Crocheting Heresies

[vintagecraftygirl]

I love granny squares -- easy to make -- so much you can do with them. Guess I am a vintage chick at heart...

 

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn is one of my favorites -- great colors and handles well...

 

I generally try to weave in my ends....

 

I prefer crocheting to knitting...like instant gratification....

 

Gauge....what gauge??!!

 

SNB book is cool, like the patterns even if I never make anything from it....

[Kimblee]

I love doilies, but am terrible at making them, so I feel bad for buying thread that I'll just ruin.

 

I still do though.

 

I cleaned my room and found enough RHSS to blanket a small country.

 

I am intrigued by the ideo if a crocheted bra.

 

Oh, and i think imperfections in a crocheted piece makes it better than the nearly machien perfect stuff.... Its PROOF that an imperfect human made it!

[Kimblee]

Crochet is A VERY LONG WAY from leaving behind its tacky image. We went from bed dolls to watermelon scrubbies. What are all of these dishcloths for? Don't you have a dishwasher?

 

Yarn manufacturers really need to wake up. Half of the yarn at the store comes in baby pastels and the other majority is goofy novelty yarns. What am I supposed to make - a pepto pink cardigan trimmed in fun fur?

 

I do not understand the fascination with yarn boutiques. Why does a 50g hank cost $9? Even if it's handmade, I still gotta hand-untangle it. I'd rather go to AC Moore or Michaels, where my dollar will actually go somewhere.

 

I do not understand why tops are designed to be crocheted in two pieces. Knitters have to do that - we don't. There is a lot of time to be saved by eliminating the side seams altogether. And how do you know it fits if you can't try it on?

 

I like the tacky image.... its comforting. (And I like when my cousins b**ch about how "old fashioned" crocheting is, then want me to make them things.)

 

And dishcloths aren't just for dishes... i use a textured dish cloth to scrub out goat troughs.

 

Uh oh... I think that's a hearsie... scrubbing out livestock tanks with handmade dish clothes.

[allieliz]

Well, I'm a bit loath to admit this but... I despise crocheted skirts. I can't help it, it's my crochet heresy. Don't know why you couldn't just sew (or even buy) one that would look 100 times better.

 

Okay, I feel better for admitting that.

[RosemaryP.]

This is so much fun to read. Some are down right funny. Here is a couple of mine.

I admit the only gauge swatch I've done is for my first, only and UFO sweater.

Felting? Why go through the trouble of making something in slightly pricey wool, only to shrink it.

It is okay to tie knots? That's how I learned. I won't if it will be unsightly. I stich my ends in for a couple of stiches then go back to weave in the rest. (I did get smart and start using a needle instead of a hook.)

I HATE tr and dbltr stiches. I can never get them tight enough so that there isn't a huge loop. Yet, I can do tr in thread w/o as much issue.

When they say it is quick and easy, it usually isn't.

[Hooked]

Great thread!

 

I hate to single crochet. It takes forever to make stuff that way and I have a short attention span when it comes to crochet projects.

 

I always knot and I weave in the ends at the end with a yarn needle.

 

I change colors by ending and tying off and starting with a new color. You end up hiding the ends anyway.

 

No plastic hooks (except the big ones and only because I can't find them made out of other materials). The yarn "sticks".

 

RHSS and clones are great for making indestructible items like rugs and afghans that my brother's dog and cat will share with him and his wife.

 

I hate to work with eyelash and other fancy yarns.

 

While I love to look at wearables, I don't like making them.

 

I don't have the SNB book and don't want it.

 

I will never make amigurumi. Not even sure how to spell it. Too complicated and too much single crochet. However, I do admire it as a sculputural form of crochet and secretly snicker that knitters can't duplicate it.

 

I don't get the knitting snobbery over crochet.

 

I love making doilies from diagrams. Patterns drive me crazy. I love doilies but have a whole pile that I don't know where to put.

