Crochet - The Bottom Line

[darski]

I have been thinking about pattern reading (and writing). In a recent doll pattern I included the words "Not a beginner pattern" because it had stuff like FPdc, hdc and sc joining and such. I think some beginners could probably make the outfit but to avoid accusations I put in the disclaimer.

 

I would like to hear what people consider the most basic things you have to know - either by name or by doing - to really be a crocheter in the beginners circle.

 

For those who are beginners, what do you consider a "Beginner's Pattern?

 

For our international audience, I know the terms may vary but the crochet doesn't so feel free to write in your own language but it might help to say from where you are speaking.

 

So again, how basic is basic and what is a simple pattern?

 

I have been crocheting for well over 50 years and I am still learning ways to do things and new stitches and ideas so I don't think you ever get to the "know it all" stage

[kkms]

well i have been crocheting for about 6 years now and i still don't know how to to do a fp dc! to me a beginner i thing would be your basic sc, dc, sl st kinda thing. thats just me though. i think i am a little beyond beginner but not exactly advanced i think everyone has there favorite stitches. sorry i am not much help!

[darski]

well i have been crocheting for about 6 years now and i still don't know how to to do a fp dc! to me a beginner i thing would be your basic sc, dc, sl st kinda thing. thats just me though. i think i am a little beyond beginner but not exactly advanced i think everyone has there favorite stitches. sorry i am not much help!

 

You have been a help. Thank you.

 

I want to hear what people think about this and every opinion is valid because it is from your experience.

[eurolyons]

I think of a beginner as doing things like rows only (back and forth) with sc's, half dc's and dc's...minor color changes...(like main color, with contrast in rows or for a simple edging of sc's...)

 

It kind of depends on the beginner themselves really. When I was teaching my sister recently how to crochet, while she could do the chain stitch, she needed time to get the feel for single crochet...

 

When I see a beginner pattern that has more than 2 basic stitches, I worry that that's too much for someone who may be trying to crochet a pattern for the very first time...

 

I think beginner patterns should be as simple as possible...which can be a challenge when at the same time a beginner wants to make something that doesn't necessarily look like a beginner made it, know what I mean?

 

For Advanced Beginner patterns, I see that has being an introduction to combining the basic stitches in easy combinations, and starting to work in rounds and motifs too. Also introduction to stitches like the treble or triple crochet stitch...

 

I have been crocheting over 30 years and it was only in the last couple of years that I officially learned how to do front and back posts and how to do cable work...truth of the matter though, without realising it, I had been doing front post work at the ends of rows thinking that was a clever way to decrease (not...) Learn something new every day. Heck 4 years ago I finally learned how to decrease without having my edges look like stair steps...

 

In short I think a real beginner pattern should be an exercise for the new crocheter to practise the basic stitches and build their confidence up. Kind of like training wheels.

[Robyn]

I'm not sure if I ever really was a beginner. I was able to read patterns before I could really crochet and was able to write my own patterns the first day I learned to crochet. In teaching people, however, I think that beginner's patterns should be basic, such as keeping to ch, sc, hdc, dc, sl st...Just basic things with slight or no color changes.

 

I have a friend who's been crocheting for almost 15 years and only just learned to read patterns, so it really does vary on how a person is taught and what they want to learn when.

[Selune]

I'm probably going to be in the minority here, but based on the tons of patterns I've seen and done, and my own experience learning, I'd still call it Beginner (if going Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Advanced). It's tempting to call it Easy, but patterns usually labeled as Easy are starting to include shaping using stitches like sc2tog (which is pretty easy).

 

To me, a good dividing line is 1) shaping and 2) working stitches in places other than the row you are working on (I consider FPdc or working in ch-spaces to be beginner material - advanced beginner, if you must). FPdc isn't a hard stitch to learn. Sure, many beginners don't know how to do it, but mostly because it's never been called for before in the patterns they've done. If you just look up the stitch online or in a crochet book, it's usually in the section for basic stitches.

 

In the Easy category, I'd put LongDC, crossed stitches, and more advanced stitches that combine the basic stitches (like puffs), simple shaping using increases and decreases, basic joining (like granny squares and other motifs).

[christinascrochethaven]

I think a beginner pattern is one that uses what they have learned. Ch, sc, hdc, dc and sl st. I think a tr can also still be a beginner pattern as it is a basic st with no frills. I also think that learning how to go in circles and sewing seams like a straight bag can be a beginner thing.

 

Other stitches like crossed st, fpdc, bpdc or many others are more for people who are advanced beginner.

 

Decreasing and Increasing is more for the intermediate in my opinion. As well, as complicated sewing pieces together.

