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Stuffing Crochet Toys
When it comes time to stuff a crochet toy that you've made, you begin to worry that the cotton-like stuffing called for in the pattern is going to poke out between the stitches. A great way to avoid this is to first put the stuffing into some clean nylon hosiery before inserting it into the crocheted item. Try to pick a pair that is close in color to the yarn you used in your project. You can even double up on the hose if you really want to ensure that no stuffing is going to escape.
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Putting the Pieces Together
If your project has more than one piece, you're going to have to decide how you want to put the pieces together. Sometimes crocheting the pieces together works out fine and creates a nice seam or border; other times, such a seam is too bulky or you want a less apparent joining of the pieces. Here's where that yarn needle mentioned in a previous tip comes in handy. Keeping a pack of these thick needles, through which yarn can be threaded, on hand makes it much easier to finish up your project.
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Securing and Hiding the Yarn Tails
You've finished your project, but now most likely, there is a "tail" of yarn, that leftover string, at the beginning and a tail at the end where you fastened off the yarn. There might be more tails if you have yarn color changes within the piece. It's important to secure and hide away these tails so that your piece really has that finished look and there's no risk of unraveling or fraying.
One technique is to try to hold the yarn over the chain into which you are working your stitches so that it just naturally gets weaved in during the making of the piece. Or, you can just wait until the end and use a smaller sized hook to then weave in the tails (be sure to pull the yarn through stitches on the wrong side of your piece a couple of times, each time pulling it through in a different direction). Or, you can use a yarn needle, if you left a long tail, to sew the yarn through the piece.
There's no one best way to do this, and it's my least favorite part too, but it should be done (unless you're making something the interior of which is not going to be seen or is not at risk of unraveling, like a stuffed animal). Some people advocate putting a dab of superglue on the tied off point to further secure, but I haven't tried that yet.
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More on Blocking
A word of caution: you need to check the instructions on the yarn label before using water, heat or steam on your crocheted pieces. If heat or steam is not recommended, then an alternative is to smooth out the pieces, pin them down into the shape desired, and lightly spray the pieces with water or cover with a damp cloth, then put a plastic sheet on top, then some equally-weighted heavy books on top of the plastic. Let the pieces dry naturally overnight. Your pieces now should not be curling. They should be shaped as intended and ready to be sewn together.
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Blocking Your Finished Piece
If you've just finished crocheting a garment, before you start putting your pieces together, you might want to "block" them. Blocking basically means setting the shape of each piece to prevent them from curling. You'll want to put the piece, right side facing down, on a smooth heat-resistant surface (probably an ironing board or another surface you've prepped for this purpose with some padding and a sheet over it), smooth it into the shape it should be, and then press it. Pressing is NOT the same thing as ironing – the iron should be put on the steam setting and should be held near to the piece, just hovering over it for a second or two, and then lifted off. You should never actually slide the iron over the piece -- at most, you should just touch down slightly and quickly on it. Alternatively, you might also want to place a damp pressing cloth on top of the piece if you want to be able to slide the iron over it.
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