Expert: Marilyn Jane Rimmer - 10/3/2008

Question
I am following a graph pattern in the tunisian stitch  When do you change
yarn colors in
the second row?  You are pulling through two loops at a time, and I don't
remember which
one determines when you change your color.  I use bobbins and do not pull
through more
than 3 stitches at a time.

Thank you for your help.

Answer
When you say "second row" are you referring to the return, where you're working the stitches off the hook?  Some patterns count the picking up stitches as a row, and then the working off the stitches as a second row.  Other patterns refer to picking up and then working off as one row.

If you're referring to the return or working off row.  You yarn over and pull through 2 loops, this is actually the loop you just made with the last pull through 2 and one loop from the stitches on your hook.  So you would change colors to match the loop that you're working off the hook.

That's not completely clear, so let's set up an example.
Let's say you have a total of 7 loops on the hook, the 2 outside of each end are white, and the 3 in the middle are red.  When you get ready to work off, you yarn over and pull through one white loop.  Then you're going to yarn over and pull through the loop you just made and one white loop from the hook.  The next pull through will involve yarn over and pull through the loop that you just made and the first of the red stitches, so you change to red for this yarn over and pull through.