Tell me all about crocheting ;)

[Jadime23]

Hey
I am going to take up crocheting. I am planning to give up smoking so I figured it would be good to have something to keep my hands busy!! Plus I like making things so it's win win. What do I need to start off with? Any tips for beginners?

Welcome to the club! To start you need... a hook, and a ball of wool, or somethng. That's it.

I'd recommend you start off with a 3.5 or 4 mm hook and a ball of dk or even aran yarn so that you can see the texture of the stitches easily. Plenty of time to get small and dainty later. Hooks are a couple of pounds tops and you can usually pick up single 'remaindered' bals of wool on markets.

I'm watching your thread with interest, Jadime. I am also going to take up crocheting. I have bought several books, balls of wool and hooks. Just haven't found the courage to have a go yet.

I'd like to make a cushion cover.

There are loads of videos on YouTube. The only thing to be aware of is that some will use American terminology and some will use British terminology. The stitches are made in the same way but they are called different names. To make it even more interesting they are the same terms used for different stitches but once you have got the hang of making the stitches then it's just a question of remembering whether you are working a US or UK pattern. Honestly it will all become clear

By far the easiest way to learn is to get someone to show you. Your local yarn shop might have a knit and natter group - the one near me welcomes crocheters too. John Lewis also usually has very good help in the haberdashery department.

I second YouTube for tutorials. My mam taught me how to knit and basic crochet. I've used YouTube for some of the more complicated stitches. Some books have good stitch guides but I find watching someone do the stitches more helpful.

Attic24. Defo. Her tutorials mean you don't have to learn to read a pattern.

Attic24 may be good for ideas but she is technically very poor and will lead you into bad habits. Do you want to spend hours making something for it to fall apart the first time you wash it?
Also why on earth would you not want to learn to read patterns. You would be restricting yourself massively.

I learnt to crochet in February this year whilst on maternity leave and absolutely love it. I recommend Little Tin Bird's blog which contains easy step by step tutorials for granny squares and basic stitches. After searching round the web these worked for me.

In terms of yarn, try to find something nice and smooth to start with. Furry stuff (including a lot of cheap acrylic yarn) will make it difficult to identify your stitches and will stick to your hook. I recently made a bunny in James C Brett Cotton On, which is 50/50 cotton acrylic and it would be ideal.

Thanks ladies.... I just ordered a set of hooks and I'm looking for yarn now.... Excited!!

Sorry I just do not get the attic24 love. I think there are far better crochet blogs out there.
Eg1 In her summer garden granny square she goes into great length to describe a bobble stitch. Over complicating a simple 2 tr tog stitch.
Eg2 Again in summer garden granny square, insufficient length on the ends, asking for trouble. Just crocheting overing the ends is just plain messy and lazy imho.
Eg3 I don't like knots in crochet work as they can cause rubbing and holes. I appreciate that the crocheting world is divided by this one though.
Eg4 Neat ripple pattern, there is a picture of her sticking a needle into the 4th chain from hook and out of the 5th. Yeah really clear tutorial.
Plus for somebody who sells themselves as a crochet expert I have no idea why she isn't honing her skills. There is no need to have an ugly seam up a colourful round cushion (look at her flat circle). Learning one simple stitch eliminates it completely, you cannot see where the rounds commence.

I know this is a really negative post, but I just do not understand why new crocheters are directed to her website. Even after asking newbie crocheters in RL why they like her I cannot fathom why they do. Her tutorials are really no different from anything on other websites either.

Anyway I would suggest using youtube and books from the library. If possible get books with written patterns and charts. Even though as a beginner charts look daunting they are actually easier to read. A doily or granny square is much easier to do from a chart. Plus you can then read a pattern from any country!

I learnt from a small book called Crochet Unravelled which was very clear. That taught me the basics, and from there I learnt from Google as and when I needed something new.

There is no need to have an ugly seam up a colourful round cushion (look at her flat circle). Learning one simple stitch eliminates it completely, you cannot see where the rounds commence.

I agree. I've just finished making spotty squares for a blanket and there are no ugly seams or an ugly join where I've finished off. There are a few techniques for invisible joins and eliminating the initial chain at the start of a row.

I conquered my fear of charts earlier this year. They actually aren't as complicated as I thought and, in some cases, are easier than the written pattern.

I find Attic24's style of writing exceedingly irritating and it would make my head hurt living in her house. Plenty of nicer crochet blogs out there.

I am a new crocheter too - I love the Irish crochet and the other filet work that is done with cotton.

Possibly a stupid question - do I need to master all the stitches with standard yarn/hook size before moving onto filet work?

The finer the yarn the tricker it is to get the tension right, so it would be good to do enough to have found your own rhythm and tension. All mine comes out at roughly the same tension now, you'll get to know whether you tend to crochet tighter or looser than average.

Totally agree with MrsGWay
Especially about mastering reading charts. It means you can buy and use gorgeous japanese pattern books. They are amazing!

Can I please ask how you can 'hide' the first stitch of a new colour in a round in a circle, to eliminate the seam? I've been avoiding using more than one
one colour on cushions backs because it looked too messy. Thanks!

crochetsaves - have a search on Pinterest - am sure I've seen a couple of tutorials during my searches (staving off boredom during marathon night feeds)

I like Attic24 - but horses for courses, I can see her blog style may not suit everyone. (Bug I just met her at Yarndale so am a little star struck)
I think she has inspired a lot of people (including me) to get started on something and her ripple pattern is easy to do once you have the hang of it.

However there are so many more inspiring ideas on Pinterest so I hope to eventually move my skills on!

Ooh by the way - I went on a weekend course at the Denman Course near Abingdon (WI college - I am not WI though)
It was lovely - very relaxing and lovely ladies there. I would definitely recommend
May Martin (from GBSB) teaches some dressmaking classes there too.

Doh - the course was a "learn to crochet from scratch" course, I needed to immerse myself for a while to "get" it