The 10 very best crochet tips!!
I have collected the 10 very best crochet tips for you. There are a lot more tips in this blog because the different stitches and methods count for 1 tip, just as the extra tips. In conclusion, you will find my own tip.
The following tips are discussed:
3. Keep counting your crochet stitches
4. Patience and your crochet work
7. Is the neck of your amigurumi not firm enough?
1. Crocheting is addictive!
Every month I ask a question on my Facebook page CB's Creations under the theme: Yarn Topics.
This time I asked the question: What's the best crochet tip you ever got?
There were a lot of interesting and helpful tips in the answers.
But let me start with a warning from one of the ladies, who gave this answer to my question: Crochet? Don't start it, before you know it you're hooked!
The fact that you are reading this already indicates that you also have become infected with this amazing virus! Crocheting is only one part of this virus. Before you know it, you've also become a collector of skeins of wool and cotton. Just because it can, because they are so nice and soft, because they looked at you pleadingly or because they just jumped into your basket! There doesn't always have to be a project attached to it to buy yarn. Did you know that crocheting and buying/collecting yarn are two very different activities?
2. Crocheting is having fun
Crocheting is a great relaxing activity. Especially do enjoy crocheting, you are busy with your hands and in the meantime you make the most beautiful creations. Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect, after all, it's manual work. It is also not a competition, it is just a moment to completely relax. Don't compare yourself to others either, everyone crochets on a different level. You should just have fun while crocheting.
3. Keep counting your crochet stitches
You can't ignore it. Following a crochet pattern means counting stitches. Read the round or row again carefully if the number of stitches does not come out. Keep counting, for example, use stitch markers to make counting easier.
4. Patience and your crochet work
Sometimes you have to be patient if it doesn't work out right the first time. Sometimes it's a counting error, sometimes it's a reading error. If it still does not work after a number of times, remain patient, do not give up. Put the crochet work away for a while and just try again the next day. Know that sometimes a stitch too much or too little is not a disaster. Especially not if you crochet with fluffy yarn.
If you do not understand a round or row, read it aloud, often you immediately understand what is meant.
5. Weaving in loose ends?
Never cut your threads too short. It is easier to weave in a long thread than a very short one. If you make amigurumi's, it is often useful to keep a longer thread, so that you can sew the parts together.
If you have to change colour at amigurumi, you can already take the new thread a few stitches with you before the colour change, by crocheting around it. After the colour change, you can crochet around the colour that you just cut off, for a few stitches.
You then let the ends hang on the inside of your work. No one sees it anymore.
6. Colour change
To get a nice transition in colours, it is best to do the last cover of the previous stitch with the new colour.
Suppose you crochet with red and you want to switch to blue.
You start the single crochet with red, pass the crochet hook through the stitch, take the red wire, you now have 2 red loops on your crochet hook and finish the single crochet with blue.
The stitch itself is made with red, but on top you see a V in blue. This makes the transition more beautiful. Do you want to get rid of a thread? Then you just crochet around the thread a bit!
7. Is the neck of your amigurumi not firm enough?
Sometimes it is necessary to have some extra firmness in the neck of an amigurumi creation. Of course, it is not much fun when a beautiful creation leaves his or her head hanging. There are a number of ways to fix this.
- If you use a frame of electrical wire in the body, the neck stays nice and upright.
- Use part of a plastic hair curler to tuck into the neck.
- Crochet a small roll and fill it tightly and put it in the neck as a filling.
- Use the thinnest/smallest paint roller to put in the neck.
8. Use stitch markers
Use stitch markers. Not only are they very handy, you have them in all kinds of fun shapes and sizes! You can use them in 8 different ways. Want to know how?
Read the blog: 8 ways to use stitch markers
9. Different crochet stitches and methods
Among the various crochet tips, a number of special stitches and ways of crocheting were also mentioned. Purchasing the Crochet Bible or following crochet descriptions on YouTube were also given as a crochet tip to master certain crochet stitches. Below are 8 of the most commonly mentioned crochet stitches or crochet methods.
