When I was new to crochet I always tried to find some crochet tips and tricks for beginners which can save time and can ease the crochet experience. I am crocheting for many years now and would like to share some important tips and tricks with you which can help to maintain your interest in this amazing craft.
Crochet Tips and Tricks for beginners are which I learned with experiences and mistakes, also I have done little research and slowly I started applying those, and now I would like to share the experience with you so that it would help you too and make your crocheting experience more fun and more productive. Mostly these tips are about organizing your supplies and storing your projects so that it would reduce the common problems which one faces while crocheting and I hope this would be helpful to you. Few tips you may know and a few may be new to you, soo let’s see to those tips and tricks which can help you.
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Crochet tips and tricks for Beginners
These tips and tricks are important and every crocheter should know these tips while crocheting even if you have started with a new project or are in between on any ongoing project these tricks can help you to work and proceed smoothly.
Tip 01: Selecting Crochet Hooks
Crochet is a craft of interlocking yarn to create beautifully patterned textiles by using a crochet hook. A crochet hook is a basic requirement for crocheting. Hence it is important to select the best crochet hook for your project. There are an ample variety of hooks available in the market. You will get a wide range of hook sizes and materials to choose from. You should select the hook which is comfortable to use as you will use it for a long time till the project ends.
Basically, Hook should go with the type of yarn you are planning to use for an upcoming project. You can have a look at “What Type Of Crochet Hook Is Best For Beginners? 3 Best Ways“, this post will give you an idea about how to hold the hook, the types of hooks and will help you to select the best hook for your project.
A crochet hook (or crochet needle) is an implement used to make loops in thread or yarn and to interlock them into crochet stitches. Read More…
Tip 02: Selecting Yarn
Yarn is second on our list, it is no doubt a basic requirement in crochet as we have to turn simple yarn into beautiful textile. Similar to hooks, yarns too are available in a variety of colors and types. It totally depends upon the project you are planning to make, like decorative items, scarves, blankets, shawls, etc. Yarn factors like texture, yarn fiber, weight, properties, and color étc. affect the selection of yarn.
Selecting a good yarn according to your project is important. Check out “How to choose Yarn for Crochet? 12 Best Yarns to choose from“.
Tip 03: Turning skein into a yarn ball
This is one of the tips which would help you to avoid tangles. Yarns are available in skein as well as balls. If you purchased a skein, you can take some time and turn the skein into a yarn ball. This would save lots of time from detangling the yarn. This actually works for beginners as while working with yarn, the ball would be much easier to draw the yarn and would require fewer efforts.
Tip 04: Swatch Test
If you are a beginner or you are experimenting with a new yarn or hook then a swatch test is a must. It is great to do a swatch test as you will get an idea about the crochet hook and yarn texture before starting the actual project. This would save you from difficulty as if you start without testing you may not experience the desired result from yarn or pattern, hence it is good if you try the swatch test first, before starting the project.
Tip 05: Avoiding hurdles from crocheting
While crocheting the flow of yarn should be non-inturupped and it helps you to create smooth patterns. For this you may need to remove jewelry generally rings and bracelets or watch as while crocheting yarn can be caught on them and which is much irritable and will slow down the progress.
If you have long hair then make sure to tie your hair as hair can get tangled while working and you may find weaving the hair along with the yarn which will be really hard to remove later, hence best is to tie long hair while working soo that your pattern would be smooth.
Tip 06: Avoid rolling of yarn ball
Sometimes it is really irritating that the yarn ball runs all over the room and all the time you have to pick it up and keep it in the place again. So while working with a yarn ball, you can place the ball on your lap or in a yarn bowl. A yarn bowl is a specially designed bowl that helps in keeping the yarn ball in one place and would provide a smooth flow of yarn while working. You can also use a bag or purse to keep the ball while working this would not allow the ball to roll all over the place.
If you have cats, then a yarn bowl or bag is a must be needed as cats are very fascinated about rolling balls and this can cause a barrier while working and it can also cause damage to the yarn. So if cats are around keeping the yarn ball in a bowl or bag would be helpful.
Tip 07: Mapping the pattern
Mapping the pattern is of great help. Once you select the pattern, get it printed so that you can keep a track of the design. You may change the color and can mark the sheet whenever you want a break so that you will start exactly where you have stopped. In this way, you can exactly start where you have stopped without wasting your time and it is super easy to follow.
Tip 08: Making Pom Pom
Pom Pom is a small yarn ball that is used to decorate the textiles and add more charm to your pattern. It is super easy to create a pom-pom for your project in simple ways. Take a piece of cardboard, the size of the cardboard depends on the size of pom-pom you want to make. Wrap the yarn around the piece of cardboard 50-60 times, depending upon how dense you want it to be, After wrapping slide the bunch of yarn off and tie the yarn in the center of it. Now cut both the end of the yarn, and use a pair of scissors to trim it round.
Tip 09: Avoid changing the hook
While working on a project, avoid changing the hook in the middle of the project. As all the stitches should be constant in the entire project. If you change the hook in the middle of the project it will lead to uneven stitches and it would be clearly noticeable and would not look good. Hence before starting any project do a swatch test, this will help you to select the hook and yarn for the project.
Tip 10: Keeping a notepad
Keeping a notepad handy is really helpful when you have started larger projects it really helps to note the project’s details like crochet hook size, color, pattern notes, etc.
Tip 11: Storing Crochet patterns
Creating crochet swatches and storing them for future reference is a great idea. You can store crochet patterns in sheet protectors and file them in three-ring files.
