Crocheting Heresies

[JUNO]

I don't like Doris Chan's book Everyday Crochet. The designs are gorgeous, but the instructions drive me mad.

I tie knots

I don't do swatches

[Kimblee]

I love granny squares, to a sad degree.

 

I also love red heart super saver, and rarely use anything else. (What can I say, i grew up under a white and red blanket made from it, and its easy to find)

 

I don't give a flying hoohoo about learning to knifty knit, no matter how many times my mother tells me its knitting for crocheters.

 

I often decide that I don;t need no stinking pattern and grab a hook and go. For your information my dad likes his socks to look like tetris boxes.

 

Are those good enough confessions?

[Kimblee]

As I just finished making the Prepster Jacket from HHSNB (but in totally my own style...really revamped that pattern for my own purposes) I can't say that I don't like the book...but most of the patterns are not my style (although I'm dying to make the bunny slippers...

 

I just joined the Crochet Me site, but I have my reasons for doing so...

 

Be that as it may, I'm totally with ya on everything else...I do tie knots, I work my ends in as I go along...

 

I don't always use the recommended hook

 

I don't always block

 

I don't make up a swatch to check gauge...in wearables I measure as I go along and usually don't have a problem (with exception of the prepster jacket and I'll take full responsibility for that...)

 

I'm so not going to get into felting...so help me, I'm not gonna do it...

 

I knit too and I don't think one is better than the other, however, my personal preference is crocheting, only because it's faster and I'm good at it.

 

I hate the phrases, "...not your grandmother's, mother's (fill in the blank) crochet..."

 

I love vintage patterns crochet, knit or sewing of almost any kind, mainly from the 40's...but since I lived through the 70's, I'm not entirely fond of what passes for 70's vintage wear...especially from crochet.

 

I see nothing wrong with kitchy crocheting...whether it be from Annie's Attic, or from a new book called Kooky Crochet that I just saw in the bookstore tonight...

 

I see nothing wrong with doilies...

 

I see nothing wrong with Red Heart, Lion Brand, or acrylics and blends in general, nor do I see anything wrong with the LYS that carry the higher end stuff...they all have their purposes...

 

YES!

 

i started crocheting to DO my great-grandmother's crocheting (She was losing her eyesight and needed to teach someone.... FAST!)

[ManfaMae]

I hate thinking a project is going to be easy and then getting all the way to the end and I can't figure out how to finish it.

 

I hate "fancy" yarn. I bought a bunch of bucle and fun fur, but I don't know what to do with it. If I try to frog it, it becomes one big knot that I have to throw away!

 

I hate that yarn is soooo expensive sometimes! Whenever there is a big sale going on, I never have an idea of what to make, so I miss out on the sale. I love any inexpensive acrylic yarns (like RHSS and Pound of Love) and Sugar & Cream cotton yarn.

 

I don't like the fact that I've been crocheting for 23 years and still have to use the beginner/easy patterns. I think pattern-makers make things more complicated than they need to on purpose sometimes.

 

I love any kind of aluminum hook (no matter what brand), but I hate plastic hooks that squeak when I'm trying to work with it.

[Cherokee2]

Hmmm... I have made several tops and sweaters, but mostly in sport weight or lighter yarn, and they are quite pretty, not at all bulky... except for the car coat I made from Homespun... but we do have cold winters here sometimes, and it might come in handy.

 

I don't get the bit about hating to sew motifs or sqares together.. I also sew, have made a lot of clothes over the years. The finishing work is tedious, like hemming, buttons, etc., but it is just part of the process, and I don't mind it at all. I would hate to limit my crocheting to things that just require rows and rounds. And I do not have any desire for a round ripple afghan. Not at all.

 

I have made TP covers, kleenex box covers, etc... they are decorative and pretty. And they assure me that I won't ever run out of toilet paper... because I can grab that roll that is hidden in it. But I don't do doilies... don't use them, and working with the tiny thread makes my eyes hurt.

 

I can understand the LYS not stocking RH or cheaper brands, why waste space stocking something you can find at Wal Mart? People usually go to a LYS to find yarns that WM or HL doesn't carry.

 

I can also understand wanting to use better quality yarns for something that is a gift or a special project... but I can also understand people who can't afford yarn that is $8-30 a skein, especially if the project is going to take 10 skeins of yarn to complete it. I am not going to display an afghan that costs me $100-150 for the yarn, when I don't have expensive furnishings. That's like living in a trailer and driving a Ferrari. Or wearing a fur coat and tennis shoes. But... that's just me.

 

This thread is interesting... but I can see that there are a few "snobs" here, too. That's okay... I don't mind criticism. But I crochet because I enjoy it... not to impress anyone. If I like the finished product... or if the person I give it to likes it... they aren't going to care what it cost me to make it, and I don't expect them to. It might have been made from yarn that was given to me... and all it costs me is my time, which is MINE to use as I see fit. The purpose of the gift and the reason for giving it, plus the enjoyment it gives them, is the whole point... not how much it costs.

