Crochet tips and tricks

[dorothysgirls]

I was wondering If any one wanted to post their tips and tricks to make crochet items. One of mine is I always use a hook a littel biger to do my chain so My afghans lay flatter and dont curve! I don't know if there is anothe thread out there like this or not. So I figured I would start one!!

[Aelita]

Don't have any tips or tricks but I'm going to keep yours in mind when I start my next afghan.

[texasredhead]

When I weave my ends in I use a big eyed metal yarn needle. I go one way and go back the other way and clip off. The ends stay in really well.

[eyrthmother1]

1 of mine is that I save old medicine bottles and use them to store the needles i use to weave ends in w/ or a few safety pins or stitch markers, etc. they are easy to fit in most bags, the tops (esp if its on the childproof side/style) dont come off easily in your bag, and you can see whats inside them.

 

Sandy

[Crocus58]

To help "tame the curl" when doing tunisian (afghan stitch) crochet - I single crochet the first row.

[sorefingers]

I keep all my hooks in a crochet hook (bag? no idea what you call it) organizer. I slide all my metal yarn needles through the material in one small section and put the plastic yarn needles in the same section. That way my hooks and needles are always in the same spot. I also keep a little cloth purse (has a zipper on it) with my scissors, tape measure, pencil, eraser, stitch markers (in a handy little container) and nail clippers. I keep these two items in my most used bag of WIP. I keep a calculator on the coffee table where I crochet!

 

Can't really think of any actual tips though!

 

Sore

[Sherilynn]

I think I learned this tip here:

Keep my pattern page in a sheet protector.

When doing a pattern with lots of rows I can mark up the sheet protector with a vis-a-vis marker as I go and keep my pattern page clean.

[GEMINI4659]

I find ch 3 at beginning of rows can leave gaps or look messy so I ch 1 then hdc in same stitch , makes for a more finished look

[stormy]

Good idea for a thread, I should have some but can't think right now (too tired) will have to watch it for more great tips.

[oldbaglady]

Sometimes the pattern calls for slip stitches (usually to make curves or bends), and I tend to crochet really tight. In the next round or row, I have to put stitches into those slip stitches, I use a steel crochet hook to get into those tight slip stitches, grab a loop of yarn and pull it through. Then I can use my regular hook to complete the stitch. Hope this makes sense!

[Elle]

This isn't anything grand, it's not some groundbreaking discovery, but it has made life a lot easier for me. I don't have an "official" hook pouch for my crochet hooks, so I use a make-up pouch to store my hooks. I always had a problem with the steel hooks that I use for thread sinking to the bottom of the bag because they are so much heavier and skinnier than the aluminum hooks, and I would always have to take out all of my hooks to find the steel one that I needed. Then I found a case from a pair of those magnifying eyeglasses, it's a hard shell case with a bottom half and a top half that fits over the bottom half. As a test I stuck one of my steel hooks into the case and voila! it fit perfectly! So now I store my steel hooks in the hard shell eyeglass case, and the best part is that the case fits inside the cosmetic case that I store my aluminum hooks in, so I can still keep all of my hooks together, but my steel hooks are separate and now they're very easy to find in the pouch with the other hooks.

[abc-dee]

Having numerous projects on the go i find that i misplace my hooks..

 

so i now keep each project in a seperate plastic tub and tape a note to it with the hook size needed, and all hooks are kept in my hook pouch that i made.. i kept loosing my 3.5mm hook. im sure i have about 10 of them now...lol

 

i keep a safety pin in each tub to keep the open stitch from being lost, when i return my hooks to the pouch

[crazycrochet]

When working a pattern that is dc, I always ch 2 at the end of a row not 3. This helps close up the holes. When doing a graphgan, I make a color copy of the graph so I can cross off the rows as I go. I made stitch markers with the letter on them, and place them on the 2nd or 3rd row of an afghan to remind me what size hook I am using. I keep my patterns in plastic page protectors. I keep a pencil in a case with my scissors, needles and other crochet things, so I can write down anything if I adapt a pattern. And I always make a copy of every pattern when I am working on it. That way if I adapt or change anything I can write on it and not worry. Also it is alot eaiser to carry a piece of paper around in my crochet bag instead of a big book.

[Craw]

I don't have any tips right now but I will be reading and learn all of yours.

[yarntotingmama]

While hunting around on YouTube for something to help a online friend with her crochet I found this woman:

 

and after watching that I started trying out her tricks and they've been working great for me, including tips for weaving in ends as you go, and a variation on the starting chain at the beginning of the row to avoid the little gap you sometimes get from the chain being thinner than the regular stitch.

 

That whole weaving in ends as you go is revolutionary to me - I hate stopping to do that or finishing a project only to have to sit there and weave in a gazillion yarn tails!

 

Oh, and I don't have any pretty pouches for my hooks or anything but what I do have is what I think is a pencil case but it has holes in the side for going into a ring binder and one side of it is a big clear window so you can see everything in it and that's where I keep my hooks, stitch markers, scissors, safety pins, yarn needles, and knitting things like cable needles, point 'protectors', stitch holders. I also keep in there a pencil and tape measure. The neat part is even with all the bits and pieces in there, I can see easily when I'm reaching in for something.

