8 Tips to get started in Crochet
In this post I give you my 8 tips to start crocheting:
1 . Do not press the point
When we are starting out, it is very common to have the thread very tight and the stitch is very tight. This makes it difficult to insert the needle later, and the fabric becomes very stiff. Keep the thread under control but somewhat loose and relax the stitch.
If you find that it is still tighter than you want, change to a larger needle. And if, on the contrary, you want a denser stitch, change to a smaller needle.
2. Count and mark the points
Especially when you are just starting out, but always recommended, count the stitches of each round to make sure you haven't made one too many or one too few and, very importantly, mark the first stitch you make, so that when you come back on the next round, you'll be clear about which stitch was the first from the previous round. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell. To mark the stitch you can use a marker, available in our shop.
3. When you see that you have made a mistake, undo it.
This is the advice that took me the most effort to start following… But it is essential. When we identify a mistake in the work, no matter how lazy we are, we undo the fabric until we reach where you made the mistake, in order to redo it correctly.
No matter how many times you keep going around in circles, it will not be solved... And it will be noticeable in the final result of the project.
4. Do not have more than four projects started at a time
It has happened to all of us that one day we find ourselves with several unfinished projects at home, time passes and they stay there, stored away in a drawer, because we started others. To break this spiral, set a rule of not having more than four projects started at the same time.
5. Adopt a comfortable position
When we start knitting, one of the most common postural errors is to sit hunched over to lean over and see the work better. If we knit like this for a while, we will have back pain. It is important to adopt a comfortable posture, with a straight and supported back. Do not lean towards the work, but raise the work towards you until you can see it clearly.
6. Buy enough material for our project
When we are going to start a project, it is important to buy enough balls of yarn to suit our needs. It is better to have too much (since we can use it in another project) than not enough, because this leads to two things: one, unfinished projects in a drawer; two, if the season has changed, the balls you buy will not be exactly the same in color.
7. Buy quality material
It is clear that it is tempting to go to the corner bazaar and buy very cheap balls of yarn to start our project right away. But… be careful! Cheap things are expensive… If we do not buy quality material, we may find that the colour is not uniform along the thread, neither is the thickness, there are knots in the thread that can later be seen in the fabric, the thread frays and a long etcetera that will be noticeable in the final result of our work.
8. Creativity
Be creative. Dare to try and experiment… Once you are comfortable knitting, try modifying the patterns you have, incorporating things you like, new stitches, different shapes, or alternative uses of the pattern.