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| Featured Pattern of the Week: Ruffles Pillow |
        Interested in knitting? Visit our sister site: Knitting Pattern Central  | Tips 'n TricksDo 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! Name: Kathryn Subject: Weaving in ends Comment: I have been making lots of small amigurumi lately, which are cute but require lots of weaving in ends. My problem is that I don't like carrying a needle around with me to weave in the ends. So I figured out that instead of weaving the ends in with a needle, you can use your hook. Simply insert your hook into the space that you are trying to weave into, yarn over, and pull through. continue this to the end. This helped me a lot. Name: holly Subject: Recycling Comment: Hey, im a 13 yr old and have just got into crochet recently. search on the internet plastic bag crochet its brilliant it takes about 2 1/2 hours to make a ball of yarn from 21 plastic bags and a little bit hard to crochet but WELL worths it you get your own yarn and your helping to save the planet Name: Connie McCombs Subject: Thread Crochet caddy Comment: Instead of paying high dollars at a craft store for a crochet thread caddy, I bought one of the new stand alone, toilet papers holders. The best one is one that the holder spins around so the holder doubles as storage for more TP. It is great! I wish I could post a pic here to show... Name: Julie Subject: Pattern Book Comment: My sister and I frequently print out patterns off of the internet, so we made a three ringed binder full of all of them! In large letters at the top, we wrote the name of the pattern. Whenever we print a new pattern we just punch it, write the pattern name and that's it! Name: Lyndall (Pebblesandnails) Subject: Crochet/Knit on the run Comment: I have no shame, I'll get my needles out anywhere.. Doctors, hospital, train station or even work breaks. I can even knit in the Cinema if it's basic. The only problem is I ride a bicycle! After years of trying to find a panier/bag to be a portable stash, my husband was throwing an old picnic bag/case as he bought to use for fishing but didn't. It has pencil size/Mesh/sleeve and zip open drop down front pockets, but the sealing moment was the removable square chill sleeve (Great for sudden project swops) PERFECT ! I just added two Karabiner hooks (The keychain type)to top corners and it's on/off bike in seconds. Name: Christle White Subject: Altering Afghan Patterns for Scarves Comment: As a younger crocheter, I've yet to make a blanket or even a throw because I get to excited to have a finished project. I've started making scarves from some really cute afghan patterns (Like the windchime afghan listed on the lionbrand.com site--made a cute scarf! & also the mile-a-minute apple throw). Friends are really impressed by the uniqueness and I get to try new stitches and patterns without being tied down to a big project like an afghan. Name: Bunny Subject: Doll Fashions Comment: When crocheting, (or knitting for that matter) I like to make clothes for American Girl dolls or dolls of similar size/shape. It allows me to be my own fashion designer (I am a teenager, after all). So if you want to make clothes, but don't want to do a huge project, I highly recommend doll clothes. Name: Dhes of Yuggoth Subject: Starting out and containing your yarn Comment: I recently taught myself how to crochet from books and a TV show on PBS. So far, I'm finding it a lot easier to pick up and rather more versatile than knitting. When I made my first attempts at doing the double crochet stitch, I was going out of a book and goofed a bit in how the initial loop was pulled, inadvertently creating a completely different stitch. After a bit, I realized my mistake, but just like it is in science, many discoveries are not heralded with "Eureka!" as frequently as with "THAT'S funny...." So, instead of just frogging it all back out again, I carried on with it just to see what it produced. After a few rows, I realized it was a pretty cool "stitch" after all, in its own right, even though it wasn't one of the traditional ones. I went back and learned the double crochet stitch properly, of course, but the moral of the story is this: even if you goof up royally and get it all wrong, it's okay. It didn't break anybody's legs or pick anybody's pocket. Everybody goofs when they're learning something new, and you can always frog (rip it, rip it, rip it), but even if you don't, it just might be kinda nifty anyway. Since I live in a state with high soda bottle deposits (meaning my bottles go back to the store to recoup the deposits), and I rarely buy coffee by the can, I went to a craft store and got a pretty and inexpensive coppery-looking bucket-like thing from the floral department to drop the skein into when I'm working from it. The project and hook go in there easily too when I'm not working on it, and when I want to take it somewhere, all I have to do is drop the whole shebang into my basket, and I'm off. Name: Evan Becky Subject: Pattern Storage Comment: I often found myself losing my patterns (as well as recipes) and then having to shuffle through various bags, files and books looking for the one I wanted. Now I've started either typing or scanning my patterns and recipes into my computer and storing them in a folder. Now if I lose a pattern, I just print it off again. This also means I can write all over them and not worry about ruining my books. Name: Rose Subject: patterns Comment: A lot of people print patterns from the computer instead of using the paper I just bookmark the page for when I want to use the pattern. It saves paper ink and space. And all that money you spend on binders? use it for yarn or build an addition on to your house so you can have a private chrochet room.(just kidding) Name: Rose Subject: sharing patterns Comment: A good way to share patterns with someone who does not have internet is a flash drive. You can get low memory ones for cheap. Name: dianon Subject: scraps Comment: I usually work with ww acrylic. When I have any scrap yarn left, I just add it on to a big ongoing granny square that will later become a throw. Name: Terri La Masa Subject: gifts Comment: When crocheting gifts make copies of the suggested care of the yarn (found on the labels) and enclose a "care" label with your gift! Name: Michelle Subject: skein holder Comment: I got one of those wooden accordian wine bottle racks and put the skeins in it instead. Not only does it organize the skeins, but is used as decor for a room. Name: Lisa J. Subject: portable project holder Comment: I regularly do blankets in the ripple style where you change colors frequently. I have found that if your pattern requires about 12 skeins of yarn the easiest way of keeping the whole project together is to buy a laundry basket, and put everything in there.You have your yarns safe and ready to use in 2 liter pop bottles (that have been cleaned and prepped) for the yarn, your coffee container for your needles and your stitching needles (wrapped in waxpaper) to keep the separate and safe sticking you/or your project). Also, you can keep your patterns in the see-through report cover with the spine holding the current one your following. This way, if you have an alteration to the pattern, you can mark on it with a crayon, (which doesn't come off until you remove it)...which makes them recycleable. By haveing everything in their separate containers, put the containers in the basket and the project in progress goes on top-which remains flat and folded on top!Also if you are working on more than one project at a time, (which I do quite often) the basket keeps everything related to the project you're working on separate from the other one you put down. Scrap Yarn? put in little glad containers in a basket and when the basket is full, you should have enough for some granny squares and a quick blanket! Happy Crocheting! Select a Page << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Next >> Share your own hints by filling in the form below... |
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