Crochet Dude asked:


The Crochet Dude, otherwise known as Drew Emborsky, learned to crochet at age five. After studying fine art in college and doing the “starving artist” thing for years, he began crocheting for charity. During this time with the charity group, he became known as “The Crochet Dude”, which then led to the launch of his wildly popular blog, www.thecrochetdude.com. Since then, Drew has published numerous patterns in magazines and compilation books, and his own full-length books, has appeared as a guest on various TV programs, and is currently the crochet expert on the hit PBS show “Knit and Crochet Today.” Drew lives in Houston, Texas, with his cats Chandler and Cleocatra.
The Crochet Dude has been featured in national publications including BUST Magazine, Interweave Crochet, Knit.1, and Crochet Today!, as well as international newspapers like The Sunday Telegraph (in London).

He co-authored “Men Who Knit and the Dogs Who Love Them” and his latest book of crocheted men’s clothing designs is titled “The Crochet Dude’s Designs for Guys: 30 Projects Men Will Love” (Lark Books-2008).

Drew provides design support to: Tilli Tomas Luxury Yarns Caron International Lion Brand Coats & Clark South West Trading Co. Conjoined Creations

And he has been published in these magazines: Crochet Today! Crochet! Interweave Crochet Knit & Style

Perhaps you’ve caught him on these television shows: Uncommon Threads (HGTV-DIY) Knitty Gritty (HGTV-DIY) Needlearts Studio with Shay Pendray (PBS) Paint, Paper, & Crafts (PBS)

Breaking News! Drew, The Crochet Dude has been cast as a regular on the hit show Knit & Crochet Today as the “crochet expert”; watch for him in seasons 3 & 4 now on PBS!



LELAND

Amber Green asked:


Hello all crafty people,

So you are bored with regular crochet and want to add some zing to your craft? Have you tried bead crochet? It’s the logical step with limitless options. Bead crochet gives you the opportunity to combine two crafts - crochet and beading. With bead crochet, you can experiment with the numerous gorgeous beads available and include them in your exquisite crocheted creations.

Seed beads go great with party bags, as trimmings, in laces, handkerchief borders, scarves and tassels. Make seed bead ropes to be used as handles in bags. I saw instructions for making seed bead ropes at http://www.beadline.com/crochet/crochet.html.

String beads in the crochet yarn before starting the pattern and use them randomly or in specific order to add bling to whatever it is you plan to crochet. When stringing beads in the yarn, take care of your posture. Try using big beads and avoid the super tiny seed beads if you have eye problems. String the beads in broad daylight or an appropriately lit room.
Beads are great to make intricately designed patterns such as http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa121299.htm.

Bigger beads can be used in bag handles to add an interesting element in otherwise simple looking bags. They can also be used as tassels in caplets, scarves, caps and shawls.

Guidelines, tips and tricks about crocheting with beads are given at:   

http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa030197.htm

http://beadwork.about.com/library/weekly/aascratchcrochet.htm

http://www.beadwrangler.com/tips-crochet.htm

Go through beading related frequently asked questions (FAQs) at http://www.swallowhillcreations.com/FAQ.htm.

Links to bead crochet patterns are available at:

http://crochet.about.com/od/beadcrochet/Bead_Crochet_Crocheting_With_Beads.htm

http://home.inreach.com/marthac/beads.html

http://www.victoriancrochet.com/

http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/bead_crochet.php

Beads and crochet can be used to make wire crochet jewelry. Some beautiful patterns are shown on:

http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_011.htm

http://www.seafore.com/wire/wire.html

You can even go wild making bead crochet animals with help from http://www.beadcrochet.com/. The site also has a video to help visitors learn the technique.

Those who feel comfortable learning from a book can go to http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Crochet-Beadwork-How-Book/dp/193149942X and look at the beadwork how to book.

I guess you have enough material to keep you going. Happy beading.



TIMMY

Amber Green asked:


All crochet enthusiasts,

It doesn’t take much time for a crocheter to have a collection of all those handmade crocheted items. There are only so many that can be used for gifting or for personal use. You can’t keep gifting crocheted articles to the same person again and again, unless what you crochet every time is really exquisite.

It’s not surprising then that in no time, crocheters’ cupboards, drawers, storage areas and homes start overflowing with crocheted items. Spouse and kids too start complaining of seeing everything crocheted all over the place. Why not put them up for sale, and make some money and name? Family members too will stop bickering and start appreciating your revenue generating abilities. But where do you begin?

Follow the guidelines below to find an outlet for your creations:

•    Be excellent at what you crochet. Even if you crochet only placemats, avoid cutting corners. People prefer to buy quality products. Don’t you? So why offer poor quality stuff? Make sure, what you crochet is tasteful, sturdy, useful, durable and well finished without any frazzled yarn ends or frayed edges of the lining peeping out.

