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!

Friday, September 30, 2005Name: Meg

Subject: UFOs (Unfinished Objects)

Comment: I know I am not alone when I say I have a ton of UFOs all over the place in my house, as I crochet, cross stitch, and make jewelry among many other things. I never could find my projects or books to go with them just when I wanted to finish them, so I bought some under-the-bed storage boxes just for my UFOs. Now I am slowly finishing them all, and I know where they all are! Don't forget if it is a crochet project and you are using that particular size hook for something to attach a note with the size of the hook you were using with a paper clip to the project book!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005Name: Pat West

Subject: Teaching your kids

Comment: In teaching my 11 year old daughter to crochet, I've found that her patience and attention is held to the project very well by listening to "books on tape" while we crochet. It's dynamite quality time! Art & literature rolled into one. Since she is a great reader, her Language teacher allows it into her reading log.

Sunday, September 25, 2005Name: Diane

Subject: Needles and anything small

Comment: I keep a hard glass case (mens works best) you can keep small needles, scissors and all the small things you need for marking rolls. I also keep the smallest sticky note paper (2x1/2) in it with a small pencil, that way I don't mess up my patterns.

Saturday, September 24, 2005Name: Karen

Subject: pictures

Comment: I take pictures of every project I finish. It's nice to look back at my beginning projects to my latest works to see how much I have progressed.

Friday, September 23, 2005Name: Heather

Subject: Where's that hook?!

Comment: I always lost my crochet hooks, one after another, until I started putting them in a small glass vase. I just keep a small (short) glass vase on the shelf, and all my crochet hooks are right there when I need then, I just pull one out when I need it, no searching through boxes, craft bags, and sofa cushions anymore.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Melissa

Subject: Crochet every where you go

Comment: I know it was mentioned earlier, but I take my crochet projects everywhere. One the bus or train on the way to work. waiting for people gets very boring, but if you have a project to work on, its easy. Even 5 or 10 min adds up. I end up putting in an extra hour in every day just from the train to work. Happy Crocheting!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Christina

Subject: age and beginning crochet

Comment: I'm glad to see a few younger girls on this site. It's nice to know you're using the computer for something other then instant messaging haha

Learn young and do it with a friend. the most rewarding way to learn anything is by teaching. So use each other's mistakes as lessons and don't be afraid to point them out! laugh about it! Most of all, be patient...one of the most important lessons crochet can teach you is patience.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Christina

Subject: small hooks

Comment: I always poke my index finger when I put the hook through a stitch in thread crochet. It's because I always put my finger behind the stitch as a kind of support. Well I find that those little rubber finger tip "thimbles" (craft store) that I use when I'm embroidering, solve this problem nicely.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Christina

Subject: gift projects

Comment: I always find, when making a gift, it is a great idea to make one for yourself first. This way if it doesn't come out perfect ( I'm a BIG perfectinist he he), because you read a line of the pattern wrong or you never did that kind of stitch then it's ok because you made kind of a practice project. Also, the person you give the gift to will think it was really heartfelt instead of something you made and didn't like so decided to give it away or something. And you can do like mother and daughter projects and such.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Christina

Subject: organization

Comment: I've been seriously crocheting for a LOOONG time ( like 13 or 14 years) and I have ALOT of patterns, swatches , scrapyarn, and all kinds of tools and materials; not to mention that I like embroidery and i love to write and draw. When I moved I realized that I finally need to put some organization in this chaos. So I bought a couple of thirty gallon tubs with tupperware lids at Cosco. they only cost seven dollars apeice and they hold all of my varios binders, cases, etc. Also, you can dress them up with wrapping paper, paint, permanant markers, or even crochet a cover. This way they also double as a little work table. You can put dividers in them and I put a little pocket on each of my covers for quick reach of projects in progress, or a description of what's in the tub. That way you don't have to go digging for your project. Happy crafting!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Christina

Subject: start 'em young :)

Comment: I am 20 and I've been crocheting since I was six. I learned a little from my grandma and then I read books to learn new things. Now I am an expert at the craft and it is less frustrating to try fashionable patterns and other things that might hook (no pun intended) younger girls into crocheting. So if you have a younger daughter, grandaughter, or neice, etc., get them interested while young because then they'll love it forever. I know I do.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005Name: Molly

Subject: taking with you project...

Comment: This is something my mom always does with all her sewing crocheting etc. projects and I picked up on it when i started to crochet. You know all those gift bags you get for Christmas and birthdays or whatever, they work great to throw your project in and carry with you. The size of bags vary so you just grab a bigger bag for bigger projects. And, almost all gift bags are super cute so you look stylish too! Happy crocheting!!

Saturday, September 17, 2005Name: Lindsay

Subject: Storing Yarn

Comment: I bought one of those shallow tubs that you can slide under your bed to put my yarn in. It works pretty well.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005Name: Joy Lorraine

Subject: Scrap Afghans

Comment: I have been crocheting since Jr.High (BTW--way to go all you young girls that are learning to crochet--The more you learn, the more you love it!), and as I am 28 now, I have built up quite a collection of scrap yarn over the years. I have tried many scrap afghan patterns, but I have never been satisfied with the results until I decided to sort my scraps into color groups, like laundry, for different afghans--DARK colors together, LIGHT colors together, and BRIGHT colors together. It does take more yarn, but the result was worth it! I combine the bright colors with black, the light colors with white, and the dark colors with neutral, and the results have been the spectacular afghans I had always hoped they'd be!

Thursday, September 08, 2005Name: Tammy

Subject: Left over yarn

Comment: I crochet alot of afgahns and throws. I saved all the extra yarn after projects and made both of my children multi colored scrapagahns. As they grew, I added more scraps of yarn so it would grow with them. They are beautiful and they still have them today.

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