Learning to crochet
Apr 10th, 2007 by Bethany
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The last couple of weeks I've been learning to crochet again. I say "again" because my mom already taught me to crochet. Probably several times. She even learned to crochet left-handed so she could teach me the way that would be easiest for me to do and understand, saint that she is. But this time I wanted to do it, and again my mom reminded me of the basics, then my crocheting sister (Phoebe) sent me a couple of great books with basic instructions for a bunch of stitches and a couple of projects. One of the books even had pictures and instructions for left handed crocheting! Definitely recommend finding a book like that if you're planning to teach yourself to crochet and you're left-handed. It's hard enough to figure it out from a book, but much worse to learn it from backward pictures!
So, I took over an abandoned project of Phoebe's and I've finished up 60 granny squares that she started and I'm about 30 centers into the other 60 squares I need to make to finish the afghan. If you're trying to learn a new sewing skill, I think the ideal way is to find someone who already does it well and then get them to give you an old project they've lost interest in. Then, you can use the work they've already done as a reference to make sure you're doing the rest of it correctly. Plus, the project gets done much faster than if you tried to start one from the beginning, so you get the feeling of accomplishment much sooner, which makes it much more likely that you'll continue to work on the skill.
Some tips that I've picked up on as I've started out:
- Use light colored thread when you're just starting. It's easier to see the stitches.
- Don't use a small hook for your first project. Small hooks make it take longer to make the same size project and they're harder to use.
- Make your stitches loose. They look better and it makes it easier.
- Use yarn colors you like because you spend a lot of time looking at them.
- Don't freak out when your toddler unrolls the entire ball of yarn. They roll back up quickly and the yarn is tough to damage without something sharp. Try to keep sharp things away from your toddler for this and other obvious reasons.
- Examine your work often to make sure you're doing it right. That way you won't have to undo tons of your work.
- It's really not a big deal to undo your work if you make a mistake. It'll just take some time, not usually materials, to get back to where you were.
- If you don't like the finished product, undo the stitches, roll up the ball of yarn again, and call it a "practice project." Don't keep it if you don't like it.
- Let your toddler have a ball of yarn you're not working with or a finished project made of yarn and a big crochet hook to play with while you work. It'll be fun to "work" on your crocheting together.
