mrs

[robi342]

How can I crochet two scottie dogs, nose to nose on a kippah.  On graph paper looks great.

Crochet comes out distorted and looks nothing like two puppies.

[Granny Square]

I think it's probably because crochet stitches have a bias when you work in a spiral, same side facing; the stitches don't sit  directly on top of each other like they do in knitting.

Check out this thread that recently dealt with the same issue for a crocheted toy.

[bgs]

You might be able to pull it off using the waistcoat stitch.

https://chain8designs.com/2020/02/05/waistcoat-stitch-tutorial/

[Granny Square]

Thank you for reminding me of that stitch Bgs, it's been on my 'to do' list of things to try for ages; I already knit so I can get that look if I want, I was curious how the fabric turned out.  I'd assume it is a bit thick-ish the way it is worked, and wondered if it would stretch (it must, your link included hat patterns) but should work fine even if it didn't stretch, for a kippah.

Interesting it has a slight left leaning bias versus the 'normal' (stitch under the 2 top loops) right leaning bias...

Edited December 22, 2020 by Granny Square

[bgs]

Granny Square I have not made anything with that stitch but played with it a bit and yes it is bulky.  Wanted to utilize it for designs on mini stockings but its too bulky to do the whole mini stocking.  However RecycleCindy came up with the idea of only working the waistcoat stitch the few rows of the stocking with the design.  Between the contortions of yarn on my knifty knitter looms and crochet stitches trying to emulate knitting I think it would be easier to just learn to knit.

[Granny Square]

I bought a loom about 10 years ago to see what it was about and agree that it is much more of a pain in the fanny than 'real' knitting. 

Basic knit stitches SUPER are easy, they are a step less complicated than a slip stitch (knit or purl : stick the right needle in a loop on the left needle, pull up a loop, and leave it on the needle - repeat.  The source yarn is in the back for knits, in the front for purls. 

The biggest thing you have to pay attention to is: there are 2 ways a stitch can sit on the needle, depending on your knitting style; some knitters create all stitches in 1 orientation so don't have to think about it; many knitters knit in a 'combined' style (like me), so my purls are mounted on the needle backwards from my knits.

This sounds complicated, but it's easy to spot and all you need to do is 'deal with the loop on the needle' the way it needs to be dealt with, which is choosing the correct side of the loop to put the needle around for the lower loop to become a 'normal' stitch. 

I think this phenomenon is what puts people off knitting--I am pretty certain I was not taught this when I learned as a kid, and why I dropped knitting when I learned to crochet (last century)--If you don't recognize stitch mount and deal with it, it makes your stitches twisted, and tight, and no fun to do.

Anyway, I'm rambling...both crafts have plusses and minuses.

 

[MaryPat]

If you can get a copy of "Tapestry Crochet", the author explains the bias and why it occurs.  More than that, she includes sample graph paper that includes the slant bias. 

There's a couple of samples further down this page

https://printable-graph-paper.com/tapestry-crochet-graph-paper-printable/

Here's an illustration in someone's blog

https://crochetbird.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/summer-crafting-tapestry-crochet/