Experienced Crocheters: what CAN'T you crochet, no matter how hard you try?

[yarncakes]

Mine are.. Amigirumi's! Honestly I have given up. I bought loads of fluff to stuff them with, but no matter how hard I try or when I follow a pattern, it goes awfully wrong. Head shape is all wrong, wobbly neck, just looks abnormal lol. I can crochet hats, scarfs, mitts, cardigans, blankets and everything else but just not amigirumi. What about you?!

Anything in dark yarn. Yoo much crochet while watching TV has buggered my eyesight.

Snap OP! Amigurami - Can.Not.Do.It.

Clearly also can not spell it!!

Anything with a long starting chain. The edge with the chain ends up a bedraggled, uneven mess.

Amigirumi is a complete no-no for me. I think my tension is too loose. Comes out a bloated, wobbly wreck of a thing.

I can do a complex, detailed massive throw no problem but I couldn't crochet an NHS worker figure I was asked to do!

Although I have crocheted for 40 years. I really struggled with amigurimi. Then I found a life changing you tube video called 25+ hacks. The best thing I bought following the video was the little padlocks for marking the end of rows and counting rows.

It is too easy to gain or lose a stitch and this throws everything out. I bought mine cheaply from amazon. Mistakes I made were in decreasing and slip stitching into the next row. There are different ways of using the little padlocks. I have found that when I get to the last stitch I hook the padlock over that stitch. The next round should finish before you get to the padlock. Then just unhook the padlock and put it on that last stitch.Two advantages are that if it is only one stitch out you can compensate on the next row. Alternatively you can undo the row just to the padlock stitch.

When I started, I was constantly undoing the whole thing as I had no idea where I was.

There are lots of free patterns on Ravelry which are easy to follow.

Please don’t give up. I have had such fun once I mastered this skill.

With regard to tension, I use a smaller hook than they say and then crochet slight looser.

For long blanket chains, swap to chainless foundation stitch! E.g. www.nickishomemadecrafts.com/tutorial-foundation-chains-for-sc-hdc-dc-and-tr/

Agree stitch markers are essential for amigurumi. I couldn't do it until I started using them.

I can't do interlocking crochet to save my life. I just don't get it! I can do basic Tunisian, but I'm not great at it.

Oo thanks for that foundation chain tutorial link! I can do it in double (or half-double? Not sure which.) but only if nothing interrupts me, as I completely lose may place if I put it down. Then I have to rip it all back and start from scratch again. Weirdly, Ive no idea how come I know how to do it - I don't remember learning it.

Der, I mean chaînes foundation link, of course!

I third the advice to use stitch markers for amigurumi - you have to get the counting right otherwise it throws the pattern out and you end up with a head on backwards or something slightly mis-shapen. Invisible increases and decreases (loads of tutorials on YouTube) also make a big difference too. And a really obvious one, but make sure you don't muddle up US and UK terms.

I also really struggle with anything with a long foundation chain. It’s granny squares or c2c for me!

Something I always struggle with: doing teeny tiny things like amigurumi animal feet and legs. I find it too fiddly trying to do something like 6 stitches into a magic circle and then no increases for several rows. Gah.

Ive not found anything that I couldn't crochet somethings have taken 2 or 3 attempts but nothing has beaten me yet.

My amigurumi increases and decreases arent always perfect, even with invisible increase/decrease but they aren't awful.

Although I did recently pick up some amigurumi after about a year and couldn't remember if the stitch marker was in the last or 1st stitch of a round. That that's annoying. And then about 10.rows from the end I decided it needed a lot more stuffing but couldn't get it in so ended up frogging the whole thing.
I now have 2 arms for a doll, 2 dresses and a pair of shoes

I crochet but my tension seems really loose so I'm not a natural for amigurumi either - which is a shame, as they are so cute! I do regularly go down a hook size or two for items.

Stitch markers are always essential IMO!

I've been warned off dark yarn for crochet by the more experienced and I'm happy to take their advice there.

I haven't tried the foundation link chain yet, but it's on my list so may be added to the list of failures shortly

Stick with a wip until it's finished without starting something new

For stitch markers I just use paperclips.

Stick with a wip until it's finished without starting something new

And if you don't, ALWAYS WRITE THE HOOK SIZE YOU ARE USING ON THE PATTERN!

I still don't do this and always regret it

Stick with a wip until it's finished without starting something new Yeah I started wrist warmers for last winter. They may be done by next winter...

I had two aurigurumi projects I completed in lockdown. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many attempts I had before I cracked them. I also wanted to do a virus shawl. Again I tried and gave up so many times but I’ve got it done now! I watched Bella Coco’s video but then suddenly she’s like Okay and repeat from there but I couldn’t work out which row was next! I had to watch another video that repeated for longer before I got it.

Stick with a wip until it's finished without starting something new

Nothing. 😇

Apart from not starting a billion and one new projects without finishing the billion and one I have unfinished.

@Bridecilla

Stick with a wip until it's finished without starting something new

That's no fun!

Amagarumi

See. I can't even spell it 🤣

I have just started doing amigurumi and love it but can't do a c2c!

Be consistent doing joined rows of trebles. Eg. A sleeve. I end up losing or gaining stitches. The join ends up going diagonally and is really obvious.

Same with flat pieces, always slant to the left.

I don't do those projects anymore!