Have you been thinking about learning to crochet? Manypeople have told me that they would just love to be ableto crochet, but they feel it would be too hard for themto learn. They know nothing about yarn, hooks or even how to begin.
Actually, crochet is not difficult at all. It's only hard if you think it is, so you have to change your thinking by looking at the basics of crochet.
Have you ever seen children (or perhaps you have donethis yourself) playing with a piece of yarn or string? Theymake a slip knot in the yarn or string using their fingers, then make a loop and pass it through the first loop, then another loop through that loop and so on. This is the same as the basic starting chain in crochet, except you are using a crochet hook instead of your fingers.
How do you choose your yarn? In selecting your yarn, there are five basic types: baby/fingering, sportweight/baby, worsted weight, chunky and bulky. Worsted weight is a good type for a beginner.
Fingering and baby yarns are very fine, sportweightis usually 3 ply (ply means the number of strands thatare twisted together to form the yarn). Worstedweight is a 4 ply yarn. Chunky and bulky are heavier yarns.
Yarns can be made of synthetic or natural fibers.Acrylics are popular and easy to work with andwash. Cotton yarns are very easy to work withand make great crocheted dishcloths, an easyproject for beginners.
For a beginner, you will want to stay away fromusing the fuzzy and fur yarns. They are soft and very pretty, but more difficult to work with as it is hard to see your stitches. You can try them later as your crocheting skills improve.
To choose your yarn, just look at the labels. Theywill tell you what you need to know. Some yarnseven have free patterns inside the label. You willwant to save those in your pattern collection, evenif you are not interested in making the item right now. It's always great to build a pattern collectionfor later use.
Next you will choose your crochet hook. Hookscan be made of aluminum, plastic, wood or steel.Steel hooks are very small and used in fine worksuch as doilies and lace.
As a beginner, you will be learning with the worstedweight yarn so you will want a H (5.00mm), I (5.5mm)or J (6.00mm) hook. As you learn to crochet, you will want to build a collection of the many differenthook sizes.
The problem I have found that most beginners have isgetting the hook and yarn working together. But aswith anything, practice makes perfect. It doesn't takelong before you will get the hang of it and be in theflow.
Before you actually make an item you should do somepractice pieces. Start out making a chain of about 15to 20 chains. You do that by making a slip knot by wrappingthe yarn around your finger and pulling loop through, thenput the slip knot onto your crochet hook. Pull on bothends of the yarn to tighten and adjust the slip knot. Then bring your yarn over your hook from back to front, grab the yarn with your hook and pull through the loop on your hook. Repeat until you have 15 to 20 chain stitches.
Now you will use the single crochet (sc) to make yourpractice piece. In the second chain from your hook (just count two chains away from the hook) and insertyour hook into that chain. Put your yarn over the hookand draw that yarn through the chain stitch. There are now 2 loops on hook.
Bring your yarn over the hook from back to front, and draw it through both loops on hook. One loop remains on the hook. You have completed your first singlecrochet stitch.
Keep repeating the single crochet stitch until the end of the chain row. If you started with 20 chains, you will 19 single crochet stitches in this row as you skipped the first chain and began in the second chain from your hook.
To do your next row of single crochet, first you makea chain stitch by wrapping the yarn over your hook andpulling it through the loop on your hook. Now you turnyour work so that the last sc you made on the previousrow is now at the beginning. Make one single crochet stitch in that stitch and in each remaining stitch of the previous row. Repeat this for every new row.
You will notice that there are two loops on the tops of the completed single crochet stitches. You put your hook through both those loops. I have noticed that a mistakethat some beginners make is by only going through oneloop of the single crochet. That is a variation that workswell in some patterns, but you will learn that later as yourskills improve.
Keep working your sample piece for practice until youget the feel for crocheting. This will help you to learn how to hold your hook in a way that makes it easy to grab the yarn and it will also help you to get your tensionon. You may find that you are crocheting too loosely ortoo tightly at first. As you practice, you will learn howto keep your tension uniform throughout the wholeproject.
Once you have practiced and feel you are ready to tryan easy pattern, you can do a search online for a scarfpattern, which is what most beginners start out with.Or, as mentioned before, dishcloths are easy patternsfor beginners.
By searching online you will find everything you needto know about crochet. There are free patterns, chartswith crochet abbreviations used in patterns, charts forhook sizes, etc.
I am sure that you will enjoy your crochet experience. I find it very relaxing, a great stress reliever. It is also fun to work with the different yarn colors and textures. It is great to be able to make items for yourself and as gifts for family and friends.
You can do it while you are watching TV, or while sitting in a doctor's waiting room, or traveling as a passenger in a vehicle. Just get yourself a crochet tote bag (or crochet one yourself) and you are ready to go.
I hope this information has been helpful to you in makingyour decision to take up crochet as a hobby.
By Sue Norrad of http://www.crochetandknitting.com where she offers her own original crochet pattern designs forfree. You will also find many craft resources such as a Craft and Pattern Search Discussion Forum, craft supplies, charts, and much more.
Source: www.articlesbase.com
