If you are one of those people who thinks crocheting is for older people, then you are really mistaken. The fact is that crocheting is a skill that comes in handy making clothes look more glamorous. A simple bit of crochet can add style to many things. The fact is crocheting is something that can be done by people of all ages. Today, crocheting adds a nice touch to many pieces of clothing and has become popular with designers around the world.
You need not be regressive or reserved to do crochet, but the thing is crochet needs some agility and skill to do it well. Having said that, we also would like to say that it is not that difficult to do. What you need to do to get started is a nice bit of yarn or a bundle of yarns, the tape for measuring, crochet hooks and pins. But most of all you need to have the grit to want to finish a project.
Tips on learning to crochet:
How to hold the yarn:
The key to learning to crochet is also about learning to hold the yarn in the right way. Doing this well will ensure that you can get on with your crocheting at a good pace. Once you master it, it may seem very simple but getting it right may take some time.
Here are the steps that you need to take:
Run the yarn run through your fingers. Then wind the yarn around the little finger, then run it beneath the ring finger and then over the forefinger and the middle finger.
One more way to go about it is to loop the yarn in the area of the little finger and then cross it over the forefinger.
You will then need to hold the crocheting hook like you would handle a spoon or a pencil. This way you will ensure that yarn will be able to be pulled through the hoop when you start crocheting.
The thing is that once you get the hang of crocheting, you will find the right way to hold the yarn. It may not be the prescribed way of doing things but if it works for you, then it is okay to hold it the way that you feel good about. The thing is that the way you hold it needs to help in dexterity and speed of doing things.
Consider the size of the yarn and the hook:
The key to getting the crocheting project right also lies in the thickness of the yarn and the size of the hook that you use. There will be a number on the hook to indicate the thickness and this will affect the design and pattern. The thickness of the yarn will be indicated by the name of the yarn.
The pattern and the size:
If you feel that the project that you are working on is too huge, then reducing the stitches will bring down the size. Skipping some stitches can reduce and adding extra will make it larger. It is as simple and as logical as that. Joining sides of crochet work is also pretty simple once you have mastered the basic stitches.
Learning to read a pattern:
The thing about patterns for crocheting is that they have a lot of shortened terms and this makes reading it more difficult. But with a few memory tricks you can soon master this aspect too. Doing this will ensure that the project is good to look at and progresses faster.
Patterns of crochet are usually given in terms of rounds and/or with rows. The pattern that you are working on could have a mix of both. You will get the hang of this once you get started on a project.
The difficulty level of the crochet patterns will be ranked as per the expertise required. For instance, you could have beginner projects, easy projects, middle level and more advanced. You can pick up the patterns that you are comfortable with.
Keep a count of the stitches that you have put in to keep track of the pattern and soon you will find that doing this helps you keep track of the pattern.
Keep checking on the pattern in a square so that you know that you have the pattern down right. For a larger size in the patter use a thicker needle and for a finer pattern, use a thinner needle.
Do make sure that you are reading the whole of the instructions well and looking at the pattern in great detail before you get started on the crochet project. Also, make sure that all the things you need for crocheting are close at hand. It also makes sense to start with a simple and small project before moving on to the more ambitious ones.