Learning to Crochet

I am usually a cross-stitcher, and I lurk here quite a bit. I had a 50% off
coupon for Michaels and over the long weekend, I went wandering around. I
saw a book on teaching yourself to crochet, and picked it up. My
grandmother taught me some basic stitches a loong time a go when I was a
kid, but I never did a project. I liked this chenille scarf pattern that I
saw, and I decided to give it a try. I bought a skein of worsted weight
yarn, and went through the practice lessons in the book.

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon

"Geri Horning" ) writes:
(snip)
My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon

Sounds to me like tension problems. When you first start anything,
it is difficult to get things right. There can be a tendency when you
first start to crochet to get the tension of the yarn you put over the
hook, either too loose or too tight. My guess is that you are doing it a
bit tight.
--
Jim Cripwell.
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of one's life, any
time that is spent in stitching.
Adapted from a sign on The Cobb, Lyme Regis, England.

try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong?

Hi, Geri. Sounds to me as if you have a tension problem. Everybody has this
when they first start out. I have to go down 2 sizes on the crochet hooks to
get the tension just right. It may help you a bit if you will go up 1 or 2
sizes on your hook until you get more crocheting under your belt. Frances
Take Jacques out before replying.

I am usually a cross-stitcher, and I lurk here quite a bit. I had a 50% off
coupon for Michaels and over the long weekend, I went wandering around. I
saw a book on teaching yourself to crochet, and picked it up. My
grandmother taught me some basic stitches a loong time a go when I was a
kid, but I never did a project. I liked this chenille scarf pattern that I
saw, and I decided to give it a try. I bought a skein of worsted weight
yarn, and went through the practice lessons in the book.

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon





Geri,

It's not unusual for the first few rows to spiral, usually as the piece gets
longer it will flatten out. Also the pictures you are seeing were probably
blocked flat for the photos.

If it continues to be twisted or warped looking than the problem is probably in
the tension.

Perfecting tension is probably the trickiest part of learning to crochet.
Holding the yarn lightly will help, but if there is still a problem, you might
want to consider using a larger hook than the pattern calls for.

Measuring gauge is a matter of putting 0 on your ruler at the base of a row of
stitches to measure height, and at the space between stitches for width (clear
as mud, right? lol)

HTH,

Caryn
Blue Wizard Designs
http://hometown.aol.com/crzy4xst/index.html
View WIPs at: http://community.webshots.com/user/carynlws (Caryn's UFO's)

Hi, Geri! Welcome to the world of crochet!!!

You will NOT get a good guage for awhile. In fact, even if you are
experienced, if you don't do it for several years, your guage will be a
bit "off" until you get back into the swing of things.

I wouldn't worry AT ALL about guage. Concentrate on the stitches and
get comfortable with them. Know in advance that your first article will
probably only be worth a "momento of my first piece". :-)

As others have pointed out, tension is a problem at first - and newbies
usually go too tight. Or they go from too tight to too loose. Your
fumbling around with the hook, the yarn, the stitch, and your mind/body
can't put it all together at once.

Be patient with yourself and you'll get it faster than you think.
Crocheting is one of the easier needlework techniques to learn.

Although others have suggested it, I wouldn't change hooks. Use the
hook directed with the yarn and pattern you are using and just do some
swatches. For most newbies, it doesn't matter the size of hook - it's
what to do with everything! :-) A good first project is a dishcloth with
cheap cotton yarn - but of course, if you're one that just dives in . .
.. by all means do what you have your heart set on doing. Just don't
expect perfection and you'll be fine.

Your fingers will work like a well-oiled machine in no time. Hang in there.
Dianne

Geri Horning wrote:
I am usually a cross-stitcher, and I lurk here quite a bit. I had a 50% off
coupon for Michaels and over the long weekend, I went wandering around. I
saw a book on teaching yourself to crochet, and picked it up. My
grandmother taught me some basic stitches a loong time a go when I was a
kid, but I never did a project. I liked this chenille scarf pattern that I
saw, and I decided to give it a try. I bought a skein of worsted weight
yarn, and went through the practice lessons in the book.

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon

Hi Geri

I'm just re-learning to crochet myself And the curling frustrates me a
bit. BUT ! Then I recalled that my grandmother, who crocheted daily for 80+
years - her pieces would "curl" a bit in the beginning as well. After a few
more rows, once the shape was starting to form, it seemed to even out.

Keep going, yours will likely straighten out and start to take form too.
Mine has. Tension likely has a part to do with it. But I figure if my
grandma's curled after 8 decades of stitching, mine can curl all it likes
after 8 days LOL

Good luck !

Shannon L.