•    Survey the market to determine the appropriate price for your goods. If you price your goods too low, they run the risk of being considered poor quality. Exorbitantly priced goods scare away many people. Know the price of similar goods available in the market. Work out the price based on money spent on supplies, time involved in crocheting and expenditure of other resources such as electricity.

Complexity of the pattern too is a deciding factor when working out the price. A simple afghan done in dc should be much more reasonably priced compared to a multicolored afghan crocheted in a flower motif.

Also factor in the type of platform when computing the price. A high-end store such as Macy’s will obviously call for a higher price tag, whereas selling the goods in a mall will require reasonable labeling.

Eventually, you should be comfortable with the price you associate with your crocheted products.

•    Explore all avenues for “product placement”, just a fancy term for selling your goods. Contact your local yarn store, thrift store, needlecraft classes, craft fairs, crochet guilds, and any other similar associations. Start teaching the craft at community colleges or talk about it at the local radio station.

Guidelines about selling crocheted items in craft shows are given at http://www.ehow.com/how_2086529_sell-crochet-items-craft-show.html.

Make effective fliers (read marketing collateral or brochure) describing your skill, products and rates and use them to spread the word around through your family, relatives and friends. Never under estimate the power of word-of-mouth publicity.

Go online. Make your presence felt through a web page, which is just an online version of the flier. eBay is a great platform to sell goods online, especially if you want quick results without much fanfare. Those on a shoestring budget or just wanting to gauge the response without spending too many bucks on preparation should try doing the web page themselves. You can also take the help of someone known proficient in web hosting. Take professional help after getting established.

•    Advertise aggressively. Remember, there are buyers of all kinds of products. All you have to do is find them. You have to take your products to prospective buyers. You have to inform them of the special features of your products. Do you promote green crochet by using 100% natural fiber yarn? May be you always deliver the goods on time? Or, you make custom patterns. Do you specialize in crocheting vintage patterns?

The point is to identify key features of your crocheted items and advertise about them. Exchange links with web sites such as:

http://www.amomswork.com/mompack

http://www.crochetnmore.com/123links3.htm

http://www.knitting-crochet.com/link/hanmadcraforsal.html

http://crochet.about.com 

•    Treat your customers with patience and utmost care.

•    Be fair in your dealings and prompt in delivering the goods.

Selling crocheted items is akin to any other business. You will find way too many guidelines about running the business. Do what you feel is right and works for you. Perseverance, sincerity and dedication will help you establish a thriving business.

All the best.



LYNN

Amber Green asked:


Hello crochet lovers,

You already know the basic crochet stitches. Now you want to do something more. May be you want to learn more stitches or crochet something new. Well, with crochet the options are endless. You can learn advance crochet stitches to which I’ve dedicated an entire issue of the newsletter.

Something advanced and yet simple is the Tunisian stitch variously known as the afghan stitch, tricot stitch, railroad knitting, Shepherd’s knitting or hook knitting. Tunisian stitch is easy to learn and helps create a sturdy fabric-like product, which makes it an excellent stitch for making afghans. Tunisian crochet lends definite right and wrong sides to the final creation, which is great for embroidery and cross-stitch.

Tunisian crochet is different from regular crochet in the sense that it never requires you to turn your work. In Tunisian crochet, you go forward on a row and then come back the same way without turning your work around. The only time a Tunisian crochet project is turned is when you do the first row after making the foundation chain at the beginning of the project.

Another factor making Tunisian crochet distinct from standard crochet is that each row is a two-step process. Unlike crochet projects using stitches other than Tunisian stitch, in afghan stitch you pick up stitches from the previous row and then come back pulling the yarn through all the stitches picked up on the hook. In this respect, Tunisian crochet is sort of a combination of knitting and crochet.

Tunisian crochet hook is typically larger than standard crochet hooks. Think of Tunisian crochet hook as a knitting needle with a hook on one end. This is particularly helpful if you are working of large projects such as afghans and adult size sweaters.

You might have seen a double-ended hook with crochet hook on both ends of the stick. This type of hook is used in crochetnit, a technique with which Tunisian crochet is often confused. Crochetnit is also known as cro-hook, cro-knit or crochet on the double

Something you need to be careful about when using Tunisian stitch is to frequently count the number of stitches. Carelessness can lead to dropped stitches just as in knitting. Fixing dropped stitches while crocheting is time consuming and frustrating. Do your best to avoid skipping stitches.

Once you are comfortable doing the afghan stitch, experiment with using two or more colors to make colored patterns.

Detailed instructions for Tunisian crochet are given at:

http://www.crochetme.com/Apr_May_2005/reads_tunisian.html

http://www.crochetcabana.com/specialty/tunisian.htm

http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=40

Learning videos are given at http://www.nexstitch.com/Tutorials.html.

Practice Tunisian stitch from patterns given at http://crochet.about.com/b/a/171859.htm.

Tunisian crochet patterns are available at:

http://www.kimanedesigns.net/products/tantalizingafghans.html

http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/tunisian_crochet.php

Good luck with learning and doing Tunisian crochet!