 

I have crocheted for 33 years. I still learn many things from my mom, books and the internet. I hope to never call myself a "Master"...as there is so much to learn. I try not to label myself as labels have a tendency to stick and then you don't allow yourself to grow. I don't believe in there being a "dumb" question and no one should put others down for asking.

 

So many people learn differently than we did in the past: some just pick up a book, some learned granny squares first, and some learn from someone or the internet.

[crazycrochet]

I have been crocheting since I was 17 and am 56 now, and I am still learning new things every day about crocheting. No way would I call myself a master of crochet.

 

When I teach kids, they learn the chain, sc, hdc, dc and slip st, and how to change colors at the end of a row. That is basic to me. I also teach how to read a pattern. They usually make a potholder, change purse, sports card holder. A simple square can be turned into a lot of things. Once they get the hang of what I call the basics, then I branch out to more complicated stitches, increasing, and decreasing and working in the round if they want to.

[chrispersmom]

I started to crochet when I was 10, and I am now 37. I taught myself to read the patterns when I was in my teens because I found a stuffie I wanted to learn to make. My mom helped me, but she didn't use patterns much. For me, a beginner pattern should spell everything out very specifically. Ex: Instead of saying jn at the end of a round, write out jn w/a sl st to first stitch kind of thing. Once we learn, lots of things are just assumed and accepted as "what to do", where as when we first learn we sort of need each step. And beginner to me also means no complicated stitches, or spell them out really well....no better time to learn right?

[requin]

I think beginner stitches would include sc, dc, sl st; patterns in rows or simple rounds, and I don't think easy ripple patterns are too bad for beginners; no more than 2 colors, perhaps with instructions for changing, just in case.

 

I agree with your labeling the doll pattern "Not a beginner pattern" just on account of the fpdc.

 

I still don't understand the fpdc or bpdc, and I have tried. I may need someone to actually show me how to do that one. If anyone wants to volunteer for the position, or has any advice, please let me know.

[Granny Square]

Here's something to ponder...

http://www.yarnstandards.com/skill.html

[Knit Happens]

Hey there Darski. All I can add to the above is...every pattern I have ever used/attempted I've completed; be it beginner, intermediate, expert (not that I didn't have confusion sometimes with the directions--there was a sweater I made for my daughter and the shoulder instructions took me at least 15 froggings to figure out what I was doing wrong...but when I got it, it was like I had been reading a foreign language and finally figured it out...it was right there all along and made perfect sense, at last. Anyhow, the patterns I've used have explained and illustrated with pictures of what would be more than a run of the mill stitch (for a beginner). I think a ripple blanket uses some stitches that are geared for more than a beginner, with the increasing and decreasing clusters, but then again a beginner can do it with good instructions and illustrations. Maybe advanced and expert include a super amount of crochet acrobatics and some stitches that aren't usually done in something straightforward, but if they are illustrated and explained...they will be accomplished.

[RoseRed]

I try to avoid labeling a pattern by skill level. If you list the more advanced st's and have short clear directions for them - the person can decide for themselves if it's a pattern they would want to attempt.

 

If it's a for sale pattern bought by pic and description maybe putting the st's in the desciption would be enough.

[grinning chook]

When I began crocheting I always had a stitch guide in front of me so I could look up any stitch the pattern required.

I never knew what fpdc or bpdc was either until I had to do one the other day, took me 5 minutes to look it up on the net and I was on my way.

 

Maybe you would be better marking it by .. easy , medium, difficult etc as to how fiddly and time consuming it is or just list the stitches required so a beginner can decide if they are up to the challenge or not.

[darski]

Thanks y'all. It is interesting to see how people view this.

 

It's also interesting to see how us old-timers seem to be able to remember what it was like to learn some stuff.

[OzRebel]

I've come to believe more along the line of what RoseRed said and what the author of the SnB Happy Hooker book said about not using skill levels for patterns. I think labels do sometimes hold people back from challenging themselves. I know that I still find myself a little daunted by a pattern labeled as "advanced". Let people decide for themselves when they see a pattern if they think they are up for the challenge, or make a list of the required stitches etc but not necessarily a level and they can choose whether to learn the new techniques they need. Hope that makes sense.

[amdm]

In my opinion a pattern which has bullion stitches or multiple colour changes in each row should be marked "Experienced" because one is a difficult stitch, and the other involves dexterity and good tension.

[carovan]

 

I still don't understand the fpdc or bpdc, and I have tried. I may need someone to actually show me how to do that one. If anyone wants to volunteer for the position, or has any advice, please let me know.

