Curling

[BlondieeAggiee]

I seem to have a lot of problems with my work curling, especially with the afghan stitch. Does this happen to anyone else and does someone have any tips for making it stop?

[Kiirs]

Seriously? I didn't know that crocheting can curl. When I was younger I had a couple of knitting lessons and my knitted stuff ALWAYS curled, and it drove me crazy. Do you crochet really tightly? If so, maybe trying to have looser tension will help. I think my knitting was really tight.

[Aggie May]

Yes, crochet can curl, especially SCs but Tunisian (Afghan Stitch) can also curl, but usually just on the corners, not like knitting in Stocking Stitch which forms a tube all on its own.

You usually find that one corner curls up and the other curls down which is to do with how you turn your work when crocheting.

Could be caused by working a bit too tight but it is usually not a huge problem because it will eventually sit flat.

Try working a sample of the same stitch on a larger hook and see what happens.

Not much help except to say, "Dont worry too much."

Have fun.

Colleen:hug

[birdlady1]

Curling is making me crazy too. It rolls up like a burrito! But here's a website that's supposed to help (I didn't use it unfortunately!): http://www.chezcrochet.com/page0055.html

[love2crochet]

You could try blocking it with a steam iron. Of course, don't touch the iron to the yarn -- just hold it over and let the steam set in. It slightly changes the texture of the yarn though.

[BlondieeAggiee]

I do crochet very tight, and I even went up 2 hook sizes on this one to try and decrease the problem. The curling seems limited to the bottom edge. I'll try blocking it when I'm done, that should solve the problem.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Stitchinpick]

The edges curling is normal in tunisian crocheting. There are several simple methods used to prevent that. Check out these sites.

 

http://www.geocities.com/ldiznemom/moeztips.html

http://www.chezcrochet.com/page0055.html

 

(MoEZ is tunisian with a large hook. It is fabulous.)

[Marlena]

my work curls A LOT especially on my SCs maybe i need to loosen up a bit

[loopyliz]

You are normal! Afghan stitch will always curl because you are not turning your work. That is why you always see these projects with heavy borders to provide weight or joined to other pieces so that they will lie flat. If your regular crochet work is curling, blocking can help that when you're through, but next time you may want to be conscious of your gauge. Sounds like you're crocheting pretty tightly. Good luck!