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!

Saturday, April 30, 2005Name: Mary Bergh

Subject: Keeping Organized

Comment: A cigar box works great for storing all your crochet needs!!! And if you are near a local cigar store they are usually free!!!

Friday, April 29, 2005Name: Kris

Subject: Yarn needles

Comment: If you have yarn needles just lying all over the place and don't know what to do with them (my grandma finds them all over the place),baby wipe containers work, or even the travel sized ones could do.

Thursday, April 28, 2005Name: Gail

Subject: Stealing from the Knitters

Comment: There's much to be learned by studying what knitters do...they have FAR more pattern books, etc. Pick up some knitting books (especially on sale at garage sales, library sales, etc. cheaply) and convert the graphic designs to crochet patterns. From watching the new DIY network series on knitting (Knitty Gritty...honestly, I am not their PR person!...) I learned when switching colors to use the "working" thread for the first stitch, the "tail" thread for the second stitch, and then return to the "working" thread for the third stitch and beyond. It secures the new thread into the piece. Also, from a popular knitting book (to remain nameless here, but you probably know which one I mean), I learned to use Excel as a grid to create patterns.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005Name: Neena Hart

Subject: Projects on the go

Comment: I bought a small Rubbermaid tote to keep my projects in. The lid locks tight so my cat can't get into it. As an added bonus, the tote fits in between the two front seats in my van, so when my family and I go on road trips, I have everything I need to keep crocheting. I paid about $5 for the tote at Wal-mart.

Monday, April 25, 2005Name: sylvia

Subject: road trips

Comment: in order to take my project with me on trips I bought a big purse and it works wonders and its easy to carry

Monday, April 25, 2005Name: Jeanette

Subject: Yarn Scraps

Comment: If any of you are like me, you have oodles of yarn scraps just lying about. I always crochet them into tiny granny squares, no more than the first round, and save them and when I have enough, I buy some basic black yarn and sew or crochet the little squares together into blankets. These colorful blankets are a wonderful way to prevent yarn waste, and even if you do not like the look of your project there are plenty of homeless shelters or battered women's shelters that would appreciate the donation. One word of advice though-- check the gauge of the squares insomuch as they all need to be relatively the same size. (Mine are all 1 5/8 inch) Several different types and textures of yarn can be used (and it makes for a more interesting creation, too) but just be sure to check the washing directions first so that when you wash your blanket it won't shrink in odd directions.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005Name: Tami

Subject: Storage

Comment: As my yarn "collection" grows with each new project: I have run out of space. My solution? I have a wooden bookcase that my father made in high school and I just "stock" the shelves with my skeins. With my fun fir and other smaller items I've taken a wire hanger and opened it up, leaving the hanging part, then "thread" the small balls onto the hanger, then bend the end into an "L" shape to keep them from slipping off, then hang them on the lip of the bookcase.
Milk crates are good for storage, they stack nicely and if they're too dirty to clean, a nice garbage bag lining is good, then if you have to move them and use the crates for something else, the yarn is all gathered in a clean plastic bag.

Friday, April 15, 2005Name: Gail

Subject: Organizing

Comment: I value all of these great hints. Here are some others for organizing: (1) use a counter-top paper towel holder (that sits vertically) with a as a thread cady. They typically hold 2-3 thread "skeins" and allow the thread and skein to unwind freely. Be sure the "post" of the holder is fits the center of the skein (carry a sample from the yard goods department to the kitchen wares to try it out before purchase). (2) Stitch some narrow "pockets" into a pot holder that already has a pocket built in for a hand, as a hook/scissor holder. Fold it over and use a button or ribbon closure (makes the case about the size of an eyeglass case), for travelling. (3) Use a "lazy susan" type desktop pencil holder to hold hooks, needs, scissors. Now: does anyone have a good organizing tip for yarn and thread for a yarn packrat?

Thursday, April 14, 2005Name: ARLEEN

Subject: Tucking loose ends

Comment: When you are croceting application pieces (granny squares) it is good to tuck as many strands while you are crocheting so you won't have so much weaving and tucking of the ends when your project is finished.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005Name: Josephine

Subject: Pets

Comment: Never leave your new kitten alone with a ball of yarn and your project on the coffee table unless you enjoy picking up miles of yarn around the house.

Monday, April 11, 2005Name: Red Williams

Subject: hook storage

Comment: I bought a hard plastic pencil box (about 3 inches wide and about 7 inches long) to keep all of my hooks and my scissors in. I think I paid a dollar for it at Wal-Mart, but it works great!

Thursday, April 07, 2005Name: Cynthia

Subject: Keeping WIP

Comment: I always seem to have four or five projects going at any given time. Granny squares, hats, scarves, or cat toys, and I find that a cheap and easy way to store the WIP is in freezer sized ziplock bags. I write the project, hook size and stitch on the label part. This makes is easier to know where I left off and what I was doing. I also print off a copy of the pattern and put it in with the yarn, or make a note of which book and page I got it from, so I know where to find it when I get back to it.

Thursday, April 07, 2005Name: Sharon

Subject: hook storage

Comment: I find a travel toothbrush container is great for keeping a few hooks in to take with you. Just be sure to put tape over the air-holes at each end.

Make sure to push the lid on firmly.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005Name: Carol

Subject: bringing your crochet on the plane with you.

Comment: As we all know today we can't bring scissors on the plane with us. So I came up with this idea. I kept a finished container that dental floss was in, and use that to cut my yarn. Sure makes the flying time shorter when you can stay busy.

Saturday, April 02, 2005Name: Rhonda

Subject: keeping from losing stitches

Comment: My grandmother taught me to put a safety pin in the last stitch to keep from it unravelling.

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