 

It's fun reading everyone's thoughts on this, though. And we should all remember that we are all different... that's what makes the world go 'round!

[esiepiela]

I also had to join in....

 

I LOVE plastic hooks!

 

I love Caron pounder and RHSS.

 

I have no interest in felting, free form crochet or doyles.

 

I always tie knots in my work.

 

I usually use the suggested hook size.

 

I HATE fun fur. NOT FUN

 

I never check my gauge.

[Ellie 13]

I have to add 1 more thing, I hate using plastic hooks! Some have rough seams and catch on the yarn. They break too easily.

Ellie 13

[1Buttercup]

I love RHSS and use it all the time.

 

Just discovered Vanna's Choice and LOVE it too, so soft and the colors are beautiful.

 

Besides cotton yarn I've never used anything but acrylic.

 

I tie knots and didn't know you weren't "supposed" to.

 

Hate, hate, hate weaving in ends. Usually wait until the end because I hate it so much but then it's even worse since I have a nickzillion ends to weave.

 

Don't think I've ever checked for gauge.

 

Made my first non-afghan last week .. a little duck

 

Love Boye hooks, can't stand Susan Bates, in fact I'd throw out the few I have if it wasn't a waste of money.

 

I have a quazi-obsesson with afghan pattern books, I just love them.

 

I have way too many WIP's since I usually get bored with the pattern before I'm done so I start something new.

 

Like granny squares but hate whipstitching. So, I'm making my first giant granny and I love it.

 

I guess that's it for now

[dianejerry]

delete

[Raccoon]

It bothers me when I see all the made-in-china hand made crochet things that are incredibly cheap--sweatshops can never be good.

 

Why is it so surprising, raise nervous chuckles when males crochet?

[ffsweety]

Wow I agree with so much on here!

I do tie knots and work in my ends as I go.

I too hate RHSS. Its stiff and icky and has tangles and knots.

I do check my gauge but as I go no swatches for me.

I love doing squares but don't because I HATE putting them together.

I don't get the Stitch 'N you know books either. Just because its hand made

doesn't mean it has to be kitchy or weird.

I don't get freeform either. Just makes me go HUH?

I love thread crochet especially doilies but don't really use doilies.

I don't knit because I don't have the patience.

If its for me I don't frog but for someone else I do.

[Cherokee2]

I don't like Susan Bates hooks either, the yarn keeps falling off the hook. I think I have one or two and will not use them.

I dislike crocheting with humongous hooks, too.. like the P or S... it feels like I'm trying to crochet with a baseball bat. But alas... I will have to use a big one if I ever get around to using the 9 skeins of LB chenille I bought... what was I thinking?!! I think it's going to be a blanket.

Can't see the negativity about not tieing knots... haven't some of you found knots in the yarn occasionally as it comes from the store? I have... lots of times. So if the manufacturer can get away with it... I can too!

[Ninn]

I have to admit to being somewhat of a yarn snob. I love the soy yarns and I'm dying to work with recycled sari silk yarn. I think it would make a great shawl.

 

I tie knots all the time. I've been crocheting for 35 years and just learned how to join yarn without knots last week!

 

I work my ends in as I go, purely because they get on my nerves if they are just hanging there.

 

I have never done a swatch in my lifetime.

 

I have been known to totally frog an item and reuse the yarn for something else if it just doesn't want to be what I'm trying to make. (case in point-the blue capris that are now a skirty)

 

I give away most of what I make. Recently I have started selling my items and have been having difficulty pricing them so they are not out of this world. I know my work is, but the price shouldn't be.

 

I LOVE granny square afghans. I usually sc the blocks together, so they stay practically forever.

 

I must admit to using RHSS yarn, but I have a foolproof softening process that makes it feel wonderful. It wasn't my idea, but it's amazing. Cheap hair conditioner! I hand wash, using enough to make the water feel slimy and let the item soak in it for an hour or so. After that, rinse, towel roll and press, dry on air only. Baby clothes are super soft that way.

 

I do NOT make doilies, carry a crocheted bag with my work in it, or have any intention of ever learning the afghan stitch. I've gotten this far without it, I'm ok with that. Thanks anyway.

[anne1975]

OMG..this is too fun!

 

I tie knots...haven't figured out how not to yet.

I can only use the Susan Bates hooks...can't get the Boye ones to fit my hands properly.

I love aluminum hooks, can't stand the plastic ones...I have trouble with them!

Hate Red Heart Super Saver...it feels so rough when I'm trying to work with it. Only been able to make a hat with it so far.

I buy WAY too much yarn...I couldn't possibly use up all i have...I could open a store with how much is packed away!

