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Arts and crafts

Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

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Original poster

Aaargh -crochet woes, please give me a hand

17 replies

womma · 03/05/2011 16:47

I've been to a two hour crochet class, watched endless youtube tutorials and still can't get the hang of crocheting...all I end up with is a woolly mess and me all stressed. I can knit okay, and that wasn't difficult to master, but this crochet lark is proving much harder.

I really want to make DD a hexagon blanket like this. Can anyone suggest either a good place to learn in London that's not too expensive or a really good (and very slow) online tutorial that you've used that's got you crocheting competently?

OP posts:

nickelbabe · 03/05/2011 16:49

some of us are crocheters, some of us are knitters.

If it makes you feel better, I can't knit, but I can crochet.

Are you left or rigth handed?
you might find it easier to do it the opposite way....

nickelbabe · 03/05/2011 16:50

left handed granny square

Original poster

womma · 03/05/2011 16:56

I'm right handed, but I'll try the link you've sent, thank for that. Maybe I need to be a left handed crocheter!
It's difficult to watch the video and watch what you're doing as well isn't it?! I think if I could sit with someone to take me through it one on one I'd get it, but I don't know anyone who crochets. I just have to persevere I guess

OP posts:

frazzledblob · 03/05/2011 20:41

Is there anything in particular you are struggling with?

what size hook are you using and what type of wool? You may find it easier to use a larger hook and chunky yarn to increase stitch visability.

also, are you attempting to crochet in rows or in the round?

I have been a basic knitter since childhood (taught by mum) but it is only in the last two years that I successfully self taught myself crochet. And that was after hours of being on the verge of screaming (pregnancy hormones)

I found a combination of youtube, Happy Hooker book and determination worked.

If I can help with specifics let me know, I have just been working on a pattern with lots of hexagons. :)

If you fancy a day trip to Hampshire crochet sessions would be free of charge

Original poster

womma · 03/05/2011 21:02

Aah, that's nice of you! I'd love to come along to your stitch and bitch group as well but I'm too far away...

I'm using a 4.5 hook and the wool left over from Edgar's blanket (DK I think?). I can do a chain and do rows fairly well after having the crochet lesson, but there were so many people there and we ran out of time so I never got any further. I'm trying to do a granny square but I get lost and it ends up looking like a brussel sprout, not a little rosette thingy .

I think what makes it difficult is that the patterns read so differently to knitting patterns, so I'm not clicking with those but maybe I should get the Happy Hooker book from the library and go from there. I just want to be able to do it, I don't get why it's so hard! I'll laugh about this one day. Thanks for your help, I bet your hexagon thingy is lovely

OP posts:

frazzledblob · 03/05/2011 21:15

if your starting chain and first row is ok is it the turning at the end of the row that is not working?

for the hexagons i did they were done in the round so there is no need to do the turning chain.

Do you want me to have a look at the granny square pattern you are trying to do?

i think what they say maybe true - you either knit or crochet I have never been able to follow a knitting pattern. Scarves and basic shapes with increases and decreases are all I can knit.

LatteLady · 03/05/2011 21:43

Whereabouts are you in London... Am happy to meet up with you over a coffee and help you get the pattern set over a coffee if that would help?

Original poster

womma · 04/05/2011 11:20

You're both very kind

Frazzled - I think I'm finding the patterns hard to get and also doucble and triple stitches...I know that to turn I need to do three extra stitches, but it doesn't come out very well. Here is the pattern for the hexagons, sounds a bit like you say, round and then the joining makes the hexagon
attic24.typepad.com/weblog/hexagon-howto.html this blog has lots of gorgeous crochet stuff and tutorials which are easy to follow, I just can't make my stuff do what she's doing, iyswim

Lattelady that's very generous of you - I work near KX and live in SE London. I think sitting with someone and having a go at the pattern would set me on the right road, and I'd be extremely grateful if that were possible.

Happy hooking!

OP posts:

LatteLady · 04/05/2011 15:18

Hi Womma

Let me know when and where would suit you... drop me a PM and maybe we could have a chat on the phone and sort out a meeting.

Original poster

womma · 04/05/2011 21:06

Thank you LL, will pm you tomorrow xx

OP posts:

frazzledblob · 04/05/2011 21:35

fingers crossed lattelady can get you going. If you want any more help with crochet / patterns give us a shout as I am always looking for a good excuse to do more crochet!

nometime · 04/05/2011 21:42

I knit and crochet all the time and love it - the blanket looks fab.

Just looked at OP's link to blanket a bit more closely and it looks familiar - is it an American pattern? 'cos their terminology is different and that may be causing you a problem. It's quite an ambitious project for a beginner, how about a 9 granny square cusion to start.

For the people I help I always recommend a good picture book to start with. You can do it all slowly following the pictures.

Shout if you need help.

Original poster

womma · 04/05/2011 22:07

Thank you, you very lovely lot!

I know the blanket is a bit ambitious, but I'm aiming high! The hexagon blanket is from a UK blog and she's written it out so it's a bit easier to read than a regular crochet pattern (it could be in Korean for the sense it makes to me though...) there's a link on her blog to a Flickr site that's just crocheted hexagons...gorgeous

I'm going on holiday soon, and will take my hook and some wool and the little crochet book I bought (very fuddy duddy stuff to make in it though, nothing inspiring) and try to get to grips with the basics with that. Thanks very much for all your help

OP posts:

nickelbabe · 05/05/2011 11:37

she's made it a bit more complicated by putting both british and american terms in!
it's the second one - so where she says dc/tr, she means that it's american double, and british treble.

with things like that, I find it easier to copy the pattern into word and replace all the american terms with british terms.

Hope your session with LatteLady goes well today!

nickelbabe · 05/05/2011 11:37

(or if I learnt to read....
your session whenever it will be )

nickelbabe · 05/05/2011 11:38

anyway, you could always do it with each hexagon in a singel colour, and have the colour come from the different hexagons.
I find changing colours really hard.

Original poster

womma · 05/05/2011 21:09

Thanks, that's a good tip to change the pattern, and single colour hexagons with different coloured edging sounds nice too....I'm going to have to stop looking at that lovely crochet blog for a bit, it's making me feel very frustrated!

I think LatteLady's very kind offer will get me on the right track though, I'll come back and post a picture of my first crocheted mile of hexagons by Christmas!

OP posts:

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