[RoseRed]

I always keep a piece of wax paper with me to rub down my hooks when they start to stick.

[dorothysgirls]

I also buy cheap lotion and bake all my metal crochet hooks in the oven as low as I cam turn it down. I usually bake them for about a hour they smell pretty and seem to be somther and not sticky.

[Croshay]

I keep a small tool box for my most-used craft items. The little tray in the top holds all my "doo-dads" (hooks, tape measure, row counters, stitch markers, stitch holders, etc.) and the larger bottom section holds my favorite patterns that I've made over & over.

 

Also, I use post-it notes to mark my place on a pattern as I go through the rows. That way I can keep my place without making any marks on the original. I also write notes on the post-it notes if I make changes to the pattern as I go along.

 

AND I always make a note of the hook & yarn used when I make a project in case I really like how it turns out & I want to duplicate it.....or if my mother loves it and SHE wants me to duplicate it.

[Momcrochets]

I have about 4 retractable tape measures now...so I can keep one in my wip bag, and more somewhere in the house (my 4yo DD loves to play with them too) I also keep one in my purse, justincase . They come in SOOO handy for gauge, and anyother measuring issues I have. esp if I decide to design something or whatever.

 

I also like to copy my patterns from my books, so big book doesn't have to get wrecked. (And after the kids color on the backs, into the recycle bin it goes!)

 

Love my handmade stitch markers for keeping my work from self-frogging. Course, the cute little safety-pin looking plastic ones also work...if I'm doing something with lighte weight yarn, and have to mark a st or a row for counting, I often use those to prevent stretching, as my handmade markers are a tad heavier (go fig)

I read this one last year...in warm/humid/hot weather, I keep a small container of baby powder in my wip bag. Just a dusting on my hands absorbs any perspiration and makes crocheting much more comfortable! I love this tip, and was soo glad to find it.

 

my

[alchemyfyr]

The plastic bread tags are good for writing the hook letter on to attach to your WIP in case you need to borrow the hook.

[itzhunic]

This is a GREAT thread, so glad you started it Dorothy!!

I've written down quite a few tips already and can't wait to keep up with all the new ones yet to come in!

 

What I do may seem a bit much for most of you, but it works for me.

 

I have so many projects going on at one time that I keep a make up bag or some other small bag with the hook for that project, scissors, stitch markers or safety pins, the pattern, pen and paper, and tape measure

in each tote bag that has a project in it.

 

That way, no matter what I want to work on, I have everything I need without having to get anything and each tote is ready to go at a moments notice if I want to take it somewhere and work on it.

Plus, there's no last minute running around finding what I need! That's the best part for me.

 

I also have a project that isn't of importance that I keep in the car with all the doodads needed, so I can crochet when I'm the passenger.

 

I say of "little importance" for the car, because on vacation one year our car was broken into and my project bag, one that I had painstakingly made as it was gigantic in size (the 1st one I'd ever done too), and that had all my precious hooks, yarn, and projects in it, was stolen!!!

It was devastating so since then, whatever I keep in the car isn't something I'd be too saddened by. Just a "hmmm" for you to think about.

[caroline192]

I have a small plastic box that is hinged. I crocheted a hook holder. Then I attached velcro to the back of the holder and glued velcro to the inside top of the box. Now I have a box that, when opened, has the hooks on the inside top of the box and all my other gadgets, needles, etc. are in the bottom part of the box. I can just grab it and go.

[specialK]

this is a great thread. I don't have a tip but i learned so much reading from all of yours!thank you all

karla

[ArielManx]

When working a pattern that is dc, I always ch 2 at the end of a row not 3. This helps close up the holes.

 

You know, I'd read that tip somewhere else before too, but I finally tried it yesterday after reading it here. Wow! What a difference that makes! Thanks!

 

Here are my tips and tricks (nothing groundbreaking, but possibly helpful to others too!):

 

When working on a pattern out of a book, I use a cookbook weight to keep the book laying open and flat (Barnes&Noble type bookstores usually sell them, they're in the same place as the booklights, book covers, etc).

 

I make sure I have EVERYTHING I need handy before I sit down to crochet. Nothing's more annoying to me than to get settled down with a big afghan in my lap and realize when I get to the end of a row and need to weave an end in that my yarn needle is nowhere to be found. It's worth taking that extra minute to get your ducks in a row first.

 

If I can't find the center pull of a skein, and don't have the patience to unravel the yarn barf, I just use the outside pull/free end. I actually find this works better on big balls of yarn like Pound of Love - when I use the center pull on those, the ball tangles into a huge mess toward the end when it collapses on itself.

[dorothysgirls]

As I was sitting here reading this I realized the I didn't put one of my favorite tips one here... When I crochet with dark colors (black navy or dark green) I use a light colored hook and Put a white towel or cloth of some sort on my lap. The always seems much better after that!