How to keep an even tension

[olg]

I am crocheting a single crochet scarflette. The tension on each row MUST be even and exactly the same or it sticks out like a sore thumb. I am having a real problem with this. Any suggestions? 

[magiccrochetfan]

Oh, I didn't realize you were not working from a pattern.  Congratulations on making up your own design!  

 

Well, for worsted, the smallest I would try to use would be a 4mm (G).  

 

[olg]

Thanks Avonlady. It is amazing what a difference it makes when you have a problem and can ask a human for help.

[Avon Lady]

Olg, I, too, learned from a little book that had all the lessons for knitting, crocheting, tatting, embroidery, weaving, etc.!  So I know what you're going through!  We're glad you joined the 'Ville!  There's always someone here to help you!  Happy crocheting!

[olg]

Thank You One and All for all your help. I am learning so much from reading your replies and ideas. You just can't imagine how much you all are teaching someone who was self-taught from a book and a kit. 

[olg]

katyallen8090: Thank you, I am going to continue struggling along. Hopefully, what I have in my hands will look like what I have in my mind

[Katieallen311815]

good advice , and Im sure those ideas will all help,I was going to say, a b hook is too small, but someone already did, lol, but I did learn about the golden loop, so all is good!! Good luck, hope you can get it to your liking!

[olg]

Granny Square: Thank you. That is one thing I have been doing, forming my stitches right at the hook. I'll try to consciously make then further back. 

 

Magiccrochetfan: LOL. If and when I ever get it finished, I will let you know how it turned out. Thanks for all your help.

[Granny Square]

Hang in there.  Yes, practice and don't be afraid of ripping.  I wish I could somehow 'bank' all my ripped stitches and magic wand them (perfectly formed) into a new project, I could supply the whole forum with blankets after all these years I'm sure. 

 

This may not be your issue, but I'll throw this out there--when I was a beginner I formed my stitches very tightly.  I was forming my stitches right at the hook, at the narrow part of the 'throat' when I should have been forming them further back, at the full diameter of the hook.  If you think about it, what's the use of having different sized hooks if you just use the tip, right?  If you use the hook body to form the stitches, it helps to keep them consistent (in my experience).

[magiccrochetfan]

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

[olg]

To magiccrochetfan: Thanks so much for all the help. I will adjust the size of the hook and see if that solves my problem.

[olg]

To magiccrochetfan: I don't have a pattern. This is my first creation of my own. The reason I chose such a small hook, I wanted the neckband to be nice and solid with no open spaces between stitches. But I am not that experienced at this, and I never realized the hook might be too small for the yarn. Thank you so much for pointing that out. That may solve my problem. 

[magiccrochetfan]

A B hook is really tiny for worsted wt yarn.  That may well be part of your problem as far as tension, the yarn is not really able to be squished evenly into such small stitches.  What yarn and hook does the pattern suggest?  

[olg]

To magiccrochetfan: I am using RedHeart Worsted and a size B aluminum hook. The pattern is just a plain single crochet, sc 12 st, ch1  turn. I am making a simple neck band about 3 inches wide that will overlap in the front, with tiny crochet flowers added for decoration when the band is finished. When I sit down to rest or visit with family, the pattern is so simple I crochet on the band. I had crocheted several inches in length, working off and on, when I decided to lay my work out flat and look at how it was progressing. That's when I realized a glaring mistake on a piece this narrow: the width weaved in an out. Sometimes the tension was tight and the band was more narrow, sometimes the tension was loose, and the band was wider. I'm sure I have been doing this in my crochet all along, but it had never shown up before on the things that I had made because they were not this small and obvious. 

[magiccrochetfan]

I'd suggest that you use some other yarn to practice getting the stitches even, if ripping and redoing is messing up your yarn.  Ripping and redoing is an essential part of making, but some yarns don't hold up well to it.  

 

Some yarns are hard to crochet evenly due to thick and thin areas, weird ply/twist etc.----just things about the structure of the yarn that make it not lie evenly.  

 

If you tell us what pattern it is and what yarn and hook you are using, that may lead to more specific suggestions.  

[olg]

To: magiccrochetfan: I'm not good at putting pics up yet, but I can describe what is happening. As I crochet, my tension sometimes gets tighter, the stitches get shorter and narrower, resulting in the width of the scarf being wider at the beginning then obviously narrower in sections where my tension is tighter. This scarf is really only a neck band with decorations, so when the width changes even a little it is very obvious. I have been using a ruler to measure each row then ripping out and redoing what is different to try to keep the width even but it is very frustrating. I am doing more ripping than I am progressing. Also I am messing up my yarn by redoing so many times. 

 

To redrosesdz: I have never heard of the golden loop before, I will try to be much more conscious of this as I work. Maybe that will be the solution to the changed tension if I can accomplish it.

 

To Skysmom: I have been crocheting simple stuff for awhile and thought I was doing okay until I tried this scarflette. Then the mistakes I was not noticing before became very obvious. Hopefully I can get this problem fixed now and with practice can improve. My Granny tried to teach me to crochet when I was a child but she was so fast I could never figure out what she was doing. I had to get a "I Taught Myself to Crochet" book and learn it slowly step by step. That may be one reason I am having problems. I didn't learn from a person where I could watch them, I learned from a book.

 

Thank you to all for helpful replies.

[olg]

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them all

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the ville!

 

if you could post a photo of some of the scarf that you feel is uneven, it could help with specific sugestions.  Are some rows too tall, or too wide, or ...?

 

foundation sc tutorial http://snuffykin.livejournal.com/43642.html

 

the first time i saw the Golden Loop mentioned was in a post here by the late author Jean Lienhauser http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/115175-gauge-trouble-is-it-just-me/  it is probably in some of her books too but I thought it was cool to discover it here, and it has been often quoted, as in this very informative Vashti Braha blog post on stitch height 

http://crochetpatterncompanion.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-take-control-of-double-crochet.html

(I will have to check later, but I don't think i pull up my loop for hdc/dc to the height of 2 ch)

Post by Dee S on rider/lifter/yanker http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/crochet-liberation-front-headquarters/178539/1-25#8

 

If you are trying to keep a tight grip on the yarn and hook, try to relax and loosen up.  Take breaks to move around and stretch your fingers.  

[redrosesdz]

A couple of months ago I was struggling with stitch height.  Someone in here gave me a bit of information that helped a lot.  I hope it helps you, too!

 

After you insert your hook, yarn over and draw through, that loop is called the "golden loop."  It determines how evenly you make your stitches.  For a single crochet, pull up that loop to the height of the loop on your hook.  Your hook should be parallel with the chain or previous row.  This is the height of one chain.  For half double crochet and double crochet, pull that loop up to the height of 2 chains.

 

Make a swatch and practice until it feels normal to you. If you practice enough, you won't have to think about the height of your golden loop.  It will become automatic.

 

Another thing that will help is if you start with a foundation single crochet, instead of a long chain and then trying to crochet into that chain.  There's a class at craftsy.com that teaches you how to do this.  It is well worth the price.  It's called "Mastering Foundation Stitches" with Marty Miller.  I am still in shock at how easy it is to do and how many hours of frustration it has saved me!  I no longer have to count a long chain, deal with the chain twisting and frustrate with crocheting into a chain.  The best benefit is that the first row is no longer too tight.  It is even with the rest of the rows.

[Skysmom]

Hi and welcome to the 'Ville!  My aunt taught me to crochet when I was 6 or 7.  Starting with chains and then single crochet, etc. she had me crochet enough stitches to go around a house!   I think it just takes practice and your tension will become more regular.