Question about tall stitches

[creativeK]

when is it good to use taller stitches like triple crochet and beyond? Like would it be good with a hat? I wanted to make an afghan and wonder if taller stitches would take less time but still look good.

 

I also heared crochet with a large hook and bulky yarn is quicker as well. I have the patience but I just want to know if I can in fact cut some time

[magiccrochetfan]

You can use triple crochet to make a hat.  Make a row or two of triple crochet stitches and look at it, notice there is a bit of a space between the stitches.  just as the stitch is taller, the space is taller.  So the taller sttiches can feel more open---sometimes you want that and sometimes you don't .

 

You can also combine stitches in many ways.  for example, if you alternate single and triple in one row, then on the next you do a single into each triple, and a triple into each  single, the triples will bow out and make a neat nubby texture.

 

You can use bulky yarn and a big hook to crochet,  Each stitch will be big and so it takes fewer of them to cover a certain area.  also each stitch will not only be taller but also fatter, so the item will be thick.  

 

You would probably enjoy The Crochet Answer Book by E Eckman, it is full of information about crocheting and is interesting to read for general lerning as well as to look up answers to specific questions http://www.amazon.com/Crochet-Answer-Book-Solutions-Question/dp/1580175988/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417064849&sr=1-1&keywords=crochet+answer+book

I love books!  there is no substitute for a good book

[magiccrochetfan]

here is an example of a hat that uses sts of several heights http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brain-waves-beanie

[creativeK]

Thanks I'll check that book out! so were I to make an afghan with thick yarn and a large hook,the stitches would be bigger and take less time?

 and the link to the hats is awesome.

[magiccrochetfan]

You're welcome

 

Yes I think it would take less time with thicker yarn.  If you get bulky yarn that is not smooth but has a boucle texture or is fuzzy or has dangly parts, it can be hard to rip back if you need to, and that would slow things down; also those qualities make it harder to see the stitches so it can be harder to keep your stitch count correct which could slow you down as well.  But the main question is, is that the look and feel that you want the item to have?  

[Ellie 13]

Tripples are good if you want a lighter weight afghan. I tried an afghan with tripples. It worked up fast, but was to "holey" for me. It was about 5 ft. X 6 in. I didn't feel like frogging it so I ended it, added a border and got a nice scarf .

Ellie 13

[Granny Square]

As said above, taller stitches / thicker yarn / working with multiple strands of yarn / bigger hook will yield something with less work than otherwise.  However (and I know many will disagree with me, but this is my opinion), it doesn't take much to reach a point at which the end product suffers when less work is put into it.  

 

Off my soapbox now.  To answer your first question about taller stitches in general, they are often found in decorative patterns - like lace, to make shapes like flowers or the wavy hat that Magiccrochetfan linked to, or textured stitches.

[Ellie 13]

Used to make corners when turning a circle into a square, or points for stars.

Ellie 13

[Becky Morgan]

Also, you can work linked triples and get a more substantial fabric. To see what I mean, grab some scrap yarn, work a triple and, on the next stitch, rather than two yarn overs, pick up loops on the side of the triple and finish the next stitch. You can use a really big hook and yarn that way.