixable. Intarsia is more forgiving than it looks from the outside.

If you have a question I have not covered here, drop it in the comments. I read everything.

Ready to Try Intarsia Crochet?

If you are feeling more confident about the practical side of intarsia, the best next step is to try it on a real project. Here are a few good places to start:

New to graphgans entirely? My beginner’s guide to graphgan crochet covers everything you need to know before picking up your first pattern — color changes, foundation stitches, and keeping your edges tidy.

Ready to make something? The Mini Mountains Baby Blanket is the one I recommend most for first-timers. Small, manageable, and forgiving while you find your feet.

Want all my intarsia resources in one place? Graphgan School is my free hub for every tutorial, video, and technique guide I have made.

Want to learn by email? The free 5-part beginner graphgan series covers the key techniques — including color changes and how to set up your bobbins — sent straight to your inbox.