I once made a YouTube video post about tips for crocheters. I thought it would be a good idea (and good for viewership) to make a blog post out of these tips as well. Theses are in no particular order, as I don't intend to suggest any kind of spectrum of urgency for these tips.
Here are my tips, using bullet points rather than numbering:
- Count like your life depends on it. Your project certainly does. Certain carpenters on TV are wont to say, "Measure twice, cut once." I say twice is not enough!
- Know when gauge is important. For items of apparel, be very conscious of gauge. When alternating stitches, be somewhat conscious of gauge. For blankets and scarves, eh, not so much, unless there is a feature of the pattern that makes it necessary.
- Speaking of gauge, practice/gauge swatches are always a good idea. Use them to work on a stitch or stitch sequence that is new to you, or a pattern that is new, or something else. In those cases when gauge is important, it's always a good idea to do a gauge swatch. The standard expression of gauge is the number of stitches and rows required to accomplish a 4" x 4" square (sorry, people accustomed to the metric system), but make your swatch larger than 4" x 4" to measure stitches and rows in the middle.
- When doing standard back-and-forth rows, use a hook .5 to 1 mm larger than the hook used for the body. This can help prevent curling and ensure the foundation row is the same size as the body rows. (Believe me, I know how easy it is to make a chain and foundation row that is tighter than the remainder of the piece!)
- Always use the same hook when going back to a project after a day, a week, a month, or longer. No matter how many hooks you have in the relevant size, there can be no assurance that a hook by a different manufacturer or of a different type will produce the same stitch size and gauge.
- When working in the round, think of pie slices or wedges. Each stitch in the initial round (12 or 9 or whatever) is the point of the wedge. Always make increases in the last stitch of the wedge. This aids in counting and in keeping the stitches in alignment. Some would say to stagger your increases to make the wedges less obvious, but I prefer consistency and don't find the resulting look objectionable at all.
- Always keep in mind whether you are working in the same direction as the previous row/round, as in a circle or many mosaic patterns, or the opposite direction, as in most blankets or scarves. Patterns almost always refer to the loop on top of a post as the stitch to work with. The stitch is never truly on top of the post. When working in the same direction as the previous row/round, the loop will appear to be before the post. When working in the opposite direction, the loop will appear to be after the post.
- Know the different options for beginning a new row/round. Many patterns say to chain two or three and allow that to stand as the first stitch in the new row/round, but when doing that always make sure the following stitches are just as tall as the chain. Even if you think it requires you to pull too much yarn through, do it! I prefer to do it another way: chain one or two and do not count the chain as a stitch, and work in the first stitch of the row or round as normal. This usually does not have a great effect on the side edges, and in my experience the edges look better than when I use chains for the first stitch. And if you are using some sort of edging, your worries are for naught. Your mileage may vary.
- When working post stitches (front-post double or triple crochet or back-post double or triple crochet) do not be stingy with your yarn. Be sure to pull enough yarn through--and it might feel like more than you need--to prevent curling or bunching up. This is especially important when crossing front-post stitches to make cables.
- Don't be afraid to say, "Oops!" and rework a section or an entire project. Possibly to give up a project and find another use for the yarn--believe me, I've done that a lot! I have finished quite a few projects with yarn that had previously been used for other projects I'd abandoned. I've even frogged entire projects if they didn't meet my standards and there was no other way to resolve the issues.
- Most important tip: Do what you like. Do projects that give you pleasure. I myself prefer large projects like blankets and sweaters, with the occasional hat or scarf palate cleanser in between. But the mother of a friend only does wash cloths in single crochet with cotton yarn and is happy doing just that. While I'd encourage you to learn new things and experiment, focus on what makes you happy. This is not brain surgery. What is the better outcome--a piece that you could do in your sleep but always pleases any recipient, or a piece that made you miserable in learning a new technique or pattern that might or might not please the recipient? There is a rule one often hears on cooking shows--always make something you're comfortable with for company. Leave the experimentation for yourself or your family. Or indeed there is this bit of guidance I heard in music school--practice what you can't do [yet], but perform what you can do.
Please comment with any additional tips you might have! I'd love to hear them.
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