"Geri Horning" wrote in message
news:nRj%c.392059$%_6.266027@attbi_s01...
I am usually a cross-stitcher, and I lurk here quite a bit. I had a 50%
off
coupon for Michaels and over the long weekend, I went wandering around. I
saw a book on teaching yourself to crochet, and picked it up. My
grandmother taught me some basic stitches a loong time a go when I was a
kid, but I never did a project. I liked this chenille scarf pattern that
I
saw, and I decided to give it a try. I bought a skein of worsted weight
yarn, and went through the practice lessons in the book.

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on
to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are
quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also
love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon

Hi Geri!
It seems like whenever I start out crocheting something, the same
thing happens, but as I go along, it seems to flatten out. Welcome to
crocheting!
Laurel

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Although others have suggested it, I wouldn't change hooks. Use the
hook directed with the yarn and pattern you are using and just do some
swatches


This is not the advice most crochet books or websites give.

This one:

http://www.gardenoffriendship.org/~g...rochet/lessons
/crochetmarge.html

Actually gives clear and well written advice about changing hook size and
working on swatches until you find the hook size that gives you the proper
gauge.

Scarves and such I wouldn't obsess about gauge, but as you advance into fitted
garments or afghan squares for charity, it will become more important.

Most of my crochetwork I don't worry about gauge, it's mostly afghans or filet
crochet in which it's not vitally important.

Caryn
Blue Wizard Designs
http://hometown.aol.com/crzy4xst/index.html
View WIPs at: http://community.webshots.com/user/carynlws (Caryn's UFO's)

If you noticed, I cautioned not to worry - at the moment - about gauge
and simply work swatches with the suggested hook and yarn until you were
more comfortable. I was giving advice in a different way. Try telling
a cross stitcher how to do all the things you've learned to do in just a
few days. All the new stitcher wants to do - at first - is learn to
read the graph and make the crosses consistent. Once you get THAT under
your belt you can worry about the details.

Of COURSE you want the right guage if you're making a sweater, vest, or
something that requires a specific size like an afghan square. But in
the beginning, I'd worry less about guage and more about becoming
"comfortable" and consistent. You can't get ANY guage at all that is
meaningful if you aren't consistent. Beginners aren't consistent.
Which is also why I suggested a cheap dishcloth - something to actually
"stitch" but not something you have to worry about in either size or
consistency. They only last about 5 months. And boy are they worth
having - although I knit mine. :-)

I guess you didn't follow my line of reasoning: "get comfortable first."
But thank you for pointing it out, as the original poster might not
have understood, either, what I was trying to say. Getting the "gist"
of messages is something of an art at times.

Dianne

Caryn wrote:
Although others have suggested it, I wouldn't change hooks. Use the
hook directed with the yarn and pattern you are using and just do some
swatches



This is not the advice most crochet books or websites give.

This one:

http://www.gardenoffriendship.org/~g...rochet/lessons
/crochetmarge.html

Actually gives clear and well written advice about changing hook size and
working on swatches until you find the hook size that gives you the proper
gauge.

Scarves and such I wouldn't obsess about gauge, but as you advance into fitted
garments or afghan squares for charity, it will become more important.

Most of my crochetwork I don't worry about gauge, it's mostly afghans or filet
crochet in which it's not vitally important.

Caryn
Blue Wizard Designs
http://hometown.aol.com/crzy4xst/index.html
View WIPs at: http://community.webshots.com/user/carynlws (Caryn's UFO's)

Thanks everybody for the input, I feel much better. I'll just keep
crocheting away on those practice lessons until I get more comfortable.
Maybe Dianne is right. A scarf may be ambititous right now! :-) And the
gauging lesson wanted me to mark with pins, etc, just seemed a but
confusing, maybe I'll just leave that till later, but they do seem to stress
how important it is. I guess it becomes more important when it's for a
sweater or something people will actually wear. Anyway, thank you all
again. I'll let you know when the first project is done!

Geri
"Geri Horning" wrote in message
news:nRj%c.392059$%_6.266027@attbi_s01...
I am usually a cross-stitcher, and I lurk here quite a bit. I had a 50%
off
coupon for Michaels and over the long weekend, I went wandering around. I
saw a book on teaching yourself to crochet, and picked it up. My
grandmother taught me some basic stitches a loong time a go when I was a
kid, but I never did a project. I liked this chenille scarf pattern that
I
saw, and I decided to give it a try. I bought a skein of worsted weight
yarn, and went through the practice lessons in the book.

My question is this... after I did a series of chain stitches, I went on
to
try single crochet and half double crochet on the next rows. The stitches
look right, but the strand seems to be curling quite a bit. Am I doing
something wrong? All the sample pictures seem to show things that are
quite
flat. Any help for a crochet newbie would be appreciated. Would also
love
to hear how other people deal with measuring the gauge. That lesson was a
bit confusing for me.

Thanks so much,

Geri, in Oregon