Chris Hammond's background is a bit different than you'd expect, with degrees in Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematics and Physics. She's been a meteorologist, a high school math and science teacher and, most recently, a professional knitter. But above all else, she is a passionate crafter, dabbling in a little bit of everything. Basically, if it can be crafted, and she needs to procrastinate something much more important, she can do it.
So, you’ve caught the yarn bug and you’re officially “hooked!” Congratulations! I thought I’d share a list of the Top 10 Crochet Tips and Tricks for Beginners that I share with my students as I’m walking them through their first projects.
Make sure your hands are clean. You won’t want to try to get grease
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Once you have mastered how to single crochet, the next stitch you’re likely to learn is the double crochet stitch. Follow along with this quick tutorial and learn how to double crochet.
The double crochet stitch is considered by many to be the most versatile stitch of the crochet world. Not only is the stitch easy
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We know it’s tempting to rip off your yarn labels so you can start crocheting right away, but before you toss them you might want to think twice: there’s actually a wealth of information to be found on those little labels! But like with most things, the more information included, the more overwhelming it can seem — but don’t worry. We’re going to break down all the common symbols and information so you won’t feel so lost. Once you’re armed with the proper knowledge, you’ll confidently be able to read every yarn label in your stash. So let’s get started by breaking down the label and everything it has to offer.
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If you are just learning to crochet, one of the hurdles you must overcome is learning how to read crochet patterns. While you don’t have to learn everything all at once, there are a few important elements of a pattern to know so that you can pick up any of the patterns in this issue and feel comfortable enough to attempt them if one strikes your fancy.
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The treble crochet stitch is a slightly more involved double crochet stitch – if you can double crochet, you can learn how to treble crochet. The triple crochet stitch follows the same general format of the double, only instead of yarning over once before you start your stitch, you will yarn over twice. This double yarn over to start will add height to your stitches (which leads to a quicker project!).
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More often than not, we’ll pick a pattern and find that the yarn used is either hard to find, something we don’t like working with or just simply out of our budget. When this happens, we need a way to make sure that what we do pick will work.
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While I am right-handed, I grew up in a household where everyone else was left-handed, and I witnessed their struggle every day. However, when it came time to learn how to crochet, this situation came to be useful! I sat opposite my mother and mimicked her steps as if looking in a mirror and caught onto the process easily. It can be difficult to how to crochet left-handed for beginners. Lefties will hold the hook in their left hand and use their right hand to hold the yarn and maintain tension.
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Knots in the middle of a skein. Aren’t those just the worst? Yes. And they always do seem to be in the very worst place of the project. It’s annoying and frustrating. Maybe you’re thinking there is a lack of quality control from the manufacturer. But knots happen, even to the best yarns.
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I am a confessed serial yarnaholic. I have never been able to control my yarn buying, no matter how hard I have tried. If I see a project I want to do, I buy the pattern and the yarn – I can’t help myself! I’ll get to it eventually, right? So in an effort to
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Hooray! You have just finished that piece you’ve been working on… or have you? Maybe not. If you want to add a professional finish to your crocheted piece, you should consider blocking it.
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