Losing A Little Faith

[AdenPenn]

(warning: I am channeling my inner whiny child here)

 

I am working on the edge stitch for my mom's hot pad. I had to put it down, my blood pressure was rising just a little bit.

 

This is where you guys tell me that everyone is a beginner at one time. We all have to start somewhere and such.

 

I have no idea what I am doing wrong on my ends. I think I am doing well, and everything is even, but then some ends look "pointy" and I have this hills and valley thing happening. It is sad I don't notice it until I am ready to edge. Everything else looks fine as long as you don't look at the edge of the hotpad. In fact one side is totally slanted. I am about ready to frog this thing, but I don't have the heart to start over and fail again on the ends. (Thank god it is for my mom, and she would except it slant and all)

 

How can I make a lapghan if I can't even get a little hot pad right?!

 

I am not ready to give up, I love this too much but oh the idea of giving up is a bit too tempting.

[Yelutci]

Well I had wonky ends for quite a while when I started. Just count your stitches. Some times it helps to walk away from a project for a while & look at it with fresh eyes later. Keep trying -you'll get it!

[mythunderbird]

what works best when you have this problem, is to count every couple rows hon. that way if you have messed up a bit(we all do, i have been crocheting for 44 years and i still do occasionaly so give yourself a break hon) that way you won't have to frog a huge amount, sometimes you can just fix it fast. once you get the hang of it, it will come natural and yes i agree moms will love it anyways you make it, i hope that has helped you, if i can help in any way let me know, i am also a crochet teacher:hug :hug

[Mermaiden]

Rip it out, read some tips, and do it over again until you figure out where you are going wrong. It definitely helps. A nice, long exhale also helps to let go of frustration as opposed to letting it get to you. Hang in there, if it's something you really want to do.

[ChainOFools]

I agree with all you guys! Take a break from it, take a DEEP breath, walk away and come back to it, you will see it differently. I found when I first started that when I was at a difficult part or trying new stitches, I would tense up really bad and was even grinding my teeth (I still do this occasionally!) and I wouldn't even notice this unless I stopped, took a bit of a breather or put the project down for a bit. When I came back to it I could usually see where I was going wrong and fix it. Being tense will also effect your gauge/tension as well. It definitely helps to count your stitches too. Most importantly, don't give up! I have to say that I admire any beginner that tries patterns of any sort! When I was first starting all I did for YEARS was a granny square, any time I tried to read any kind of pattern I would get so totally confused and end up not crocheting for months, so you are already way ahead of things in my book!

[lhasaapsolady]

Take a deep breath, lay it aside and relax for a while. When you get ready to work again frog it down to where it is even. Count every stitch you put in as you go since you are just beginning. You'll get it, have a little faith in your skills.

[Batty]

If you want to cheer yourself up... look at the picture of my first-ever "usable" project on my blog. It's a dish cloth, I lost a stitch somewhere along the way, added it back in, but it's still crooked because my gauge was beginning to even out towards the end. Being a beginner sucks, but we all have to go through this stage. At least you know you're not alone!

 

And I bet your project doesn't look nearly as bad as my dish cloth...

[L-A]

You are not alone, sweetie! I think this is a problem that everyone has from time to time, whether they are a new crocheter or have been doing it for years. I totally agree with everyone that the best thing to do when things get frustrating is to put your work aside & come back to it later.

 

It sounds like what's happening is that on some rows, you have accidently made extra stitches; while on other rows, you've made less. Based on my own experience, the extra stitches are being made when you've come to the end of a row, make your turning chain, and turn your piece around. Then when you go to make the 1st stitch of the new row, you accidently make it in the turning chain instead of the actual last stitch of the previous row. Then, when you make a stitch in that previous row's last stitich, your new row starts off with 2 stitches instead of just one. If you keep doing this with each row turn, your piece gets wider and wider, making the sides "wave out."

 

The main reason I had that problem was because instead of counting my stitches on every row, I was trying to "eyeball" keeping the ends even. The way I finally figured out how to keep things right, was by, when making that last stitch on the end of the row I'd put a stitch marker (or a short piece of a different colored yarn) in that stitch. Then I'd make my turning chain, turn my piece around, and be able to see exactly where to put my hook for the first stitch of the new row.

 

I hope this helps, honey! Don't stop trying, you will get there, I promise!

[Batty]

Oooh, L-A, thanks for posting this! Now I know how to prevent the odd wavy edge I've been getting. Only... I also keep losing stitches. How that happens, I have no idea.

[AdenPenn]

You guys are so awesome.

 

I woke up this morning, and saw all the replies, I nearly cried. Thanks so much for all your tips and kind words.

 

I think L-A hit the nail on the head for me. That is exactly where my issue is! So now I am going to be a countin, stitch marking fool!

