Shape troubles

[Emma Hunt]

HI guys, im very new to crochet (i only started yesterday) and i am just getting the hang of some stitches.

At the mo i am trying to make a scarf but every row i seem to stitch gets shorter and shorter so looks like a pyramid now?! Im quite confused as to why though because i have been going right to the end of each row.

I know im only just getting started but am i getting ahead of myself here? I thought it would be a good place to start?!

Any help would be appreciated, thanks

Emma

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the ville

 

it is a very common problem to have 

You need to stop at the end of each row and carefully count your stitches, to make shure you actually have the same number of stitches in each row.  It is very easy to accidentally skip the first and/or last stitch of a row.  So it is best to put a marker into those stitches as soon as you make them, that way on the next row you will see them and be sure to stitch into them.  You can loop a short piece of yarn into the stitch, or use a bobby pin (or kirby grip I think you might call it), some people use paper clips but those tend to snag for me.  Or a safety pin.   Once you have completed the following row and are sure your count is right, you can remove the first set of markers, although the markers can helpful if you need to count rows.  

 

I saw in your other post you have some books; which books did you get?  (I love crochet books )

[Granny Square]

Hi Emma, welcome to Crocheting and Crochetville!

 

This is a common newbie mistake.  It takes some practice to recognize where the first stitch of row 1 is when you come to the end of row 2 (and so forth), so if you overlook that stitch you lose a stitch each row.

 

What stitch are you making?  I'm going to be multi-lingual here, because you're in the UK and in the US we use the same terms but they mean different things in case you haven't encountered that already. 

 

The reason the last stitch in a row is often missed is that often, the first stitch is a row is a turning chain which 'stands in' for most stitches (stitches larger than US SC (UK DC).  Turning chains are necessary to bring your yarn to the level of the next row's stitches, so taller stitches get more chains.

 

For a US SC (UK DC), the turning chain=1 chain, the chain does not count as a stitch.  Usually this stitch is easier to spot at the end of the row, and triangles tend to happen less for beginners.

 

For a US DC (UK Treble), the turning chain =3 chains, the chain DOES count as a stitch.  This means that, at the end of the next row, you need to make a stitch in the top of the turning chain.

 

It might not be a bad idea to put a stitch marker in the top of the turning chain for UK trebles (and taller stitches) until you get used to spotting them at the end of the row.  I like to use bobby pins (Kirby grips), but a safety pin would work too if you don't have any purchased stitch markers handy.

[Emma Hunt]

HI thanks very much 

Ah see i thought thats where i had gone wrong but i had told myself that i had gone to the end, maybe i just thought i had but hadnt. I have seen some stitch markers in my books i have got but didnt think id need them, looks like i might afterall haha

I went to WHSmith and bought a book called 'A Little Course in Crochet' and i bought a magazine (which cost me £10.00 eek!!) called 'Crochet Collection' however i do think these may be a tad advanced for me.

I tend to learn better by watching videos and learning by doing as opposed to reading these :S

[Granny Square]

Ha ha ha, slow typing again

 

Hi Magic!  (PS to Emma, Magiccrochetfan and I often post at the same time by accident)

[Emma Hunt]

I havent quite come to terms with the technical terms for things yet so it all confuses me a little bit at the minute :S 

[magiccrochetfan]

Ha ha ha, slow typing again

 

Hi Magic!  (PS to Emma, Magiccrochetfan and I often post at the same time by accident)

 

Hiya Granny!  A couple of times today as I was thinking/searching/typing a post, I thought, "by the time I am half finished w/ this, GrannySquare will have already posted" !  LOL  

[magiccrochetfan]

 

I went to WHSmith and bought a book called 'A Little Course in Crochet' and i bought a magazine (which cost me £10.00 eek!!) called 'Crochet Collection' however i do think these may be a tad advanced for me.

I tend to learn better by watching videos and learning by doing as opposed to reading these :S

 

 

I havent quite come to terms with the technical terms for things yet so it all confuses me a little bit at the minute :S 

 

I found the Little Course book on AmazonUK and looked inside.  I notice there is a table of the UK/US terms as well as lots of other info.  If there are specific terms you are confused about you can always ask here and we will try to help :-)

 

Have you found some videos you like?  One site I like is Crafty Minx http://www.craftyminx.com/crochet-school/

 

Do you know if there are any in-person crocheting groups in your local area?  That would be a good way to get some hands-on help.  

[Emma Hunt]

Yeah there is, im so impatient thought i dont like to sit and read throught things i like to get on and have a go. thing is when it comes to actually trying a pattern i dont understand it lol i just look on youtube there is a lasss called bellacoco who is quite good that i watch.

im not sure if there is any crocheting groups actually, it may be worth a look