Please help with blanket!

[apigwithwings]

Hi everyone,

 

Everytime I try to start a crochet project bigger then 10 in this happens to me. The first few rows seem to be fine then after maybe 4 or 5 rows the edges start to expand and not stay straight like the middle. I try searching for a solution on google but I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've attached 2 pictures to show exactly what I mean. And this happens to all my projects that involves crocheting in rows. Please help!

[magiccrochetfan]

Hmmmm, interesting question! Are you following a pattern for this? Looks like you are repeating two rows? How are you starting and ending each row?

 

And welcome to the ville

[mattenylou]

Ohh, that's pretty! and welcome!

 

Just looking at your photos, it looks like your haven't "lost" any stitches in the pattern along the way, so it may be it just needs to be stretched out a bit. I think those beginning rows just kind of stretch a little bit like this, just from working on it, the stitches sort of settle into each other, from us flipping it back and forth and moving it around... that last row is still "brand new", try to wiggle it and work those last rows a bit and see it you can square it off.

 

It could be a tension thing going on... You may have started those first rows working a bit loose, and now you are tightening your stitches a bit. I notice I tend to crochet looser when I'm tired or my hands are getting tired, so I start out with a tightish row and a few hours later the stitches are getting a tad bigger and looser, if I catch myself doing it, I'll either quit for a while and rest my hands or I'll switch to a smaller hook to compensate.

 

Funny thing, I notice my stitches change, too, depending on my mood. If I'm having a 'crabby old lady day', one of those days that I can barely get the stitches to slide off the hook, everything tightens up... my hands, my neck, my stitches, and then my rows. On those days, I'm better off to just drop my hook for a while and grab the Windex and a roll of paper towels for a bit and get rid of some of that pent-up-bitchiness because sooner or later I'm going to have to rip out those rows and then I'll really have something to be ticked off about.... but that's just me and how my stress comes right down into my fingers and shows up in my lap,,, maybe not so for anyone else.

 

I hope you figure it out, you may have to switch your hook size to fix it.

[nancybanta]

I see you're cutting your yarn every other row ( I'd be running it up the side myself) - I think what's happening is you're ending the yarn off and because you're not working that loose end in or working over it, it's loosening up and letting the end of the afghan expand.  Why not try either working it in right away or working over the end and see if that makes a difference.

[apigwithwings]

This is the tutorial I (tried) to follow:

 

Mattenylou: Thanks!  I've tried making small test strips where I making everything tight and everything loose and i'm still getting the same result...

 

Nancybanta: what do you mean by "working it in"?

[Emily Webber]

I agree with what has already been said. It looks like you are crocheting a bit looser at the ends of the rows - Im not surprised considering you have been cutting the yarn at the ends and this gives it a chance to loosen. Keep the ball attached to the work when you change colour as you can work it back in at any point.

 

This can probably be fixed easily by giving a border to your work when the main body is finished, even if its a simple border of single crochets

 

"Working it in" means crocheting the yarn into your project

[magiccrochetfan]

I apologize, i do not have the patience to watch long videos so I did not watch the video you linked.  But on the CrochetGeek site there is a pattern as well as the video,, so I looked at that http://www.crochetgeek.com/2009/04/larksfoot-crochet-pattern-stitch-baby.html

 

Before I forget, let me say that i don't think the way you have fastened off the yarn is the problem.  It looks to me like you have pulled the yarn thru the last loop or maybe tied a small knot, and it looks secure.  (However you do need to leave about a 6" tail of yarn for weaving in, to look neat and keep the end from popping out)

 

So you are starting each row by chaining 4, thus you have a turning chain of 3, and then you have a chain space of 1 which the spike stitch from 2 rows above comes down into.  I think that the spike st is pulling this up and it's as though you had a turning chain of 4, and so your edge is taller than the rest of your row.  I would try making the initial chain only 3 chain sts instead of four.  

 

Actually i would probably tweak the pattern, because I think having the ch1 space and the spike st right at the edge is kind of unstable.  I would add at least 1 dc at each end. So row 1 and 2 would start with 4 dc instead of 3; row 3 and 4 would start with 2 dc, ch1 instead of 1 dc, ch 1; row 5 would start with 2 dc, spike st.....Row 1 and 2 would end with 4 dc; row 3 and 4 would end with ch1, 2 dc; row 5 would end with spike st, 2 dc.  

I think that would stabilize it and keep the edge more even.  

 

Now, you said that you usually have this problem with the edges being taller than the rest, so I assume that would be with different patterns, correct?  I think you probably need to adjust how you begin your rows.  the standard turning chain for a row of dc is 3, but many of us find that we have better luck with just 2, or with some other alternate methods.  My favorite is the chainless method seen here (I like the method in the 1-09 video linked at the bottom the best) http://www.ravelry.com/projects/TXCr1cket/chainless-starting-dc-stitch---updated  this takes a bit of practice but really does work well and for me i find it really blends into the overall pattern, whereas a turning chain can stand out.  When you are starting with new yarn you can use the standing dc as shown here, scroll down a bit http://blog.lionbrand.com/2009/10/01/motif-afghan-crochet-along-crochet-techniques-part-i/  this works great too.  So either the chainless method or the standing dc eliminate the turning chain and you just start the row with a dc.  

 

Hope this is helpful!

[apigwithwings]

magiccrochetfan: I'm going to try altering the pattern the way you said and make a test strip and see if it helps. and i'm gonna try out the chainless method. I really appreciate the help!

 

Also, I made this test strip last night following this tutorial: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-stripe.html For whatever reason, the edge is still getting higher, but on the opposite side of the blanket I posted in the first post....Any thoughts?

[magiccrochetfan]

It could be the turning chain in that pattern too, if you were doing the ch3

[RoseRed]

Try using one less chain in your turning chain.

[magiccrochetfan]

magiccrochetfan: I'm going to try altering the pattern the way you said and make a test strip and see if it helps. and i'm gonna try out the chainless method. I really appreciate the help!

 

Also, I made this test strip last night following this tutorial: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-stripe.html For whatever reason, the edge is still getting higher, but on the opposite side of the blanket I posted in the first post....Any thoughts?

 

Looking at your photo of the attic24 pattern again, I notice that your foundation chain and first row of sc are pulling up as well.  it looks like if you pulled down the bottom right corner so the bottom edge is straight, the top edge might become straight as the top right corner would be pulled down too.  

[Real Deal]

When you snug down the ends and tie them, that will take up a lot of the extra height.

[RoseRed]

Definitely leave longer ends to weave in.  I would use a drop of flexible fabric glue to secure the short ones so that the ghan doesn't come undone later.

[magiccrochetfan]

When you snug down the ends and tie them, that will take up a lot of the extra height.

 

I disagree.  I think when we fasten off the ends and weave them in, the goal is to leave the fabric as drapy and flexible as it was before.  I think it is a mistake to rely on a tight fasten-off to change the shape of the stitches.  

[RoseRed]

I agree with you BUT in this case she can use the tails to achieve that end.