Favourite crochet hints & tips

[Michelle]

Hi. I am new to crochet, and was wondering - What is your favourite hint or tip? You know, the kind of thing you learn from experience, and is not easily found in books.

As I have only just started to crochet, I haven't really much to offer, although I did find one the other day. I had been having problems working into the turning chain, then I realised I had been twisting the chain. Then I read somewhere that you should always turn the work AWAY from you when you turn (I think I had been turning it the other way), and now my turning chain is not twisted ( this is probably obvious to everyone else!).

The only other thing I have found is to use a sllightly larger hook for the foundation chain, then change to the right sized hook for the first row - it makes working the first row easier, and stops the cast on edge being too tight (learnt that one from knitting).

Any more?

Michelle

[RebeccaVelasquez]

i don't remember where i read this (either on this board or the 'net somewhere)<if i'm stealing this from you, sorry- imitation is the highest form of a compliment :bigsmile >

 

get some gallon freezer bags, snip off a tiny piece in a bottom corner, put your working yarn through the hole, your skein in the bag and zzzzzzip. keeps your yarn from rolling all over and (in my case) free of critter hair:yay2

[suttygirl2005]

Wow Rebecca that is a really good tip. Believe it or not I haven't heard that before.

 

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[kariholtz]

OMG... I love!!! :woohoo

That'll work great when we go up to Nebraska for hubby's job interview! (And for my everyday battle with the cat, dog, and boy)

[Nay65]

Couple of tricks of mine for working squares:

To mark right side from wrong side when I make the slip knot for the starting chain, I leave a longer than usual tail. Then, I work the round 1 stitches over it, leaving a little piece sticking out. After all the squares are joined, all you need to do is clip it.

 

I also make my motif afghans in strips. For example, my daughter's afghan is 22 squares wide. So, I make the squares for one strip, join them together and set aside. Make the squares for the next strip, join them, then join the strips together. And so on. I find it cuts down on the boredom of assembly and you get more of a sense of progress being made. It works well in the summer, too, because then you can work in sections and not have a huge blanket on your lap.

[Guest SamplerLady]

When making the initial chain for a big project, I don't worry if I've lost count or not. I just add about ten more chains before I turn and start the pattern. If there are any chains "left over" when I reach the end of the stitch pattern, I just pick out the excess chains. It's far easier to unpick a few chains the frog the whole thing and try to count correctly. :bigsmile

[RebeccaVelasquez]

oooh, good one... i never keep good count "mom, i'm thirsty (phone ringing in the background)... mom, he breathed on me.... shoot was that 200 or 201?":rofl

[bythehook]

SamplerLady, I just checked out your album <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/photos.gif" /> and you have some beautiful work. <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/thumbsup.gif" />I loved looking at everything.

[Guest SamplerLady]

Why, Thank you so much. I consider that a huge compliment from someone designing such beautiful objects as you do! I was just looking at the billed cap discussed elsewhere and thought those would be great to add to my charity crocheting! (Not to mention grandsons!) And love Spike! :bigsmile

[bythehook]

You're very welcome, and Spike says Arf! <img border=0 src="http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v84/crochetville/hug.gif" />

[Guest wolfs1love]

well here is what i have been doing when i have to use yarn to attatch squares or what not together...

 

when threading a yarn needle...no one want your siliva all over there project...so i was hit with a great idea...since i always have candles sitting around i decided to blow one out and the i took the very end of the yarn and dipped it in the little pool of wax that was sitting around the wick...then i waited like 5seconds and pressed the end between my fingers...then took my yarn needle and slid it right in...like a warm knife through rock hard butter! once its threw just pull and then snip off the waxy end! i LOVE how easy this makes threading the needle...NO MORE SPLIT YARN! :thumbsup

[Tiffany]

Melinda,

 

That's a great idea!

[Guest wolfs1love]

thanks!

 

 

and well now i must admit to my stupidity....the day that i first tried this...i didnt blow the candle out and i burnt my project...so yeah

 

MAKE SURE YOU BLOW IT OUT....so you dont look like an idiot like i did :o

[RebeccaVelasquez]

:woohoo great tip melinda! i've been slobberin' all over everybody's stuff 8o shhhhh

 

[Guest SamplerLady]

When I thread my yarn needle, I fold the yarn over the needle, slip the needle out and put the fold through the eye. I use a large metal darning type needle that has a blunt end and large eye. Works well with plastic yarn needles, too. Just in case there isn't a candle around! :bigsmile

[crochetgrl]

I read somewhere that if you have something that you really dont want the ends showing on, you can seperate the pieces (or strands) and weave them in seperately. I have done it once and you really can't see them at all! Also, if I am doing an edging on something, then I don't weave the ends in, I just crochet my edging right over them (I like shortcuts:p ). Then all the ends I have to weave in are from the egding!

