Crochet Tips

Craftsy

One definitely wonderful up-and-coming website for all kinds of crafts, including crochet and knit, is Craftsy.com. The site has wonderful online classes and tutorials to make trendy and quality projects. There's a marketplace also for pattern shopping. It's a great place to spend a little time looking at all the possibilities!

www.craftsy.com

Pattern Repeat

You'll hear this term used often when making an item that requires multiple rows in length to complete a stitch pattern. For example, it might take repeating the same four rows over and over again to create a certain look in your finished product, so the pattern will refer to it as a "four-row pattern repeat." It might be helpful to write down each row of a pattern repeat on a 3x5 card so that you can keep track of which row of the repeat you are on by flipping each card over when done (keep track on a separate card how many times you've completed a full repeat).

Ball Winder and Yarn Swift

If you find yourself making large projects with multiple balls of yarn, then you might want to consider investing in a ball winder and a yarn swift. A hank of yarn is spread out around the yarn swift, which looks a lot like the inner workings of an umbrella, and the end of the yarn is attached to the ball winder. As you crank the ball winder, the yarn swift turns with it to feed out the yarn, and a beautifully-wound flat ball is your reward!

Keeping Count

Keeping count of the number of stitches in a row can be challenging, especially if the instructions are having you perform multiple stitches into one chain or one stitch from the previous row. So, if the instructions tell you to "ch 2, 2 dcs in same st, 1 dc in next 10 sts, 2 dcs in last st", then you should have a total of 14 stitches by the end of the row. Count each single stitch, but not the ch-2 at the beginning of the row (unless the instructions say otherwise), even if you performed multiple stitches in the same stitch below, and you should have the correct number by the end of the row.

The Chainless Foundation Row

No, it's not an urban myth! You can make your first row of American single crochet stitches without first chaining. Just chain 2, then insert your hook into the first chain and pull up a loop, then pull up another loop through the loop you just made, then pull a loop through the 2 loops on your hook. You've just finished one single crochet stitch! Now, insert your hook into the base of the stitch you just made and repeat the process again (pull up a loop, pull up another loop through that loop, then pull a loop through both loops on your hook). Repeat until you have the number of stitches you desire for your first row.