Don't know how to block.

Don't know how to felt...will never do it...just don't have any use for it!

Never use a swatch for gauge.

Am very guilty of trying afghans and never finishing them. I have the best intentions and it just seems so hard to finish them!

I wish people who dont crochet understood how much work gets put into a piece...when we make them with love and then its recieved with a so-so response...very disheartening

[Elle]

Anne1975 wrote: "Don't know how to felt...will never do it...just don't have any use for it!"

 

I had to laugh when I read this, because back when I posted my contribution to the "Crochet Heresies" thread, one of the things on my list was that I didn't understand the whole big deal about felting. I wrote that the only things I had ever felted, I had done unintentionally, and that when my crocheted pieces took on a felted look, it was time to throw them out.

 

Well, fast forward to now, and on my Holidays in July list, one of my wishes was "wool yarn for felting". Don't ask me when, don't ask me why or how it happened, but somewhere along the line something in my brain shifted and felting is now something that is no longer such a foreign idea to me, in fact, an elf gifted me with two beautiful skeins of variegated blues and greens wool that I plan to turn into a felted purse as soon as I find the one I want to make.

[craftimama]

There are too many messages for me to read this whole thread,,,,,but I did read through a lot of posts. Totally fun to see what everyone listed! I have a few to add!

 

1. I don't hold my hook "properly'' I taught myself to crochet years ago. I hold my hook in a way that works for me, and throw the yarn around my hook. One thing about it, my personal technique made it easy for me to learn to knit. And it keeps perfect tension for me. So, it works for me!

 

2. I can't stand making granny squares, and joining them is even worse. I used to make charity squares and even made a couple of afghans, but I absolutely HATE joining squares. If I'm making a square, all I'm thinking about the whole time is how icky it is to have to join them. In fact, I bagged up all the acrylic I had from my square making days (about 5 trashbags worth) and listed it on Freecycle. A lady who knits for charity came and picked it up. I was happy to see it go!

 

3. I have acrylic yarn in my stash...but I don't use it for much anymore. The colors are fabulous, I do have to say that. But it just feels plasticy to me. I did make a purse recently with some wild colored RH from my stash, but I don't buy any new skeins of acrylic solids anymore.

 

4. I don't use very much worsted weight yarn. Most of the stuff in my stash is fingering, lace weight or thread.

 

5. I hate ponchos. I only crocheted a poncho once, and it was a flower motif one for a swap partner.

 

6. Since I learned to knit 5 years ago, I now knit much more than I crochet. And when it comes to yarn, I prefer knitting over crochet. Nothing beats thread crochet for me though.

 

7. I like weird novelty yarns. I even have some fun fur in my stash still. I love weird colors, textures, etc.

 

So I'm a crochet heretic in some ways as well! Glad I don't have to hide it anymore!

 

Juli

[abc-dee]

ok.. my crochet heresies are

 

i do all of the following knit, crochet, cross stitch, sew, tapestry..

but i find crochet to need less concentration for me and its my sanity.

 

i have never done a swatch to check gauge.. dont see the point in wasting my time..

 

i love granny squares cos i dont need to look at my work to know im doing it right

 

i buy most of my yarn from the second hand stores and enjoy finding a pattern to suit my lucky dip of yarn.

 

i am picky about patterns i will buy, but i search the second hand stores

for books over 30years old.

 

i dont see the point in paying over $3.50 for a skein of anything..

[mellybelly]

I haven't been crocheting that long, so my list won't be that long. Give me time, though...LOL

 

I have knotted. And it didn't ruin the project at all.

 

I'm a total cheapskate. I refuse to buy yarn unless its on sale. Because of this resolution, I can totally justify buying OODLES of it (that I do NOT need) because it IS on sale.

 

I'm also too cheap to buy patterns. Recently, I DID buy one from Annie's Attic, but only because I thought it was the COOLEST thing I had seen in my LIFE.

 

I love granny squares, but for the life of me, can NOT make them worth squat. None of them turn out the correct size, and I can get no two to look the same or turn out the same size. But, I've only made a handful. I'll allow myself a few more tries and them I'm swearing them off! If something is driving me crazy, I won't do it because then it crosses that fine line between 'fun hobby' and 'obsessed with this &*$! thing until I GET IT RIGHT'.

 

I don't swatch. I try to check gauge, but usually its a losing battle with me.

[Poorsusan]

This is a great topic!! Glad I found it.

 

I do not tie knots....never had but didn't know I wasn't supposed to until recently. The only yarn I have tied knots in is LionBrand Homespun...it ravels terribly for me.

 

I like granny squares...don't like sewing them together so I slip stitch them or single crochet them together.

 

Red Heart is OK....depends on what it is for. I only use acrylics for afghans and toys now that the wools are more available. So a bit of a yarn snob...

