|
| Featured Pattern of the Week: Pretty Frilly Flower Bookmark |
        Interested in knitting? Visit our sister site: Knitting Pattern Central  | Tips 'n TricksDo you have a helpful hint or handy trick that will make any aspect of crocheting easier? Share it! Post ideas on scrap yarn usages, stitch markers, starching, hook organization, color changing, maintaining your sanity while following a difficult pattern, etc. There is most probably someone out there that will benefit from your help. Need ideas yourself? Read others' comments--we all live and learn! Name: Anon Subject: spot checks Comment: Hold your work up to the light at intervals. It makes it easier to spot any mistakes and do stitch counts. Name: Karen Subject: yarn clean and safe Comment: I use a sturdy brown paper bag, sitting on the floor to keep my ball or skein of yarn in as I crochet. It is the greatest--better than the liter bottles or purchased containers. I fold the top down several inches to make a smooth top. Your yarn can bounce around and NEVER leave the large bag. Cheap too!!! Name: shay Subject: yarn Comment: in stead of buying lots of wools for different projects, why not make the project out of a white washable yarn and buy some cheap dye! then you won't end up with lots of wools that you used for small projects and dye doesn't cost much! Name: chaya Subject: crochet Comment: to make it easier and faster to crochet never ever make the chains or any thing else tight. but don't make it too loose or else you'll have big holes Name: Tracy B Subject: hooks Comment: I use clay that you can bake in the oven to put around my hooks to make them easier to handle, You just put it on anyway that fits your hand and bake according to manufacture's directions. Name: shay Subject: bead crochet Comment: when you are threading beads on to yarn, use a thin wool needle and a bead with a wide hole. if you do this, then the end of the yarn will not fray. shay Name: shay Subject: hook storer Comment: for an easy hook storer just crochet a large rectangle, fold in half and sew the open sides together. Make a tie by threading a piece of wool with a big bead on one end and a loop on the other (wrap wool around the bead. Tie a reef knot (but keep the wool a liiiitle bit bigger than the bead) and pull tight). Ta-da! simple hook storer! P.S. use any wool and any hook) shay Name: Meagan Subject: ball winder Comment: one day i saw an ad for a ball winder in a knit/crochet catalog and later that day i saw my sons old bike lying around in the garage had an idea. what i did was put the bike on its side with the wheels in the air and hot glued a a piece of pvc to the wheel that connected to the chain and when you turn the pedals you have an instant ball winder. This was using his old bike from when he was 5 or 6 but i bet any old bike would do. he is now 16 and we both love to knit and crochet together. Name: Raquel Subject: Making Slippers Comment: I've been planning on making some slippers but needed to make the bottom skid-proof. I'd read about a kind of "glue" some people had been using on the bottoms so last time I went to Joann's I asked a clerk about it. To my most pleasant surprise she took me to the fabric section and showed me a big roll of this wide rubbery material and told me "this is what people are using". Turns out it's the SAME thing sold at dollar stores for lining shelves (and as placemats), and since so little is needed for a pair of slippers one placemat would do. I just saw some today and I think it should be fairly easy to attach this "sole" to the bottom part. I also read somewhere that to make them more comfy one can put a shoe insole in between two layers of bottoms. I can't wait to try both of these tips myself! Name: Paige Subject: Scraps Comment: Every one collects small balls of yarn or leftovers, and most may end up just throwing them away, knowing that nothing they will probably ever make will be small enough to be able to use that old yarn. Well actually, all you have to do is find a pretty motif pattern, and you can make a big afghan out of all your scrap yarns! It keeps you crocheting in-between certain projects, and you use up your scraps. I am now looking for a motif pattern. Byee! :-D Name: TG Subject: yarn holder Comment: I use an "iced tea" jar to hold my yarn that I've put into balls. The lid already has a hole that I can snap shut to hold the yarn in place when I'm not working with it. They are larger than the expensive plastic ones you can buy, so you can fit a larger ball of yarn in them. You can also remove the spout and cover the hole (inside and out) with tape. I love it! Name: Paige Subject: Ready Box Comment: I have started keeping all my crochet stuff in a box (like a shoe box, but slightly different). I have a bunch of patterns (ones I've written down, and the ones you get off the skeins, and the free ones they have sometimes) in there, all my hooks, stitch markers, foldable scissors, and stuff like that, I have in an old make-up bag, and it all just sits in the box, and I even have room for two skeins of yarn. This helps a lot to keep my stuff in one place and not scattered all over the place, as well as easy to carry along with me. Hope this helps someone. Name: Becky Subject: cats and yarn Comment: always keep your yarn away from your cats, because they can eat the yarn, and it can wrap around their intestines. Name: crochet princess Subject: I love it!!!!!!! Comment: knitting and crochet are my favorite past times! I just taught my boyfriend, and he loves it as much as I do! I am 17 years old. Name: MarY Beth Graves, Mo. Subject: Sorting Yarn and To take it on the go. Comment: Every time I am at the check out, at my local dept. store, I pick up a box of large zip-lock bags. Large enough to hold a skein of yarn, or several little ones. I insert yarn to keep dry, Zip it up, place heavy duty tape on in and outside, thread yarn through for sorting etc. It is great to take with you on the go, since it is sealed, I can add pattern, and hook, etc, on the go, and keeps yarn dry and clean!!! Select a Page << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Next >> Share your own hints by filling in the form below... |
   |
|