Sometimes when you knit or crochet, you want to use bulky yarn but do not always have it available. Today I will show you the clever way how to crochet multiple strands from one yarn ball (2, 3, 4, and 6 strands held together). This is the best method for knitters or crocheters because you do not need to carry two, three, or even six separate yarn balls, whenever you want to crochet with multiple strands of yarn, held together.

What is multi-strand crochet?

Well, multi-strand crochet or crochet while holding multiple strands of yarn together is similar to normal crochet. The only difference is that you will always crochet with 2 or some strands held together at the same time. 

You probably can hold yarn strands from different yarn balls with different colors. But today I only talk about how to create multi-stranded yarn from ONLY 1 YARN SKEIN! 

When will you use multiple strands of yarn?

There are some circumstances that you might want to crochet or knit with multiple yarn strands together.

To create a bigger version of the same pattern

We face this situation a lot when crocheting amigurumi. By using double or triple strands of yarn referred to by the original pattern, you can make bigger sizes of crochet toys, crochet animals, or crochet dolls.

 It will save a lot of time for crocheters, and of course without rewriting the crochet pattern, to create a larger version of crochet amigurumi. 

Look at this photo, I created a magic ring with a single strand, double strands, 3 strands, and 6 strands from the same yarn ball. Do you see the effect?

To substitute bulky yarn

What to do when you have a pattern that requires bulky yarn that you can not buy immediately? Tada, use some of the yarn strands held together as a substitute to meet the yarn size of the pattern. 

Depending on the weight of the original yarn, you might end up creating a thicker yarn, bulky yarn, chunky yarn, or even super chunky yarn. It is so awesome, right?

What you can make with chunky yarn? Oh, a lot! You can crochet a chunky blanket, a chunky pillow to decorate your house, a chunky hat, or a shawl. Just be creative!

How to crochet multiple strands from only one yarn ball

How to crochet with two strands from one skein

This method is quite simple, you just need to pull a yarn tail from the center of the yarn ball and hold it together with the outside yarn tail while crocheting. 

Hey, I have a bonus tip for you here: How to rewind a center-pullable yarn ball from the mess (Most of the time if you pull the yarn tail from the “core”, it happens, honestly).

In fact, this method helps me a lot because I pull yarn from the center even when I crochet with a single strand to reduce the “rolling” issue.  

Check out some of my amigurumi patterns using the method of how to double up yarn for crochet.

• Halloween Pumpkins
• Baby Ganesha
• Other free amigurumi patterns

Create triple-strand yarn from a yarn skein

Creating 3-strands yarn from one ball is not as simple as double strands yarn but it is also not so hard. 

• Step 1: Use a single strand of yarn to form an S 
• Step 2: Hold 3 strands of the S and start to crochet
• Step 3: At the end of the triple-strand yarn, pull the original single strand through the loop of the S that we created at the last step, then create another length of triple-stranded yarn.

 Repeat the same steps until you finish your crochet project. 

Create 4-strand yarn from a yarn ball

This method I added after I filmed the video so we don’t have it shown in the video tutorial. 

Uhm, you have learned to create double-stranded yarn and triple-stranded yarn, how do you think it should be to create 4 strands of yarn from a yarn ball? 

Oh yes, you are right, just rewind a new ball from the old yarn ball with two strands, 1 from the center and one from the outside of the ball, then repeat the method to create double-stranded yarn. Simple math, right? 2*2=4. Yeah! Mission completed. 

Frankly, it will consume a little bit more time but you won’t regret it when you see your new yarn ball. 

Create 6 strands of yarn from a yarn ball

Hey buddy, now I am sure that you would say: “Hell yes, I know it!”. Haha, yes my friends, we are doing Math again. 

That means you will combine 2 methods together. First pull the center yarn tail out of the ball and hold together with the outer yarn tail, to create double-stranded yarn. After that, follow the same steps to create triple-stranded yarn but WITH  two strands. 2*3=6, Bingo! 

Done with creating yarn! Hold on, pull down to know tips about crocheting with multi-stranded yarn. 

Yarn weight when you crochet with multi-stranded yarn? 