 

I knit more than I crochet, especially for the past few years but you folks have made me want to crochet more. (I like to make socks 2 at a time on 2 circs)

 

I don't buy too many books of patterns....there are lots of free ones out there.

 

I like the look of a round blanket but don't understand it either. I am dying to try the round ripple though.

 

My mother and grandmothers all did lots of thread crochet. I never have - too tiny for my eyes.....I still have doilies that my mother made.

 

I have done felting from knitting....made 5-6 felted Christmas stockings last year for my various children that I make for. I liked the process.

[Duckie]

OMG..this is too fun!

 

Am very guilty of trying afghans and never finishing them. I have the best intentions and it just seems so hard to finish them!

I wish people who dont crochet understood how much work gets put into a piece...when we make them with love and then its recieved with a so-so response...very disheartening

 

HA! These two sound like me!

Here's mine...

Sometimes I crochet over my ends, sometimes I weave them in...depends on my mood.

I love RHSS, its about all I have. I do have caron SS, caron SS heathers, bernat softee chunkee...

I can't justify spending over $3.00 on a skein of yarn UNLESS its 1+ pounds, I really really like it, or its a gift for a family member

I love cotton yarn

I love ami, RR, afghans, just about everything, but dont understand the use of crocheted sneakers

Tried knitting, failed horribly...looked like i had a bad case of moths.

Never swatch

Never gauge

Tend to modify patterns

Tend to "forget" about the 15+ WIPS hanging around in various totes...I'll get to them, I swear.

The only poncho I like is the man's poncho from the Lionbrand site. all the others are too 'holey'...whats the point of a poncho if it doesnt keep me warm?

Like the concept of granny squares, hate the joining.

Dont really care for the more expensive yarns..." hand wash only? you mean I just spent all that time making it, now I gotta hand wash it too?"

I like the concept of triangle shawls. all the crochet ones I find are too girly for me, and, as stated above, I cant knit, so I made up my own.

I dont care for pastels, and why cant they make the lionbrand pounds of love in non-baby colors? I love working with it.

FAVORITE BABY YARN: Caron SS rainbow pastel variegated. If I have to work with pastels, this one makes it enjoyable. Its fairly thick and it doesnt split.

Love dark earthy colors, fall colors...

Never have used fun fur, chenille, or lion suede.

Cant understand why the knit and crochet throws/afghans at second hand stores go for $4...I bought 2 a few weeks ago. One was cables, one was leaves and stems...WOW, the work that went into those. Beautiful.

 

I want to try going to second hand stores, buying old sweaters, unraveling them, making something new. especially the torn/stained sweaters...hey, i can always cut the bad parts off!

 

getting really tired of people treating me like i'm odd just because I like to crochet. It's relaxing, its productive, and (since i'm a slightly reclusive introvert) its a form of self expression.

[christinanthemum]

I never check gauge or swatch

 

I (almost) always use the 'wrong' hook and 'wrong' yarn, and I hold the hook 'wrong' as well

 

It's fun to experiment and have no clue what I'm doing

 

I never frog a project unless I need the yarn for something else - minor mistakes are fixable and I have yet to make a major one

 

I hate cotton, but use it because it really is the best for some projects

 

I tie knots in the middle of projects and weave in usually at the end

 

I hate felting and will never make a doily.

 

I LOATHE and DESPISE plastic hooks, all but the large ones break in my hands. What good is that?

 

I prefer to just look at a picture and go from there, I hate patterns in general but love stitchionaries. When I use patterns, I never stick with them, but modify the heck out of them.

 

**That last one probably comes from the fact I'm a lefty and had no left-handed instructions to help me learn, so I just go for it.

[Poorsusan]

Another thing I will never make - dishclothes!!

 

I know other folks love to make them but to me it is just too much work and yarn for something that is going to get so grubby and needs to washed every day....I won't use a dishcloth more than one day before it goes in the hot water and bleach.

 

But when I teach someone to crochet, or knit, I do use it as a manageable size project. Scarves are easy to do but can take a long time to see results.

[Lefthook]

Oh, this thread is wonderful; I know now that lots of other people "break rules"!

 

I agree with just about everything said multiple times--felting, pastels, knots, weaving, etc.

 

No one except one model out of fifty looks good in a poncho.

 

I always assumed a hand would come out of the sky and squash you if you didn't swatch or gauge (but I don't anyway).

[pasteeater]

I will NEVER use Caron Simply Soft again. I HATE the way it splits. I have a few skeins I will finish off for amis. That's the only thing they are good for to me. I am not a yarn snob I just want my finished work to look nice. I also would never work with thread because I don't like doilies and I can't see the tiny thread any way! LOL I think that's about it. Not sure though.

[pasteeater]

Oh yeah, I won't felt or make a shawl or poncho or dish cloths.