Want to avoid some of the common crochet beginner mistakes and frustrations? Check out these quick tips as we wrap our Back to Basics series!
Crochet Stitch doesn’t look, right?
A good friend and co-worker graciously helped me learn the crochet basics. After a quick lesson on single crochet, I got to work on my first baby blanket. A week into my project, I was eager to show off my progress; but enthusiasm turned to panic when she noted that my stitches looked different and she couldn’t pinpoint why.
After puzzling over it and doing a side by side comparison, we realized the difference was because I was crocheting through both loops of the stitch and she was crocheting in only one loop! This was how she had learned, and while not necessarily ‘wrong’ it’s important to be able to differentiate between these variations.
Both Loops:
This is your basic crochet ‘default’; when making your stitch you will insert your hook into both loops of the anchoring stitch.
Front Loop Only (FLO):
Make your stitch as normal, but will insert your hook into only the front loop of the anchoring stitch.
Back Loop Only (BLO):
When making your stitch, you will insert your hook into only the front loop of the anchoring stitch.
Straight Edges:
As I continued to work on my baby blanket, I battled constant frustration over my uneven edges. When I was finished I opted for a quick shell stitch to help my hide the imperfections. This issue could have been avoided by remembering chain the correct number of times at the end of each row before turning.
See the turning chain guide below to help you keep your edges straight:
Counting Stitches:
Counting stitches is also vital to straight edges! My first large project was a giant granny square afghan. The yarn was bulky and soft, and I was thrilled how quickly and easily it worked up. Half-way through the project, I held it up and was stunned to realize that my ‘square’ was turning into a ‘triangle’. One side was noticeably shorter due to lack of stitch counting to make sure all sides were equal.
Unfortunately, learning to count stitches can be challenging as a beginner. To help, I recommend the use of stitch markers. You can use them at the end of rows to help you keep track of where you are at when to join a seam or turn a project. They can also be used at intervals to help you keep track of your stitches and rows. You can buy crochet stitch markers, but I like to use basic safety pins!
While beginner frustration is normal and eases with time; these tips will help you overcome beginner basic pitfalls and have you crocheting like a master! Want to learn more? Check my posts on crochet tools, hold, tension and gauge, picking your yarn, and beginner stitches. Happy Hooking!