Magic Ring and Double Magic Ring
The magic ring, also known as the adjustable ring or magic loop, is often the starting point of many crochet patterns, especially with amigurumi.
The double magic circle is, as the name suggests, done with a double thread. This makes the starting point of your crochet work extra strong. Good to start stuffed animals with, which are cuddled with a lot!
Beginning up with a long thread
This way gives a nice elastic bottom edge and is more beautiful than a set-up with only chains.
For this setup with 2 threads, your 'short or loose thread' must be more than 3 x the length of the width of your work. If the width of your work is 50 cm, then the loose wire should be 3 x 50 cm = 150 cm.
Crocheting in Spirals
Crocheting around, do you just crochet one round after another or do you close each round with a slipstitch?
With amigurumi, it looks best when you crochet into spirals. You do not close every round, but just continue crocheting. In other projects, such as a beautiful lace rug, the round is closed with a slipstitch, you often start the next round with 1 chain.
If you crochet in spirals, always use a stitch marker or a thread of yarn to indicate the start of the round.
A nice way to fasten off
In amigurumi you often end with a single crochet. Then crochet another slipstitch. Pull the wire through the loop. Put the thread through a needle, skip 1 single crochet, cross under the next single crochet, insert in the slipstitch at the top. Insert the needle straight down a round further down. Pull the thread (not too tight) and cut. Your beginning/end is no longer visible!
Crocheting a beautiful circle
Amigurumi crochet patterns are often started with a circle. You often start with a Magic Ring with 6 single crochets in it. Each round you have to increase 6 stitches. If you increase in the same place every round, you will automatically get a hexagon. If you want to crochet a beautiful circle, increase every round in a different place, so your circle stays nicely round!
Decreasing stitches so you don't see it
You can decrease or crochet stitches together in different ways. A nice way is to crochet 2 stitches together by using the front loops only.
Twisted Double Crochet
Nothing is more annoying as crocheting a straight piece of crochet, which is not straight!
The twisted double crochet is a variation on turning your work and crocheting the 3 chains at the beginning of a row:
You have crocheted your last double crochet of the row. Turn your work. Pull the loop on your crochet hook up to the height of a double crochet, insert it again and also pick up that loop to the height of a double crochet. Turn counter clockwise, around the loops and crochet further to finish the double crochet.
Yarn-over and yarn-under crochet
The yarn under technique comes from crocheting mochila bags. This yarn under technique is a variant of the single crochet.
If you look at a crocheted single crochet, you will see that a V appears at the top, formed by 2 loops. Each V belongs to one single crochet. If you want to crochet in the single crochets, you insert the needle under both loops. You crochet a single crochet by taking your thread ON your needle. With the yarn under method you pick up the thread from below. So you do not put it on your needle, but grab it from below.
Your single crochet is going to look different! A yarn under crochet has more X-shaped stitches, a standard yarn over crochet has V-shaped stitches. The stitches also fill the space a little more. So your crochet work becomes denser. If you crochet yarn under, your crochet is much tighter and has less stretch.
There are probably more stitches to mention that form an eye-opener in crocheting. There are also many more tips to give that make you look at your crochet work differently! So who knows, maybe there will be a sequel or an extension to this blog. If you remember such a nice crochet tip, post it below!
10. Extra tips
I conclude this blog with a few more tips/eye-openers that I received in response to my question: What is the best crochet tip you ever got?
Begin your crochet with a thicker crochet hook. This is especially useful if you have to make a long row of chains for, for example, a blanket.
An extended single crochet is not the same as a single crochet.
Always bring something to crochet, if you have to wait somewhere, even if it's just a potholder to crochet!
My own tip!
Remember that crocheting is enjoyable and you can have a lot of fun with it!
What will my next crochet project be?
You have received a lot of great tips! Do you want to find out what crochet pattern is perfect for you?
Take this Quiz: Which crochet project is perfect for me?
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