SHELDON

Amber Green asked:


Hello crocheters,

When browsing through patterns and crochet web sites, I feel like crocheting very fast. In moments like this, I just want to pick up a hook and yarn and start crocheting the pattern I’m looking at, straight away. I’m sure you too would have felt the same sometime. This got me thinking if there really was a way to crochet faster.

Well, some people anyway work with the speed of light. Others are slow workers. What one can complete in an hour, another person may take one full day to crochet. What makes the difference, there are some things to be considered to crochet faster:

•    Use stitches that add height to the project. For instance, a treble stitch adds more height compared to a single crochet. Using such stitches you can be done crocheting simple objects such as bags, afghans, dishcloths and scarves in no time. While the type of stitch chosen does not matter in some instances, using these stitches only with the aim of crocheting an article faster is not a bright idea. Lengthy stitches will also restrict the types of objects you can crochet in the sense that height-adding stitches may not be appropriate for small projects such as baby booties or amulet bags. Select the stitch wisely so it matches with the type of project.

•    Use chunkier yarns. It takes ages to crochet something from fancy delicate thin yarns. Having said this, I’d also like to advise you to not feel restricted by thick yarns only. This way, you’ll keep yourself away from the pleasure of crocheting dainty articles including doilies, bed covers, cushion covers and party bags.

•    Try holding the hook and yarn in different ways until you determine the grip and style most comfortable for you. Don’t get hung up on the right technique you read in a book or on a web site. Discover what works for you.

•    If you hold the yarn too tightly, loosening it a bit may help.

•    Pay attention to the way you roll yarn into a ball, if you are one of those who prefer to buy skeins. Yarn wound too tightly will come off the ball with some difficulty adding minutes to the actual crochet process. Hold the yarn lightly when making a ball.

•    Play some music. Without realizing it, we usually crochet or perform other activities according to the rhythm of the background music. The downside with playing music is that we tend to get too engrossed in the activity to take a break. Frequent long episodes of continuous crocheting can injure the hand muscles and other body parts. Read more about the importance of taking breaks when crocheting in another issue of this newsletter.

•    Choose simple patterns, at least when you are beginner. Even advanced crocheters should avoid complicated patterns they are not sure about completing. This is so because intricate patterns usually generate more errors and therefore frequent unraveling. This not only spoils the yarn being used but also plays havoc with your confidence and enthusiasm.

•    Concentrate more on getting the pattern accurate instead of crocheting it faster. Paying more attention to the time it takes to crochet an article increases the probability of errors thereby calling for repeated unraveling. Focusing however on accuracy reduces the chances of errors so you automatically end up finishing the project in time or ahead of time.

•    Believe the saying, “Practice makes a man (read crocheter) perfect”. As you crochet more and more, you will unknowingly become speedy at it.

Cheers!



EZRA

Amber Green asked:


Hello everyone,

The other day surfing through the Internet I came across an interesting piece of information – about 8-15% of the population is left-handed. This means, out of every 100 individuals 8-15 are left-handers! Read more about left-handedness at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handed.

Exciting statistics about left-handedness are given at http://www.left-at-the-start.com/statistics.html.

Come to think of it, most equipment and systems are made for right-handed people. It surely is not an easy world for left-handers. This made me empathize with left-handed crocheters. Most patterns, stitches and crocheting techniques are for the more common right-handed people. But what about left-handed crocheters? So I dedicate this issue to helping you find crochet resources for left-handers.

Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) has a series of useful lessons for left-handed crocheters. The lessons come with supporting pictures and symbols for different stitches too. These are available at http://www.crochet.org/lessons/lessonl/lessonl.html.

More steps and instructions are given at http://www.wikihow.com/Crochet-or-Knit-Left-Handed.

Learning to crochet with left hand is same as learning a new thing. I am sure the above links will be helpful if you seriously want to take up crochet. Here are some guidelines that will help you master the craft in a few days:

•    Use a thicker yarn to learn the craft. Start using specialty yarn later on.

•    Initially, concentrate on getting comfortable holding and working the crochet hook in your left hand and the yarn in right.

•    Learn simple stitches in the beginning. There is plenty of time to learn the complicated stitches and techniques. Anyway, stitches for advanced crocheters also use the same basic stitches. Also, many crocheted articles can be made with the basic stitches. Some people spend their lives working simple stitches!

•    In the beginning, work on small projects such as dishcloths and granny squares. You can use them as samplers to learn different stitches. Because, these articles can be crocheted quickly, there is also that sense of instant gratification, so crucial when doing something new.

•    Avoid sitting next to the mentor, especially if he/she is right-handed. Sitting in front of the right-handed instructor will give a much better understanding of the technique.

•    Pay attention to your posture and take good care of your hands. You don’t want to go through the pain repetitive stress injuries (RSI) bring with them.

•    Be patient and you’ll be crocheting in no time.

Good luck learning to use the hook!



JOHNATHON