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Add to Your Crochet Knowledge with the Chainless Stitch!

Check out this clever way to make cleaner color transitions with your crochet in Spin Off Fall 2026.

Katrina King Aug 26, 2026 - 4 min read

Add to Your Crochet Knowledge with the Chainless Stitch! Primary Image

Learn an easy way to add new yarn or climb out of a ring with a chainless stitch! Photos by Matt Graves

One of the things I love about crafts is there’s always more to learn. It can be through picking up a new craft entirely, or by learning a new technique or stitch in a practiced one. When Connie Lee Lynch’s One-Braid Modular Crochet Cowl arrived for the Fall 2026 issue, I was intrigued. A chainless way to climb out of a ring or add a new color? It was time to investigate.

How to Work a Chainless Stitch

Step 1. Hold onto your tail of yarn with your working hand.Step 1. Hold onto your tail of yarn with your working hand. Step 2. Wrap the yarn around your hook the number of required times plus one for the stitch you are working; in this example, a double crochet. The first wrap is to anchor the yarn, the second wrap is the acting loop on the hook and the third wrap is for a double crochet.Step 2. Wrap the yarn around your hook the number of required times plus one for the stitch you are working; in this example, a double crochet. The first wrap is to anchor the yarn, the second wrap is the acting loop on the hook and the third wrap is for a double crochet. Step 3. Insert your hook into the current row or round, yarn over.Step 3. Insert your hook into the current row or round, yarn over. Step 4. Pull loop through work and up to the required height to match the height of the row or round.Step 4. Pull loop through work and up to the required height to match the height of the row or round. Step 5.Complete the double stitch as normal, yarn over and pulling through loops twice.Step 5.Complete the double stitch as normal, yarn over and pulling through loops twice. Step 6. After a few stitches have been completed, the tail is secured and can be dropped. Don't forget to weave the end in later!Step 6. After a few stitches have been completed, the tail is secured and can be dropped. Don't forget to weave the end in later!

Click on the images for a larger view!

  1. Hold onto your tail of yarn with your working hand.
  2. Wrap the yarn around your hook the number of required times plus one for the stitch you are working; in this example, a double crochet. The first wrap is to anchor the yarn, the second wrap is the acting loop on the hook and the third wrap is for a double crochet.
  3. Insert your hook into the current row or round, yarn over.
  4. Pull loop through work and up to the required height to match the height of the row or round.
  5. Complete the double stitch as normal, yarn over and pulling through loops twice.
  6. After a few stitches have been completed, the tail is secured and can be dropped. Don't forget to weave the end in later!

Benefits of Chainless Crochet

So the question is, why would I want to work a stitch like this? I can think of a couple of reasons. One is a cleaner look: When working in the round and using a chain to climb up to the next round, you can always see it. A chainless start blends in to the motif. Another reason to work chainless crochet is the ease of adding new color without any kind of weird overlap. No randomly-colored loops in places they shouldn’t be.

Try it with Connie Lee Lynch’s One-Braid Modular Crochet Cowl!

Try the stitch out and see for yourself how easy it is. Need to work a triple or even larger stitch? The idea is the same—simply add more wraps to your hook. Don’t forget to check out Connie Lee Lynch’s One-Braid Modular Crochet Cowl in the Fall 2026 issue. It’s a great project to try out this new stitch on.

Katrina King is the assistant editor for Long Thread Media. She enjoys a vast variety of fiber crafts ranging from tatting and needlework to spinning and knitting. When not keeping up with her college daughters she can be found making something light and lacy.

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