Crocheting

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How to Measure a Gauge Swatch

In knitting and crochet, accuracy counts when measuring your gauge swatch. Before you measure your gauge swatch, wash and block it, if that's what you'd do for the completed project. Next, smooth out the [more…]

How to Make Steeks for Cutting after Knitting in the Round

Steeks are an excellent way to secure stitches before you cut open fabric that's knitted in the round. After you steek a pullover sweater knitted in the round, you cut between the steeks to create a cardigan [more…]

How to Crochet a Turning Chain

Crochet a turning chain (one or more chain stitches that you make after you’ve turned your crocheted work) before you begin your next row. The purpose of the turning chain is to bring your yarn to the [more…]

How to Wet-Block Knitting or Crochet

When you wet-block a piece of knitting or crochet, you wet it and coax it into its final shape. To wet block your knitting or crochet, you get it completely wet in a sink or basin of water. Have a large [more…]

How to Spray-Block Knitting or Crochet

Spray block a knitted or crocheted piece to smooth out all the uneven stitches and to straighten wavy, rolling edges. When you spray block knitting or crochet, you use a spray bottle to wet down the piece [more…]

How to Steam-Block Knitting or Crochet

Steam blocking is a gentle way to shape delicate knitted or crocheted pieces. When you steam block a piece of knitting or crochet, you steam it (instead of soak it) to coax it into its final shape. [more…]

How to Block Hats, Mittens, and Socks

Blocking hats, mittens, socks, or other three-dimensional pieces of knitting or crochet isn't hard at all. To block a three-dimensional piece of knitting or crochet, you use traditional blocking techniques [more…]

Anatomy of a Crochet Hook

Even though you may think a crochet hook is nothing more than a straight stick with a hook on one end, crochet hooks actually have five distinct and necessary parts. Each part of the hook performs a specific [more…]

How to Hold a Crochet Hook

Even though you crochet with only one hook, both hands are busy the whole time. Your dominant hand holds the crochet hook, and your other hand holds the yarn. [more…]

How to Start the Yarn on a Crochet Hook

Knowing how to start the yarn on a crochet hook is your first step to crocheting. To start the yarn on a crochet hook, you first wrap the yarn around your yarn hand and then create a slip knot on your [more…]

How to Yarn Over in Crochet

Wrapping the yarn over your crochet hook, called a yarn over (abbreviated yo), is the most basic step to every stitch in crocheting. Yarn overs can be used before or after you insert the hook into the [more…]

How to Crochet the Chain Stitch

The chain stitch (abbreviated ch) is the basis for all crochet. Almost every crochet pattern begins with a chain stitch. If you’re working in rows, your first row is a series of chain stitches, which is [more…]

How to Crochet the Slip Stitch

The slip stitch (abbreviated sl st) is the flattest (or smallest) of all the crochet stitches. Although you can use the slip stitch to crochet a fabric, the slip stitch is really more of a utility stitch [more…]

How to Make a Single Crochet

The single crochet (abbreviated sc) is the most fundamental of all stitches. The compact single crochet stitch creates a tight, dense fabric. You use this stitch over and over again, alone or in combination [more…]

How to Crochet the V-Stitch and Shell Stitch

The crocheted V-stitch (abbreviated V-st) is so called because it resembles, well, a V. Shell stitch (abbreviated shell) is versatile; you can find shell stitch just about anywhere. [more…]

How to Turn Crochet Work

To turn crochet work around so that you can start a new row of stitches, keep the last loop on your crochet hook and simply take the completed work, which should be positioned under your hook hand, and [more…]

How to Crochet a Row

Going back and forth may not get you places in real life, but it sure does when you’re crocheting in rows. When you crochet rows, you need to turn your work, make your turning chain, and start back across [more…]

How to Fasten Off Yarn in Crochet

When you get to the end of your crochet design and you’ll need to fasten off the yarn. Fastening off crochet is a fancy way to say “cut the yarn and secure it.” You also need to fasten off one color to [more…]

How to Crochet Placemats

This crocheted placemat pattern lets you practice your newfound crocheting skills while at the same time creating a colorful set of placemats. These crocheted placemats are a great way to add some happy [more…]

How to Read Crochet Abbreviations

Most crochet stitches appear as abbreviations to save space on the written instructions. For example, you’ll see the abbreviation dc instead of double crochet [more…]

How to Read Crochet Symbols

Crochet instructions use symbols, such as parentheses, brackets, and bullets, to represent certain actions. After you decipher these crochet symbols, you'll be able to read a crochet pattern like a pro [more…]

How to Follow a Stitch Diagram in Crochet

Following a stitch diagram in crochet isn't that scary once you understand the symbols and abbreviations. When you read a crochet pattern, the stitch diagram shows only a few rows to avoid repetition and [more…]

How to Make a Double Crochet

The double crochet (abbreviated dc) is one of the most common crochet stitches and is about twice as tall as a single crochet. A double-crochet fabric is fairly solid but not stiff and is great for sweaters [more…]

How to Make a Triple Crochet

The triple crochet (tr), also called a treble crochet, creates longer openings between the stitches. When you make triple crochet, it produces a very loose fabric. [more…]

How to Make a Double Triple Crochet

The double triple crochet (abbreviated dtr) creates a loose and holey fabric. Double triple crochet is commonly used in lacy designs, particularly doilies and other fine cotton crochet patterns. [more…]

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