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!

Sunday, June 01, 2008Name: 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.

Thursday, May 29, 2008Name: 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

Tuesday, May 20, 2008Name: 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

Saturday, May 17, 2008Name: 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.

Saturday, May 17, 2008Name: 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!

Saturday, May 17, 2008Name: 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

Wednesday, May 14, 2008Name: 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!

Sunday, May 11, 2008Name: 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.

Sunday, May 04, 2008Name: 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.

Saturday, May 03, 2008Name: 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.

Thursday, April 24, 2008Name: 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!!!

Saturday, April 19, 2008Name: Joy

Subject: Hook container

Comment: I recently bought a cylindrical or tube-like plastic traveling case for my toothbrush, and noticed that my hooks fit very nicely in them! Durable, low-cost & fits in a handbag if you want to take your hooks around with you.

Saturday, April 19, 2008Name: Joy

Subject: stitch markers & stitch holder

Comment: When I couldn't find the stitch markers I liked, I bought several large safety pins (the thick kind) and rubbed the sharp tips against a whetstone (a file will maybe do the trick, too) until the points became nicely rounded, so they won't snag on the yarn. This modified safety pin also comes in handy whenever I need to remove my hook from an unfinished project -- I just slip it into the last loop, and it prevents my work from unraveling.

Saturday, April 19, 2008Name: Joy

Subject: hook grip

Comment: My hands used to ache from holding tiny, thin hooks, so one day I bought a set of hair curlers made of plastic foam. First I cut a foam curler in half, then removed the hard plastic bits from the ends, using a small pair of long-nosed pliers. With one of my steel hooks, I carefully bored a hole straight down the middle of the curler until the hook came out the other end, and presto: the hook now has a soft, comfy grip!

Thursday, April 17, 2008Name: CLLinda

Subject: Scissors

Comment: In the fall, when shopping for school supplies for my kids, I pick up a few extra pairs of rounded scissors to keep for cutting threads. They are cheap but useful tools to have around.

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