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Understanding Patterns
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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 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 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…]
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 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 Join Yarn in Crochet
You join a new ball of yarn when you've crocheted to the end of your current yarn. Joining a new ball or skein of yarn correctly is as important to the appearance of your crochet work as the actual stitches [more…]
How to Decrease Double Crochet
You can decrease a stitch (abbreviated dec), which is really just subtracting a stitch, in a double crochet row. You decrease stitches in double crochet in the same places that you increase stitches — [more…]
Decrease with Slip Stitches or by Stopping Before the Last Stitch
You can make a decrease in your crochet with slip stitches or by stopping before the last stitch — if you need to decrease at the beginning or end of a row of stitches. These two methods are simple ways [more…]
How to Crochet in the Round
To begin a crochet design that you work in rounds, you first create a center ring and then crochet the first round. After you complete the number of stitches needed for the first round, join the first [more…]
How to Increase with Single Crochet
Increasing one single crochet at the beginning of the row is the same as doing it in the middle or at the end of a row, because the turning chain in a single crochet row doesn’t count as a stitch. Wherever [more…]
How to Carry Yarn in Crochet
When crocheting with two or more colors, you often carry the yarn that you’re not working with at the moment. (You carry the yarn until you need it again.) Carrying the yarn means that you don't have to [more…]
How to Read a Color Chart in Crochet
Many crochet patterns use a color chart rather than written instructions to show designs with color changes. A color chart is a grid, with each square representing 1 stitch. [more…]
How to Increase in Basic Afghan Stitch
You always make increases in the first half of a row of basic Afghan stitch. Making increases in your Afghan stitch's first row creates extra loops on your hook; then, you work off all the loops in the [more…]
How to Decrease in Basic Afghan Stitch
To make a decrease in basic Afghan stitch, you decrease in the first half of a row of basic Afghan stitch, subtracting loops from your hook; then, you work off all the loops in the second half as usual [more…]
How to Cross-Stitch on Crocheted Afghan Stitch
The crochet Afghan stitch, especially basic Afghan stitch, is an ideal base for adding cross-stitch. Cross-stitch a delicate or elaborate color pattern on Afghan stitch instead of working color changes [more…]
How to Filet Crochet Spaces
Use the filet crochet technique to create open spaces in your crochetwork. In filet crochet, the open spaces form the background, while filled blocks create the design. The spaces begin with a foundation [more…]
How to Filet Crochet Blocks
Use the filet crochet technique to create filled blocks in crochetwork. In filet crochet, filled blocks create design while open spaces form the background. Blocks consist of 3 double crochet stitches [more…]
Increase One Space at the Beginning of a Row in Filet Crochet
Increase spaces and blocks to make filet crochet interesting. To increase one space at the beginning of a row of filet crochet, you must chain enough stitches to make up a space. If you increase at the [more…]
Increase Multiple Spaces at the Beginning of a Row in Filet Crochet
Increase spaces and blocks to make filet crochet interesting. To increase more than one space at the beginning of a filet crochet row, you just have to know how many increase chain stitches to make for [more…]
Increase Blocks at the Beginning of a Row in Filet Crochet
To increase one block at the beginning of a row in filet crochet, you create two double crochet stitches for the top of the increase block. To increase additional blocks, you follow the same steps as for [more…]
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