 

Why is lace weight yarn reserved for knitting? Why do crochet lace patterns only use thread?

[amberghini]

I have to touch all my yarn before I buy it.

RHSS is not for blankets or clothing. It drives my skin nuts.

I knot and weave my ends.

I have the SNB book, and now I'm passing it on to a younger generation.

I can't stand plastic or "non shiny" metal hooks. Yarn gets stuck.

Any pattern that came from the 70s makes me skeptical.

Fun fur is the devil.

I refuse to make Animiguiri.

I want to learn how to knit. Some things just don't look good crocheted.

[MrsD]

I'm kind of glad this almost-year-old thread popped back up today! I'm kind of thinking there really shouldn't be any crochet heresies. Lots of techniques I thought I'd never need or yarns I couldn't imagine using eventually found their way into one project or another. But most importantly, I'd hate to discourage a fellow crocheter by disparaging her choice of pattern or yarn or technique or whatever! From the kitschy to the sublime, there's plenty of room on the crochet spectrum.

[Afghaniac]

For the most part, I dislike variegated yarns: I think they mask the wonderful patterns and textures of crochet stitches. They have limited uses, such as in a patchwork-quilt afghan, where they can resemble printed fabric.

 

I used to think the round ripple afghan was pretty cool until it seems that that's all anybody is making anymore. It is not the right shape to cover the human form. I have to say the Spiderman version for kids is very clever, though.

 

I'm heartily sick of most ripples, too.

 

I love granny squares -- just not the original, ordinary version. And I don't mind sewing them together.

 

I don't tie knots except occasionally in corners where squares are sewed together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a hate-love relationship with Red Heart yarn. I'm hooked on the colors, price, and availability, and dislike the roughness. I keep trying to use it all up and switch, but then find I miss one or another of the colors, which nobody else makes.

[Darsa]

Hmmm... better late than never?

 

Mine will look a lot like some of the others here; that's a HUGE comfort to me, I don't mind telling you!

 

~ I recently tried Suede Yarn (since it was on clearance) and HATE IT. It sticks to my metal hooks, and I don't have the patience for stickin' yarn.

 

~ Plastic hooks are the worst invention ever. I think if I tried using suede yarn on a plastic hook, my head would explode

 

~ Teeensy Weeeeensy hooks make my fingers ache just to look at. I made a garter for my sister's wedding 5 years ago with thread... never again!

 

~ Fun Fur. Y'all have said it, it is a skein of nightmares.

 

~ I wouldn't buy yarn that I can't feel first. I ordered through Smiley's once, and hated the feeling that I made a mistake all the way up until I received the order. Was a bit disappointed in the texture of a couple of the skeins, but not too bad. Probably won't try it again tho; AC Moore, Michaels and JoAnn are all too close to bother

 

~ I like making granny squares, but I like to make 'em B I G, so there are less squares to join

 

~ Foundation rows are the bane of my crochet existence. I never know if I'm doing it right, too loose or too tight, and crocheting on the chain only is really unwieldy for me.

 

~ I lurve my larger hooks; anything from I to M are my favorites. Haven't tried a Q hook yet, scared to!

[Miss Madeline]

Aw. I love Happy Hooker SnB:(.

I like to take the ideas and make them different.

Someone mentioned the Fluffy Bunny Slippers in that book. I am making Zombie Bunny Slippers, which are hilarious to look at!

 

I hate verigated yarn. It is too tie dyed hippie or early 90's tacky.

 

Doilies are silly. Some are beautiful to look at but maybe because I have 3 dogs, a cat and two 6 year old boys, dollies are utterly useless in my house....they collect the dust.

 

I do tie knots but only when necessary.

 

I NEVER follow a pattern exactally. I always change it slightly.

 

I don't always use the recommended hook size....to make the stitch tighter or looser, depending on what I want.

 

I agree with the free form crochet.....what's up with that?