 

(So yeah this means I haven't given up the hook)

[losingmymind2]

I've been crocheting since 1976 and still can't get a simple 20 stitch scarf to come out right unless I count stitches! I wish patterns, especially beginner ones told you to stop and count at the end of a row. Just make it a habit to count frequently so you don't have to frog so much, and you'll be fine. (I say as I'm frogging some very stubborn boucle yarn because I can't count to 20)

[L-A]

Hurrah! I'm so glad I was able to help you, Atom Girl. The more I kept typing, the more I thought "does this even make any sense?" I was afraid that I'd just make you more confused! When you've finished your "new & improved" hot pad, let me know so I can see how it came out! And Batty, when it comes to losing stitches, I'm afraid I'm not as much help... all I know is that it happens to me sometimes when I'm doing more complicated stitches.

 

Now if I could only conqure my problems with working with/changing more than 2 colors at a time...

[JoAnn]

Keep at it. I have been crocheting for years. I am making the EASY coming home poncho from Maggies site. I have ripped it out X2 because of coming up with to many stitches! I FINALLY got it right last night. All in the counting.

[TX CrochetLover]

Don't feel too bad, I made a blanket using two strands once that when I was done it looked like a trapezoid! God, was I sick! But I agree with most of what else has been posted, counting is the best way to get it right. Even on the simple things, if I don't count, I screw up. And I am a firm believer in using stitch markers to keep track of the beginning stitch of each row. Relax, don't give up and don't forget to laugh about it, cause once you figure out where you went wrong, it will be funny... in a kind of twisted way!!

[amdm]

I totally agree with the suggestion to mark the stitches. This is what goes wrong for most beginners. Regarding crochet with more than two colours, this is what I do : Put the balls in different boxes or bowls and put them down on the floor, so that they are on a lower level from your hands. This does not eliminate the twists, but the twists travel downwards, and you don't have to keep stopping to disentangle the strands.

[Hounddog]

When you are crocheting around something that means you are edging in the ends of the rows you have done so they don't look like regular stitches, some are quite large depending on how many chains are done in the beginning of a row. It might help to use a smaller hook for the edging on the ends of the rows.

Darlene

[TamKing]

Oh my...if we all gave up because of our wonky looking crochet, I don't think there would be any crocheters in the world!

After more than 24 years I STILL rip out ~ except I've gotten a little more creative with the term....now I'm "uncrocheting" or "crocheting backwards"

Keep trying!! Practice makes perfect and the practice is SO much fun!!!!

[sfgwife]

Also when I am in a hurry I don't always do this and have to frog.......... the last st is a full st but you have that chain there also. I use the chain for my last st. That way the end is all straight as long as you have the right st count.

 

Nikki

[Batty]

Yay! I ripped back the wonky bits. I've been counting my stitches every row and making sure I add however much turning chain my stitches require. And what do you know? No more wonky crochet!

 

The counting is a pain in the butt, but so worth it. Thanks so much!

[WendyLee]

Oooh, L-A, thanks for posting this! Now I know how to prevent the odd wavy edge I've been getting. Only... I also keep losing stitches. How that happens, I have no idea.

 

This is something I still do from time to time if I am not paying attention! It works both ways Batty. You gain stitches by putting a stitch where the chain stitch should be and then you don't put a stitch in the top of the turning chain when you get to the end of the row. So you get wavy edges, to many then to few. Counting can get tedious but it can also save a lot of frogging.

[Batty]

Counting is what saved me. I was beginning to feel like this whole crochet thing just wasn't "clicking" for me, but now, I'm happily plodding along. Thanks to you guys, my next dish cloth will have straight edges.

[mizduck]

There's some great advice here. Everyone has trouble at some point! If it makes anyone feel better, one of my first afghans was a diagonal made with homespun. I was soooo proud of it when I finished...until I held it up and realized one side was about six inches longer! I could have cried! But, you gotta pick up that hook and keep going! It happens to all of us. It still happens to me alot. But figuring stuff out and learning is part of the fun. I love experimenting. Hey, maybe we should have a "Crochet Hall of Shame." Projects gone way wrong; sad, lonely ufo's; all sorts of mishaps! I think it would help to laugh at ourselves...I know I laugh at myself all the time! Anywho, the moral of this story is we all do it. For the love of crochet, don't give up! Hold that crooked potholder high and proclaim, "Yes, I MADE this!!!":clap

 

At***irl, Batty, Hook On, sisters. Hook On.

[Sarah Jane]

That's great that it is working for you.

 

I made a bathmat that was suppose to be round and pointed but my points don't sit flat, they curl back on themselves. I didn't count my stitches becaues I couldn't be bothered and just finished it. I regret not counting my stitches now though becuase it look dodgy.

 

Hope it turns out right for you this time.