Missy Beckett asked:


Crochet is a craft that has really taken off in recent years and has become more ‘hip’ these days. Perhaps it is because of people like Martha Stewart and some of the other celebrities who have talked about their passion for various craft activities such as knitting and crochet.
Something that many people may not know with regard to crochet is that there are a lot more things you can make than just blankets and sweaters. There is an amazing variety of items that you can create with just a crochet hook and a supply of yarn. For example, would you have guessed that there are crochet patterns for things like teddy bears, pillows, home decor items and jewelry?

Beyond the style of crochet that most people are familiar with, there are also other styles as well, For example, filet crochet uses thread to create much more delicate and intricate items than other methods. Filet crochet is often used to create items like place mats, doilies or table runners.

Tunisian or afghan crochet is quite different since it uses a much larger hook than traditional crochet, and is a good method for creating large items like afghans and rugs.

Bead crochet can really add some eye-grabbing bling to a project by incorporating beads into the project. This can be done with items like purses, jewelry and clothing.

Someone looking for a relaxing passtime which also has the benefit of creating useful items may find that crochet is the perfect choice for them. It is very inexpensive to get started and many find in quite addicting after they have been doing it for a while.

 

For me, the perfect relaxing evening is sitting on my couch working on a crochet project with a good movie on the television and a glass of wine. It really helps melt away the stress of a hard day at work.



GRAHAM

Lorie Grant DeWorken asked:


I decided to learn to crochet in college. Crazy way for a college student to spend free time? Definitely. I assure you that I was not as big a loser as it might make me sound though. One night, for some strange reason, I found myself on a creative kick. My mom had taught me to cross-stitch as a child but that wouldn’t do anymore. I was ready for something new and exciting.

I ended up at Wal-mart late at night (best time to go for a college student!) browsing through the craft aisles and inevitably drawn to all the cool yarns. Ok, so what to do with them? Knitting or crocheting? At the time, knitting seemed over my head and maybe even a bit “granny-ish”. Crocheting was so much… cooler. Yeah, that’s it.

So for whatever reason, I picked crocheting. I envisioned super trendy afghans and throws adorning my dorm room and great gifts to impress my fiancé’s parents. It was something that I could learn to do that could be useful in the future. I could decorate an apartment or house, clothe the children I’d one day have, and even give great cheap gifts to all my friends.
Good in theory, but I never finished my first project — an afghan. What can I say? I was an easily distracted college student. And my reason for not having finished it since college? Let’s just say I’m an equally distracted adult. But despite my early failure, I did learn to crochet and, later, I even learned to knit.

Overall, there are two big things that I’ve taken away from my experiences in learning to crochet and knit:

First – you CAN be “self-taught” with the help of a good how-to book. There are quite a few out there. Just take a trip to any store that carries craft materials and patterns. Browse through the books to find one that is most user-friendly for you. One note — don’t be alarmed if some of the books with great instructions have patterns and pictures that take you back to the 70s or 80s. (My first how-to book had some real winners — cheesy vests and sweaters with terrible color schemes — but then again, 80s fashions are back aren’t they?)

Also keep an eye out for how-to kits. I started with a kit that included several crochet hooks and tools plus additional patterns — which were much needed! Except for yarn, these kits should provide you with the basics but don’t walk away from the store yet. It’s a good idea to go ahead and buy some additional crochet hooks or knitting needles since not all sizes are included in your kit. Other tools that could come in handy are: counters, markers, stitch holders, point protectors (knitting only).

Second — it’s good to have someone who can help you. This person does not have to be a full-fledged teacher, just a “consultant” — someone you can turn to when you have questions — because, let’s face it, even the best how to knit or how to crochet book can confuse you at one time or another. In my early attempts to learn to crochet I got stuck on a particular type of stitch. No matter how many times I read the explanation I just could not make it work. It just didn’t look right.

Lucky for me, I happened to be home from college on my winter break. I also happened to have what I was working on with me at a friend’s house (not sure why — again, I promise you I wasn’t a loser!). Her mother had been crocheting for years and I took the opportunity to ask for her help. She was able to show me exactly what I needed to do. That set me straight and I’ve been crocheting just fine on my own ever since.

My knitting “consultant” was (and is) my mother. After I got my first knitting how-to book, I knew I’d have some questions. I found out that some friends wanted to learn to knit too. So we set up a “knitting night” and all learned from my mom. A good social hour and quite educational! If you’re able to find some people to do this with, I highly recommend it.

Knitting and crocheting are great pastimes. I’m no expert, but I have learned how to do both. There are some great resources out there for anyone else to do the same. Find yourself a good how-to book, and that “consultant” you can turn to when you get stuck, and you’ll be well on your way. I never did finish that college afghan but since then I have crocheted several dish clothes, a baby blanket, a girl’s sweater, and now I’m knitting another girl’s sweater. If I could pull off these projects, anyone can! So go get started! Learn to crochet, learn to knit today!



DEWEY

Terry Edwards asked:


If you know how to crochet or are just learning how to crochet, chances are you are going to be making a baby blanket. A crochet baby blanket pattern is not only simple to make, but it is also a very popular and unique gift.

A crocheted baby blanket can be made in any color or variety of colors. The great thing about crochet is that you have the option of using many different stitches in your blanket to give it a different texture and look.

Most people will crochet baby blanket using a pattern. It is very important that you know how to read the crochet pattern before you start. If you don’t know how to read the pattern, it can be very complicated and frustrating trying to figure it out. If you are really struggling, find someone who is more experienced than you and ask them to help.

If you don’t know of anybody to help you, jump online and do a search for crochet baby blanket patterns. You can get detailed instructions online and more patterns than you will ever use in your lifetime.

The library is a great source of crochet baby blanket patterns also. Over the years, there have been many, many books written on crochet and baby blankets are easily one of the most popular items to crochet. But, books aren’t the only place to find these types of baby blanket patterns. There are magazines published that are devoted solely to the art of crochet. These magazines will contain a number of crochet patterns for baby blankets.

Once you make a baby blanket, you may want to try your hand at something larger. Crochet an afghan to cover your bed or your sofa. These afghans can be made in any size and color. Crocheting an afghan could make a nice Christmas gift for someone special.

The great thing about handcrafted gifts is that they can be passed down from generation to generation.

If you really enjoy crochet, check with your local craft store. There may be clubs in your area that meet monthly to exchange crochet patterns and to give tips to each other. This will be a great source to learn new techniques. There are dozens of different crochet stitches and designs that you can produce.

Crocheting is an art form. It takes talent and imagination to produce a beautiful baby blanket or afghan. Not everyone can crochet. Just like any craft, you have to enjoy it and truly have a passion for it to produce great works of yarn art.

If you think that you would enjoy crochet, a good place to start would be a baby blanket. Search the Internet for free crochet baby blanket patterns. Choose your yarn and get started. You just never know what works of art are hiding in your fingertips!

All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active and do not edit the article in any way.



BILL

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

Libby D asked:


I’m planning on making some afghans, scarves and shawls and I’m trying to make a price range. I’m thinking a base rate plus whatever the yarn cost and if there was a particularly troublesome stitch, I’d add on for that. But what would you be willing to pay for each item? (A range of prices would be very much appreciated!)

GALE