In need of a good DYI project or want to brush up on you crochet knowledge, well my dears, you have come to the right place.
Welcome to the "pulling out your hair" section
Crochet is a fun, satisfying and beautiful skill to learn, but like all things that are worthwhile, there are a few frustrating points, like making mistakes. We all make mistakes right? New crafters may find this happens more frequently, but intermediate and advanced crafters also make mistakes. It can be tough to figure out how to to fix your mistakes, but wait....keep your luscious locks where they belong, because we can fix them!
I'll go through and show you how to fix several types of common mistakes, including how to fix wonky edges, how to fix sizing issues, and more. It'll be like a summary to all that we've already learned, so, let's make mistake fixing easier for you today!
No 1...Alice, one side will make you smaller, the other side will make you grow
YOUR PROJECT IS GETTING BIGGER (SHRINKING) Is your project making you wonder if it ate the wrong side of the mushroom, like Alice, and is growing or shrinking when it shouldn't be?
How to fix:
Mark your first and last stitches. After you crochet your first row, place a stitch marker in the first and last stitch. Now as you continue to crochet you will know exactly where to place your first and last stitches for each row.
Count your stitches. Always count your stitches even when it gets repetitive and boring, especially when your project has 100-200 stitches. There are a few tricks to help ease the burden of counting. (1) Count in 2’s, 4’s, 5’s, or 10's (2) Use a stitch marker to mark your counts in intervals (ex: mark every 20th stitch), and (3) there are great little devices that can keep track of your count called stitch counters.
They work by placing it on your finger, most commonly the pointer finger, and then keeping track by following the motion of your hand when you make a stitch.
No. 2...To the jagged cliffs of insanity
YOUR EDGES ARE JAGGED INSTEAD OF STRAIGHT. Having edges that don't look right, can drive you to insanity! Sometimes our projects bulge out on one side, and then stick out on the other, instead of having a nice, clean edge. Not the look we're going for.
How to fix:
Decrease the number in your turning chain. When you reach the end of the row you usually make a turning chain and you chain a certain number according to the stitch you're using. This can be some of the cause for a bulging edge. Use this little trick to help reduce it. When using a half double stitch - chain 1, instead of 2; a double stitch – chain 2, instead of 3; and for a treble stitch – chain 3, instead of 4.
Use "Standing Stitches" instead. You may not find the "Standing Stitch" in a written pattern, it is easy to substitute and helps to keep your edges looking nice and neat. When you reach the end of your row, instead of making a turning chain, you simply turn your crochet piece to the other side and draw up a loop big enough for the stitch you are using. If you are using a single crochet, go ahead and make your next stitch in the first stitch of the row.
If your using a half or double crochet you will need to follow these instructions to make your first stitch: (video by YarnAndy, posted 2 years ago)
No. 3...A fairly common mistake
GETTING THE RIGHT YARN WEIGHT. Designers know there is no wrong yarn weight or type since they are the masters of their designs, however, if you are following a pattern, using the right weight and type of yarn will make all the difference in the world.
We have talked about yarn weight a couple of times and how to choose correctly especially when following a pattern. Here are the links to the two other blogs that mention yarn weight:
Know Your Crochet...How to Start Crocheting, Part 2 Materials
Know Your Crochet...How Much Yarn Do I Need?
How to fix:
Become familiar with the yarn labels. The pattern will tell you the size of yarn they used so you can match it with your yarn when you purchase it.
Manually measure your yarn by "wraps per inch" or "WPI". If you recently just bought yarn more than likely it will still have the label on, but if you received a donation of yarn from a good friend or neighbor or it's old yarn you have on hand, there may not be a label on it. If there is no label and you are not familiar with yarn weight by sight and feel...what are you to do?
There is actually a nifty little tool that you can use like the one in the picture below:
You place your yarn in the cut out starting on the left side and wrap the yarn side by side until you reach the end of the cut out. Once you're done wrapping the yarn, count the number of times you wrapped it and then look your number up on the WPI key.
There are also a couple of different ways you can make your own tool. You can make it out of cardboard/cardstock by cutting it into a rectangle or square and making an incision in the top measuring and inch wide. Or you can use a pen/pencil and a ruler. Use the ruler to measure a spot in the middle of the utensil that is an inch wide and then use tape to mark your section.
Here is a pdf file of a WPI key you can print and use with your homemade tool:
No. 4...On the wrong side of the tracks
CROCHETING IN THE WRONG PART OF THE STITCH. This one seems obvious to an advanced crafter, however, if you are a beginner, this is a very common issue. Beginners can easily insert their hook through only one of the loops instead of both of them and learning to identify the stitches makes a big difference. There are several parts to each crochet stitch and crocheting in one part and not the other can completely change the texture of your project.
How to fix:
Learn the anatomy of a stitch. Each stitch has a front loop (one closest to you) and a back loop (one farthest from you). Unless your pattern calls for working in the front or back loop only, you work into both loops. Working into both loops is the default stitch placement if none is listed.
The common abbreviation for back loop only is (blo)
The common abbreviation for front loop only is (flo).
No. 5...What a mix-up!
USING THE WRONG CROCHET TERMS FOR YOUR PATTERN. While you are learning the names of the stitches and reading your crochet patterns, keep in mind the language it is written in. What!?...you say...the pattern already looked as if ancient aliens wrote it...well not to fret.
How to fix:
Learn the lingo or move to Britain. This happens more now than it did before because of the Internet, which provides access to crochet patterns from around the world. Understanding how the two styles of pattern writing matches-up can save you from future headaches.
While chain stitch, is a chain stitch and a slip stitch, is a slip stitch, these are the terms that differ:
No. 6...Bobbing and Weaving
NOT SECURELY WEAVING IN YOUR TAILS. You finish a project, weave in all the tails left behind at the beginning, middle, and end, and throw it in the wash...but, unimaginable tragedy strikes!
A tail came out and now there is a giant hole!! All those hours you worked on your project feels lost, but all is not lost. As my husband is fond of saying, "Knowledge gained is worth the money and work." Now that we know, we can prevent it from happening again.
How to fix:
Get a sharp (not blunt) darning needle with a large eye.
Leave at least 6 – 7” tails for weaving in.
Weave in first through the baseline of the stitches (where your tail ends) and up through the middle of the stitchs, then pull your needle through a stitch in the row below, and back down the middle of the stitches in the opposite direction (kind of a 'U' shape). No matter how you zig and zag, just avoid weaving in a straight line.
No. 7...Reading enhances your life
NOT READING YOUR PATTERN ALL THE WAY THROUGH FIRST. We've picked our pattern, got all the materials, and now we just want to start! Most patterns will list the gauge, stitch guide, pattern notes, and abbreviations, but these can change from pattern to pattern. Pattern writing is not governed by any steadfast rules, despite best intentions. Because of this, it's important to read the designer's notes. It is possible that she or he modified a standard stitch or counted the turning chain as a stitch.
How to fix:
Read the pattern of course! If you take a moment to read through it, you can also look up any information or questions you might have on the internet or with someone who is crochet savvy, beforehand :)
You are now filled to the hooks, and even possibly the gills with crochet know-how and raring to go! There are so many possibilities to have fun with, but don't forget to stop by The Crocheted Moon and see I cooked up just for you!