 

Maybe this will help:

http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa060797.htm

 

or this one:

http://www.crochetcabana.com/stitches/stitches-fpdc-bpdc.htm

 

or if you need to see a video, this one is great:

http://www.anniesattic.com/crochet/content.html?cat_id=348&type_id=S

 

I agree that a beginners or easy patterns should only include a couple of very basic stitches and a pattern that doesn't have too many parts to put together. I only started crocheting a little over a year ago, but with lots of practice and the desire to learn to do more complicated items, my skills have greatly improved. I still find that I learn something new nearly every day, and I still have to go back sometimes and check to make sure that I am doing a stitch correctly. I love the above site for instructions on stitches.

[smokeyp81]

I agree with Rosered and OzRebel. I don't think a pattern should be labeled by experience.

 

I am not a beginner....I have been crocheting for 30+ years and am self-taught in everthing but the very basic stitches. I think that as long as the pattern has a list of stitches used at the begining, a person can look at that and say....hey...I don't know how to do this stitch...do I want to try it or not.

 

I think that if a pattern says advanced beginner or intermediate, a beginner might pass over that pattern without even trying just because of the label. How does anyone get beyond beginner level if you never try new stitches?

[Real Deal]

I think beginner, or easy category includes making a foundation chain, slst, sc, hdc, dc. How to turn at the ends of rows. How to connect rounds. If you learn crochet in the round first, you already learn increasing, which for flat crochet is often a more advanced stage, along with decreasing.

 

Learning about the yarn weight, such as worsted weight, and appropriate hook sizes for that yarn as you do each new project.

 

Learning to tie off and weave in ends.

 

Learning about the properties of the yarn you are using at the time. Is it very stretchy? Can you wash it?

 

Learn early on to have enough yarn for your project! It is so-o-o-o-o horrible to be almost finished with a project and find out your yarn will not make it.

 

Real Deal

[Auntie Kellie]

I also agree with listing the stitches with a description of them instead of giving the pattern a label. I've done some patterns labeled Easy or Beginner that confuzzled the heck out of me and I've done some Advanced patterns that were a breeze to do. The difference between those patterns was that the Advanced pattern was written better so everyone could understand how to do the stitches properly.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

[Julie0129]

I am a beginner. I started a couple years ago before my daughter was born, then dropped it. I made one baby hat at that time and that was it.

 

Picked it up again lately. I wanted to make a scarf for a gift. It's the first project I'm working on now that I've started up. What I look for in a pattern is the label beginner or easy. Then I take a look at the actual pattern and see if I understand what it says.

 

The pattern I chose has a chain foundation row, then uses hdc throughout. Once I got into it, I realized I didn't understand exactly what it was saying for the ends of the rows, so I fudged it. It will still look fine. Oh it also has a color change (a main color and an accent color).

 

So I looked for a stitch I could figure out (practiced first), instructions that were clear (turned out they weren't exactly) and nothing too complicated. I think for my next project I wouldn't be afraid to try something with more than one stitch, as long as it's a stitch I can do.

 

I like the suggestion of some other posters to include a list of the stitches, maybe techniques too (like decreasing and whatnot). Also, a diagram of the stitch or a resource would be nice too.

[LittleJadeFrog]

I also agree with listing the stitches with a description of them instead of giving the pattern a label. I've done some patterns labeled Easy or Beginner that confuzzled the heck out of me and I've done some Advanced patterns that were a breeze to do. The difference between those patterns was that the Advanced pattern was written better so everyone could understand how to do the stitches properly.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

THis was exactly what was going through my head...I agree. I like the list of stitches instead of the level of skill. I have been crocheting for years and do not consider myself a beginner but there is SO MUCH I have not done. I have enough skill that I can figure out the new stuff if I need to, so there are times that a "beginner" pattern is more difficult than an "advanced" because I don't know that particular stitch.

[fluffypechey]

Well my take is this, what is easy for one may be hard for another.

 

 

Take the RR it took me ages and ages to get the hang of it:blush It seemed everyone else was finding it soooooo easy they were knocking them off left right and center. I however have no problems with a lot of the harder stitches.

 

Do you know what I mean not sure if that makes sense:blush

[lucie]

I think labeling a pattern as for beginners can be helpful. I would categorize myself as being advanced beginner, though there are some days where nothing makes sense.

 

Perhaps more important than the "for beginners" label however, is the quality of the instructions. Even a pattern with complex designs is doable for someone with limited experience if the instructions are well written. I suspect that many of the hurdles I have with patterns is just that I don't understand the directions. I think I could work more complicated patterns if the designer took greater care to explain how to do that work. Maybe designers assume a level of knowledge or skill that many crocheters don't possess. I'll never improve my skills until I can tackle more difficult patterns, but I need instructions that don't confuse me. Nothing's more frustrating than having to give up on a project because I couldn't "get" what the designer was saying..........I might do better if I took the time to write out the instructions in longhand, but I'm too lazy to do that right now!