 

And lapghans....my mother is in a nursing home and people are constantly rolling over the things in their wheelchairs (like lapghans) that they drop out of their lap and can't pick up....can't they wear warmer pants or something?

[Heidi7Sue]

I also hate Super Saver, though I don't think I could ever be called a yarn snob. I *love* Simply Soft, which is only a little more expensive.

 

What's up with people dissing Lion Brand? I feel like I must have missed something. I think the only LB yarn I have used was Pound of Love, which I liked well enough, but when I feel up the LB skeins at JoAnn's, they seem like perfectly reasonable yarn (some deliciously soft). Does the yarn fall apart as you wear it, leaving you naked in the street or something? That's about what I expect, to hear some people talk about LB.

 

I have been wanting to learn Tunisian, but maybe not if everyone else is doing it. I'm too much of a non-conformist.

 

I do swatches to test gauge, and I *still* end up with sizing problems. Argh.

[Mom2PBJ]

I also tend to avoid grannie squares too, unless I can join them without sewing LOL.

 

I second that.

[crappiefisher]

whew! I feel so much better now that you gals have shared! Here are mine:

 

1. I knot and just started to weave in ends because I felt that I wasnt' a good crocheter or that it would make my products be of higher quality.

2. I'm not a fan of Happy Hooker. I'm not into those styles.

3. I crochet because I want to.

4. I'm not a fan of higher end yarns - due to the fact that I'm allergic to wool and can't afford the others. I buy yarn based on the feel and color of it not the brand.

[Gina Renay]

hey fellow loopers,

 

I'm going to throw my 2 cents in--hey, wait I can apply that towards yarn, teehee

 

I don't like granny squares to use in blankets but clothing, yes! (pictured above--I'm "grannied down")

I like RHSS...but also the exotic yarns.

I don't fight, or have snob fits, with knitters or crocheters; I only challenge me to do more interesting crochet styles.

I don't like "shark" groups that are hurtful instead of helpful towards someone's stitching ability.

I definitely KNOT and weave in.

I like doilies--I get them from thrift stores or yard sales and use them in my clothing.

Waaah, my plastic hook broke the other day.

I love freeform altho I don't do it as much as I would like to.

I don't follow patterns; had to learn how to read crochet because I teach and people give me patterns to decipher for them.

I love my fancy fun fur/novelty yarns.

 

peace of da stitch,

 

GinaRenay

AWE!Some Crochet

STITCHologist, Fiber Artist, Haute Couture Loop(H)er

http://gina_renay.blogs.com

www.myspace.com/awesome_crochet

[CLLinda]

I crochet because I want to.

I crochet because I love it.

I don't crochet because I have nothing better to do.

 

I use rhss because it's cheap and easily obtainable.

I won't buy yarn over $5 a skein.

I don't like the SnB book. I have it and it's collecting dust.

Thread crochet hooks hurt my hands.

Plastic hooks squeek too much.

I love the Bates aluminum and bamboo combo hooks because they feel good in my hands.

Can't stand Boye hooks, even though that's what I learned with.

I won't pay $7 or more for a single pattern.

Some people like crochet gifts and some don't.

Everyone has their own gifts and crochet is mine.

 

[jessicagil]

I do not weave my ends in on squares. Not until I put them together & wash them.

I am not fond of yarn snobs. (sorry y'all).

I'm allergic to wool so therefore I can't be a yarn snob in the total even if I wanted to be.

I love granny squares.

If we swap something expect the ends not to be woven in unless I work over them to weave them in. I just don't do it. Do it after you wash what I send you. Plain & simple.

 

That is mine I think.

 

 

edit: 1/2 cup white vinegar in a load of laundry helps the load softer if it is RHSS.

[arkansasgrits]

why do patterns for gloves, socks, etc..., say in the instructions - MAKE 2 (?) DUUUHHHHH!!!!

[butterflie]

why do patterns for gloves, socks, etc..., say in the instructions - MAKE 2 (?) DUUUHHHHH!!!!