Tip 12: Stitch Marker
Stich markers are like small pins that are specially used for crochet projects. It is an easy way to mark stitches or important locations while working on a project. These are of great help as you can mark the important stitches and can reduce the errors while working. You can also use bobby pins or safety pins to mark the stitches.
Tip 13: Hook Organiser
Storing crochet hooks in organizers save lots of time, as well as it’s organized and all hooks are right in front of you whenever you need them. For storing hooks you can use a small organizer pouch available especially for hooks, these pouches have other sections too where you can store scissors, needles, and markers, etc.
You can also use any pouch or boxes for the same purpose and keep your hooks handy and organized.
Tip 14: Using Scrap yarn
After working on any project you may get a small amount of yarn left after the project soo here is a small tip for it. You can use scraps of yarn to make grammy squares and can join them all to create a beautiful blanket or cover. You can also use the scraps to make some crochet bracelets or bands etc. also add small beads while creating bracelets this will add a little charm to the project. Thus you can use the scrap pieces of the yarn and make something beautiful using it.
Tip 15: Basic Crochet patterns
If you are a beginner then first you should learn all the basic stitches of crochets. Create small swatches used for each stitch, thus you will come to know the difference between each stitch and it is a good way to practice before starting any large projects. Start with some small projects and once you get comfortable using hooks then you can start with large projects.
There are a few basic stitches one must know, these stitches are the basic foundation of crochet. If you are a beginner then you will find this post helpful, “6 Best Basic Crochet Stitches Guide for beginners“.
Tip 16: Threading the yarn
Sometimes it is difficult to thread the yarn as the edge of the Yarn doesn’t get easily through the eye of the needle, so here’s a tip for it, just dip the tip of the yarn in clear nail polish or clear glue, and twist the yarn tip tight. Allow it to dry, so it will create a sharp tip that will easily go through the eye of a needle.
You can also use clear sticky tape, just wrap the yarn tip with sticky tape and then cut it diagonally to create a sharp tip. This will help you to insert it into the eye of the needle easily.
Tip 17: Flatting Crochet projects
Sometimes the crochet projects bend or curl up, and unfortunately ironing is not always good for them instead mix an equal amount of water with starch and spray it on the project and lay it on the flat surface, and leave it to dry. Project corners can also be pinned on a flat surface after spraying this will flatten the corners too.
Tip 18: Organising Yarns
We always end up storing different sizes of yarn balls with us. Sometimes we even forget the purpose of buying a particular color or type of yar. So next time whenever you buy yarn, store it in a separate ziplock bag along with its project pattern. This way you will have an idea about for which project you have purchased that particular yarn.
If you have extra yarn and don’t know where to use them, then create a small granny square and store it. Once many squares are ready, join them to create a beautiful blanket.
Tip 19: Working with yarn while traveling
If you are planning a long road trip and want to crochet while traveling. Take a cup with a dome lid, rinse it well and dry it. Place the yarn ball inside the cup and pull the strand of yarn through the hole in a cup, thus it will fit inside a cupholder and thus you can carry on your crochet while traveling without getting yarn running all over or getting tangled.
Tip 20: Switching yarn colors
For changing the yarn color, this tip will really help you a lot. It is also called a magic knot as it is really small and simple to tie.
Take yarns of different colors and tie a knot on both the yarns, pull both the yarns in opposite directions and this will create a small tiny knot. now you may cut the extra hanging yarns and thus magic knot is complete. This is a great way to change the yarn color while working on the project.
These are some crochet hacks you would like to try, store all your crochet hooks in a box or a pouch with a small section in which you can store small scissors, needle box, stitch markers, notepad with pencil. Also, store tapestry needles in a small box and place a small magnet into the box, this would allow the needle to stick around the magnet and will not easily fall off.
Tip 21: Storing Tapestry Needles
While working with crochet you need tapestry needles as well, these needles are used to attache two crochet swatches together. These needles are magnetic hence you can take small magnet place it in the box with needles, thus all the needles will be in one place.
What are common crochet mistakes?
As a beginner, you can make lots of mistakes but don’t worry, you can always note down the mistakes and learn from them.
- Like while working on the first project you may always count the stitches but can forget to count the rows.
- Getting confused between crochet abbreviations. So keep the chart handy for reference.
- Using wrong crochet hook size with different weights of yarn.
- Starting directing without swatch testing the pattern and materials. Thus you may not know the texture of the yarn and the created stitches are good enough or not.
- Switching the yarn color with linked chains and not instead of a magic knot.
- If you are using two colors of yarn in a project, test the yarn. Look that yarn should not bleed, this can ruin your efforts of making the project, and it’s totally a waste of time. Instead, create a small pattern using both the colors and then wash it, this will give you an idea about the yarn.
- When you are trying crochet for the very first time, your project may not look that amazing, it’s fine. Don’t get discouraged, keep on practicing crochet and with practice slowly your skills will improve and your pattern will look amazing and perfect.
- Sometimes newcomers get irritated by mistakes they make while learning crochet and give up too soon. Give yourself time to learn this amazing craft, keep on practicing, and noting the mistakes in this process. In no time you will start overcoming those mistakes and will improve your skills and create awesome crochet projects.
Conclusion
As a beginner you can face many hurdles in the way of learning crochet. But do little research and keep on practicing by applying different tips and tricks in the process and you can master this beautiful craft by constant practice.
I hope that you will find these Crochet tips and tricks helpful. If you have any other tips or tricks please share with us in comment section below. Also, share your feedback on the article, did it helped you in the beautiful crochet journey.