[Guest SamplerLady]

I am doing an edging on something, then I don't weave the ends in, I just crochet my edging right over them (I like shortcuts ). Then all the ends I have to weave in are from the egding!

I always see little ends peaking out after washing when I just crochet over the tails. How have you eliminated that? EMWTK :bigsmile

[crochetgrl]

If I really don't want the ends showing I will crochet over them, but leave a bit sticking out at the end, that I can weave back in the other direction, maybe through a few strands to keep it in place, so there might be a little bit of weaving, but not half as much as if I did it all after the fact.

[Guest SamplerLady]

If I really don't want the ends showing I will crochet over them, but leave a bit sticking out at the end, that I can weave back in the other direction,

That's what I do, too. It cuts down the unending task of weaving the ends in by about half, I think! :bigsmile

[Donna]

If I really don't want the ends showing I will crochet over them, but leave a bit sticking out at the end, that I can weave back in the other direction

That's exactly what I do. :bigsmile

[Guest SamplerLady]

That's exactly what I do.

Great minds and all that!!!!

 

I was gifted with several large garbage bags full of yarn. Storage became an issue (not a problem mind you, just an issue). I bought some of those Space Bags--the ones you suck the air out of. Wow! I could fit a lot more yarn in the trunk that I had before. Of course, I have it under the bed and standing up against the wall in the office, too, but..... It's safe and won't get dirty. The bags are clear, so I can find the color I need..... Definately a good idea. :bigsmile

[RebeccaVelasquez]

the next time you see a ridiculously bright skein of yarn on clearance or sale at a really great price, pick it up. you can use it as "marker yarn" on your projects

 

or, grab one of those packages of pre-cut latch hook rug yarn - they work great too )

[Guest SamplerLady]

Those brilliant colors often look good as the center of a granny square or some similar motif. )

[kimberly vestal]

i NEED help, pleeeeaaase?!!! i have recently found a billed cap on this site and it has a stitch that i have no clue as to what it means. it's called a spike dc. i know the double crochet, but the only other instuctions that go with it is.....done one row below. does that mean work the double crochet into the same stitch as the original double crochet?

[eurolyons]

I am not one to make a gauge swatch ahead of time and my rule of thumb is depending on the project, 1) make friends with a tape measure and 2) if you're trying a new pattern with a stitch pattern you haven't tried before, THEN make a practice swatch to make sure you understand the pattern. Like the post above, read over the pattern first. Read it over twice before you go buy yarn even...and I'll tell you why:

 

Even with an afghan pattern (which I normally do not ever do a gauge swatch on) look at the yarn, look at the gauge, look at the hook suggested. These are guidelines, but if you're expecting to be about to go out and buy x number of skeins of yarn for the afghan, you want to make sure you get the right weight of yarn and the right yards of yarn. My cousin found a nice ripple pattern online and wanted me to print it out. Then, and I honestly don't understand why she didn't read the pattern herself online, she asked me what yarn to use and what hook to use...I didn't see that it suggested Thick and Chunky Woolese...I just saw the Woolese...and that's what I told her to get...which is not a bad thing, as you can still make that afghan out of it...as far as hook, on the label, it has the hook suggestion...okay...so she got another lesson from me later on. Meanwhile, she goes to make the afghan and is distressed that after chaining x number of chains, the afghan is small...well duh, it's small because she's using a different weight of yarn. As it turned out, she struggled with the ripple pattern, and if she wants the afghan to be the pattern's finishing size, she either needs to start over with the recommended yarn or just get more yarn and make the foundation chain longer...but right now, she's discouraged with the stitch pattern.

 

I'm always "making lemonade out of lemons..." and I think my biggest tip is this: Be creative...mistakes can be happy accidents. In fact a happy accident got me second place at the state fair and $20.00.

 

Even though I don't usually make gauge swatches unless I'm doing a wearable, I do see the validity in them when attempting a new pattern, it's one way to do a practice "draft" of the stitch, making sure you're understanding the pattern besides just getting the gauge measurement down.

 

This is the second time my cousin has used a pattern, dove right in without reading it over, especially on the hook size and been upset because the piece ended up smaller than she expected...

 

All because she didn't read the pattern over thoroughly, didn't note or pay attention to the suggested yarn and hook size and make adjustments to the pattern if she changed hook size.

 

If the pattern says to use an N hook and you use a J hook, your work will be smaller.