Is tapestry crochet the same on both sides?

When making a crochet colourwork project, it can be important to know whether the pattern you’re designing will look the same on both sides. Many crochet colourwork techniques produce projects with a clear back and front to them. Is tapestry crochet one of those techniques? Or is tapestry crochet the same on both sides? Read on to find out..

Tapestry crochet vs other colourwork techniques

Various crochet colourwork techniques exist, including intarsia, mosaic and tapestry crochet. However, whereas intarsia and mosaic crochet projects have a very definite “front” to them, the same is not true for tapestry crochet, especially when worked in rows.

In projects using intarsia and mosaic crochet, the colourwork pattern is really only visible or attractive on one side. With intarsia, there are “floats” on the back of the work. With mosaic crochet, how the back appears depends on which version you are using, but in any version the mosaic colourwork pattern is not visible.

Check out this post to understand more about the differences between mosaic and tapestry crochet.

In contrast to mosaic and intarsia, with tapestry crochet the colourwork pattern is visible on both sides of your work and there are no floats or other intricacies on the back obscuring any pattern. As such, tapestry crochet can be used to make projects that can be enjoyed from both sides.

However, having said that, there is a slight difference depending on whether your tapestry crochet is worked in rows or in rounds. This is explained more below.

Tapestry crochet in rows

When you work tapestry crochet back-and-forth in rows, the pattern is visible and appears exactly the same on both sides of your work.

This means tapestry crochet is a great colourwork technique to use for projects like blankets (and particularly baby and childrens’ blankets), which can be enjoyed and used either side up.

Shawls and scarves are other projects where both sides of the work can be visible at times. This means that if you’re thinking of using colourwork in such a project, tapestry crochet is a great choice.

Tapestry crochet in the round

Tapestry crochet can also be used to make projects that are worked in the round. This could be to create motifs such as squares or hexagons, or to create “tubular” items such as bags, hats and cowls.

When tapestry crochet is worked in the round, as with any other kind of crochet, there is more of a natural “front” and “back” to the work (also referred to as “right side” and “wrong side”). However, this is only because the stitches can appear more attractive when viewed from the front. Actually, the colourwork pattern is still equally visible on both sides and there are still no floats or other protrusions on the back of the work (as opposed to intarsia or mosaic crochet).

As such, tapestry crochet is still a really good option for projects like blankets made of motifs worked in the round. However, these blankets will have more of a natural “front” to them, compared to tapestry crochet blankets worked in rows, which are truly reversible.

Tubular projects such as bags, hats and cowls, also work great with tapestry crochet, as the inside, where the stitches are perhaps not quite so attractive, is not generally visible.

Is tapestry crochet the same on both sides? Answered!

Generally, yes, the tapestry crochet pattern is the same on both sides of your work. When you work back-and-forth in rows, the pattern is exactly the same and completely reversible. However, when you work in the round, although the pattern is visible and essentially the same on both sides, there is more of a natural “front” to the work, where the stitches do appear slightly more attractive.

As such, tapestry crochet is a great colourwork technique to choose for projects where you want to be able to enjoy your colourwork pattern from both sides.

What next?

Now you know that tapestry crochet projects look great from both sides, why not check some out and choose your next project today?

Or if you want a little guidance on how to get started with tapestry crochet, check out my tutorials here: