Tips 'n Tricks

Do 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!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012Name: Lisa walker

Subject: adding several colors of yarn in a quilt

Comment: when I'm doing a project that requires me to change color yarn in mid stream, I use hair clips and clip the balls to the blanket that I'm crocheting on. I once had 9 balls of yarn that i was changing often to create an O.U. quilt. and this worked great to keep the yarn un tangled. and made it easy to change the colors without having to tie each one on.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012Name: Kaitlyn Watson

Subject: Scrap yarn

Comment: I have been working with my scrap yarn and want to make a scraps blanket but an unusal one... So I decided to make triangels of all colors and then crocheting them together to make the blanket...

Its coming along great and I have a box of lil trianges like quilt pieces waiting to be put together.

Best part of it is even if someone else does the same blanket it will also be unique.

Sunday, October 28, 2012Name: Lynn R

Subject: Easy Pattern Reading

Comment: To keep my downloaded/printed patterns neat and organized I keep them in page protectors in a 3-ring binder with the see-thru front cover. When working a particular pattern, I take that page out of the notebook and place it inside the see-thru cover. This allows me to refer to the pattern as often as needed without the bulk of an open binder and without the risk of dropping a loose page.

Sunday, October 28, 2012Name: Lynn R

Subject: No-tangle Multi-skein project

Comment: When working a multi-skein project, a way to keep all skeins together, easily accessible, clean, and tangle-free, I use the large containers that pretzels (or cheese puff balls) come in when purchased at the warehouse stores (i.e. BJs, SamsClub). I worked a baby blanket with 6 different skeins and all fit into the barrell shaped container. The barrell sits nicely on the floor and everything is kept together.

Sunday, October 28, 2012Name: Cindy Wilcox

Subject: afghan patterns

Comment: I keep my afghan patterns in individual page protectors in a 3 ring notebook. I have many old patterns that have been passed down from my mother, grandmothers and aunts that don't have pictures. I make a pattern patch and put in in the plastic protector so I can know immediately if that's the pattern I want to do.

Saturday, October 27, 2012Name: Sherry Manary

Subject: helps my ball of yarn not to roll

Comment: First I wrap the yarn around my four fingers and then pull it off and wrap the oval shape bundle of yarn around leaving one end out . Keep wrapping till end with that one end out. After done, pull that sticking small bunch of yarn out and you will be working pulling yarn from the inside out, therefore the yarn do not roll.

Monday, October 22, 2012Name: Elinor

Subject: Joining Rounds

Comment: I was making some hats and I wasn't liking the gap produced by the ch3 at the beginning and slip stitch into the top of the ch3 at the end of the round.

After experimenting a bit, I discovered that if I ch2 then dc in the same stitch, crocheted my round and then joined at the top of the dc NOT the ch2, there was no gap! Looks great and you don't have an increase to worry about.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012Name: Pat B

Subject: Yarn Holder

Comment: Instead of throwing away those empty coffie cans use them for your yarn holder. I wash the can and top. Cut a hole in the plastic lid. Useing a hole punch. My punch is a three hole punch. I place the lid in the middle and slide it through to where I want my hole. The hole does not have to be in the middle. If you have a single punch you can place the hold about an inch in. Excellent for balled yarn and smaller skiens. Keeps yarn clean. Also slip your hook inside when not working on project.

Tuesday, October 09, 2012Name: Judy

Subject: yarn storage

Comment: a 2 liter pop bottle is another way to store yarn for ease of access. Remove the bottom and clean bottle out then insert yarn to feed out bottle neck and pop on bottom of bottle. Never tangles.

Sunday, October 07, 2012Name: Sara

Subject: Crochet Storage

Comment: Those wonderful free cosmetic bags that you get when getting a free gift from your favorite cosmetic counter in the department stores are just the right size to store all your crochet essentials...hooks, small scissors, stitch markers, tape measure and tapestry needles.

Saturday, October 06, 2012Name: hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: hook storage & broomstick lace

Comment: If you knit, save the packages that circular needles come in. They are the perfect size for storing hooks.

Also I use an english ruler for broomstick lace since nobody has size fifty needles.

Friday, September 28, 2012Name: Angi

Subject: Keeping yarn balls from unrolling

Comment: When I roll my yarn into a ball, I use those little metal hair barrettes that snap to keep the end secure. They also make great place holders, just slip the end through your loop and snap closed!

Thursday, September 27, 2012Name: priscilla

Subject: yarn and hook storage

Comment: I save all the plastic covers that come with sheet and pillow purchase to put various projects in.

I use old make up bags to keep my metal hooks in. My wooden hooks I keep in a travel tooth brush holder bought from the dollar store.

I have a foot stook bought from target that has storage space in it. I keep thinks for special projects in it like ribbon, fiberfil, styrofoam shapes. Keeps it handy but out of the way.

PS. I love this site and have been using it for years.

Friday, September 21, 2012Name: Bethany Jordan

Subject: Crochet Yarn

Comment: I have an old ceramic butter churn that does wonders from holding yarn while crochet. Even when i'm not using it for yarn, it gets used for something else. And it make a nice conversation piece.
The churn has a lid with a hole in the center where that paddle would have been, just feed yarn through the hole.

Thursday, September 20, 2012Name: Roxana

Subject: Speaking of keeping track of rows, stitches, etc.

Comment: A contributor to this page shared her wonderful idea of using small plastic-coated, colored, paper clips for this very situation. For instance for row count I place one at the end of every fifth (5th) row -beginning again with number one (1) for the next counted-set of rows. It' s then quite easy to count the rows; i.e. five, ten, fifteen, etc.

It works well for stitch count also, particularly on the foundation row. By always inserting the paper clip through the top of my stitch (or your favorite part of the stitch, i.e., front, back, top etc.) I have found it helps keep the foundation row from twisting when working the all important first row and thereby preventing a frustrating problem.

You could place a "clip" at every tenth stitch, and move it "upwards" as you work the next row - making it easy to keep track of your stitch count.

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