Tip and Tricks for Crochet Beginner!

[Yoyoyo1]

I am very new to crocheting. I have learnt chain stich, double crochet and how to make a magic circle. I have a stitch counter but will I ever get faster and more accurate at counting stitches? I have stitch markers but is there anything else useful to get? Any other tips?!

I'd also like to make a nice crochet bowl - any easy patterns out there and which wool?

Practice. Keep practicing patterns and make small swatches of a new pattern first.

It's addictive once you get going.

Also have a look on Instagram for inspiration. I'm littlececrochet if you want to have a look.

Watch loads on YouTube and play with practice sections then just unravel. Ime, it takes a couple of hours practice /play to really ‘get’ where to hook consistently and what that looks like in terms of being able to count stitches etC. (In my case, I then lose this knowledge between projects and have all the fun of relearning each time!)

Thank you! Do you get faster, I'm very slow!

I get quite fast before I forget it all again and it becomes quite automatic. The counting becomes quite automatic too-something about seeing the pattern develop and knowing how it’s meant to look means you don’t have painstakingly count every stitch, just count up at the end of a side or something.

One tip is don't overdo it! I was already a knitter, but my first proper crochet project was a big blanket during lockdown. I got a really sore wrist from crocheting and had to drastically cut down on how much I was doing until I'd got used to it!

I taught myself in lockdown by watching loads of YouTube videos (I kept pausing them as I went).
A few things..try to relax! If you are tense, it will affect your project (tighter stitches will produce a smaller piece of work).
Secondly, make sure you have enough stitch markers. They are a life saver (I won’t mention the amount of work I’ve had to ‘frog’ due to thinking I could easily work out where the row started !).
Lastly, just enjoy it! I (mostly!) find it very relaxing.

Don't confuse British and American patterns because they use different terms for the stitches.

If you're still hooking tightly - do your foundation row in a bigger hook than recommended and then swap down to the right size. Makes it so much less frustrating starting out projects.

The speed and muscle memory will come with time.

Protect your hands - I've really damaged my thumb by overdoing it over the years.

Have a look at Bella Coco on Youtube.
I learned recently and I struggle with counting rows and stitches.
I've just learned how to do corner to corner and I love it because there is no counting involved. I'm doing a blanket which requires lots of repetition and I've definitely got faster. I only do a bit each day because of arthritis.