Normally it is easy to find the yarn weight on the label of any yarn ball. But how to know the yarn size after you combine two or some strands of yarn together? 

A big headache, isn’t it? Don’t worry my friends, I am gonna tell you right now. I learned this tip from my mom once upon a time when there was no choice but to have bulky yarn than create it by ourselves. 

The yarn weight of double strands of yarn

An easy and simple general rule to remember is that two strands of the same yarn weight together will create a yarn 1 or 2 sizes thicker. To be easy, let’s say: 

• Two strands of lace can be equal to a finger or sport 
• Two strands of the finger will create sport or DK
• Two strands of sport equal to DK or light worsted
• Two strands of DK can be Worsted or Aran
• Two strands of Worsted equal to Chunky
• Two strands of Aran will create Chunky or Super Bulky
• Two strands of Chunky equal to Super bulky or Jumbo

Look at the yarn weight chart below for reference.

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The yarn weight of other multiple strands of yarn

The above rule is for double-strand yarn, how to define the yarn weight when you crochet with more than 2 strands held together? 

In my Ultimate Guide to Amigurumi for beginners, I did mention the method to find the yarn weight if you don’t have any information, the same case as this situation. Just click on the link to know more.

How to choose a crochet hook when you use yarn with multiple strands? 

After figuring out the yarn weight, you can definitely choose the crochet hook size. Let me remind you that you should choose the hook with 1-2 sizes smaller compared to the normal size when you crocheting amigurumi. 

In my opinion and my experiment, I found my “secret ratio” to choosing crochet hook size. 

Call the size of the original hook when you crochet with single-strand yarn A, so the size of the hook when you crochet double-stranded yarn is A*1.5. Then add to the ratio 0.75 each time you add an extra strand, and remember to choose the hook size close to the resulting number. 

For example, I use a 1.5mm hook for 1mm cotton yarn (equal to finger), then I double the yarn, I will use a 1.5*1.5 = 2.25mm hook, but I also can move ahead a bit to use a 2.5mm hook. And when I use 3 strands,   the hook size can be calculated as 1.5* (1.5+0.75)=3.375 mm, so I will choose the nearest size to 3.375mm, that is 3.5mm. And go on. 

With the super bulky yarn, you probably could quit the hook and use your finger. Oh, I also want to try, it would be fun. 

Anyway, this ratio is only from my experience, in fact, it will depend on the actual yarn. Before starting to crochet, make sure that you have found the most compatible hook for your multi-strand yarn. 

Tips to crochet with multiple strands of yarn

There are several tips that I think you should know when you crochet with multiple strands of yarn, no matter from one yarn ball or from different yarn balls. 

• Always make a new gauge: Making a new gauge can help you to visualize the project that you are gonna make. And make sure that you are using the right yarn weight that you want. 
• Mind the tension: Using more than one strand of yarn to crochet might be hard, you should practice for a while to find the best tension for your project. Also, make sure that all the strands you are holding have the same tension. 
• Be aware of tangled yarn: It often occurs that you can drop 1-2 strands while crocheting with many yarn strands at the same time. So do not be lazy and redo if it happens. 
• Use the inside-out crochet method to have a smooth surface: while making amigurumi with multi-strand yarn, it turns out an uneven surface. Crochet with the wrong side out can reduce this problem and give your amigurumi a good look. 

OTHER FREE AMIGURUMI PATTERNS FOR BEGINNERS

I am sure you also love my other cute and easy amigurumi free crochet patterns for beginners. Check them out:

BT21 free patterns

No-sew amigurumi free patterns for beginners

Kawaii Axolotls

Mini Amigurumi

Zodiac animal free amigurumi patterns

Roly-Poly Mystery Free Patterns

Holiday amigurumi free patterns

Amigurumi pattern roundups by topics

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Phew, we are done with my guide on how to create multi-strand yarn from a skein of yarn. At the same time, we have learned some tips about finding yarn weight and crochet hook size after multiplying the yarn. Bonus some small tips to make it easier for you when crocheting by holding some strands of yarn together. 

I hope you enjoyed the post and found it helpful to you. Comment below to let me know if there is anything missing or how many strands you like to crochet most.