 

:laughrollI never noticed that before!

[meganb]

:DI refuse to be a yarn snob, even if I couls afford it

I tie my ends, and weave them in at the end.

I hate buying patterns, I will continue to search until I find a similar one and tweak it. (But I will buy it if I absolutely need it, like the cathedaral window one, had to have it.)

I have a million WIPS, that may never get finished.

I sell my owrk for way under what people think its worth, simply because I want other people to be able to enjoy them, even when they can't afford it.

 

 

I guess thats it for me for now. Lol.

[MissRach]

It took me a few days, but I read through this ENTIRE thread!

 

Let's see.

 

I like Red Heart, but only because it is good for toys, loose granny squares, and is cheap. It's what I started crocheting with.

 

I LOVE Caron Simply Soft! I just discovered it and after Red Heart, OH MY!!!!!

 

I love Fun Fur, chenille, boucle, any novelty yarn. IF YOU HAVE FUN FUR AND DON'T WANT IT, PM me! lol I want it all, but it is soo stinking expensive!

 

I love doilies, granny sqaures, ponchos, bed dolls, and TP covers.

 

I even crochet with thread!!!

 

I love size H, will use it for almost anything. A big deciding factor in which patterns I will make!

 

I have never yet made a guage swatch. If I start testing, that will change.

 

My favorite hooks are my 3 Susan Bates hooks that were given me by some friends. Of course, I cannot even find them right now! I can use Bates hooks just fine.

 

I LIKE Fun Fur! What's the big deal, guys?

 

I long to have some gorgeous angora to work into a sweater. Or silk. Or cashmere. Or!

 

If I see a pattern I like the picture of, I will not read the pattern if I think I can make it myself! Because then I would be ripping off as my own! I like making my own.

 

Free form is like all other modern "art" - a total waste.

 

I'm sure I'll think of more later. Lol

[Bearsgrammy]

I am not a yarn snob, I am a hook snob! I like to save to get some of the hooks that are a little easier for me, even if they cost more than needful.

 

I use Red Heart, but have come to like Vanna's.

 

I have just started amurigami and it is charming, I enjoy it because it is not too complicated. My grandson wanted me to "Make me some aliens, Grammy"so I started. I also enjoy making small animals and dolls for babies.

 

I don't like SNB

I am a pattern collector, will never be able to make all the stuff.

Love Ravelry

Admire people that can finisth the complicated patterns, I can't--no patience

Never swatch, but I tie off to start a new color.

Kind of enjoy seeing all the "kitsch" people come up with, think tp covers are tacky, though.

Love Annie's Attic, some of it weird,but have used a lot of patterns from there.

I make dishcloths and prayer shawls, (latter for elderly church members, who seem to really use them.

Want to try freeform.

I crochet because mainly I have a great curiosity as to how it will turn out

I am not the greatest crochet talent, but I sure do love Crochetville, and all you guys.

I like the magic circle to start.

Its fall-pumpkins, ghosts, witches, oh my! I love making Halloween stuff. not too much into Christmas.

Don't get crocheting with plastic bags, have seen some nice bags made with them, though.

[LizGrayson]

Well, here are mine.

 

I love granny squares, I don't mind joining them, I don't mind weaving in ends, and I have no desire to learn how to knit.

[Lefthook]

why do patterns for gloves, socks, etc..., say in the instructions - MAKE 2 (?) DUUUHHHHH!!!!

 

Because they're written by the same people who write recipes demanding that you use "a clean bowl." (No, I only wash it once a week! And I never wash the teatowels!)

[meganb]

Because they're written by the same people who write recipes demanding that you use "a clean bowl." (No, I only wash it once a week! And I never wash the teatowels!)

omg!!! I have never seena arecipe like that....lol.

who thinks of somehting like that.....

 

Perhaps you only one sock? only one foot may be cold.....