Most common mistakes in crochet

Why does my work change size? Getting straight edges

It's happened to all of us at the beginning... You start the project off really well, and a few rounds later... OMG! The work gets wider or narrower, and it looks like this:

Don't worry! We can fix it. Keep these tips in mind:

1 - Count the points

Most likely, your work initially had a different number of stitches than the number of stitches in your last round. It is very important when we start crocheting that we count the stitches in each round, because it is very easy to confuse the last stitch with the first one.

If at the end of a round we see that the number of stitches does not match the desired number, we still have time to correct it. We can look for the error, undo the round up to where we made the mistake (yes, no matter how lazy we are... undo! to get well-done work), and redo the round with the correct stitches.

2 - Use a lap marker

You can buy them in our online store. Lap markers are super useful and essential. Marking the last stitch of the previous lap (or the first one) is vital so that you can clearly see what your last or first stitch will be on the next lap. You will see that this helps you a lot.

 

3 - Weak points

If the number of points doesn't match you... look for the error first in the weak points (where the error is most likely to be), these are:

- The first and last stitch . Make sure that you have made the first stitch according to the pattern (leaving the space indicated for chain stitches of height), and that you have knitted the last stitch in the last stitch of the previous round.

- Check afterwards that you have not made an increase (knitting two stitches over the same stitch from the previous row), or vice versa , that you have not skipped any without knitting.

- Counting as a stitch what is not a stitch : Be careful not to count as a stitch the initial knot at the beginning of the work, count only the chains that you have knitted to start the work. It may help to put a marker on the first chain you make, and when you come back on the first round, you will clearly see which is the first chain and your last stitch.

The thread that is attached to the needle is not a stitch. Do not confuse the last chain or stitch you made with the thread that is wrapped around your needle.

- High chain stitches : You need to be clear about the pattern you're following and the type of stitch you're making, whether high chain stitches at the start of a round count as one stitch or not. If high chain stitches count as your first stitch, when you come back on your next round, make sure your last stitch is worked over the last high chain stitch. Also, if high chain stitches count as one stitch, to work the second stitch you'll have to go to the next stitch from the previous round - it's a common mistake to work it into the first stitch, so you're making two stitches in the same space.

- Insert the needle only into one of the two strands of the stitch. Many crocheters find that at the beginning they insert the needle only into one of the two strands of the stitch.

We have already seen in a previous article the difference between the front and back strands. Depending on the type of stitch, the pattern may consist of inserting the needle into only one of the strands, but if not, as a general rule, you should insert the needle into the entire stitch, making sure that you leave both strands of the stitch on top of the needle, forming a small “V”, like this:

I hope these tips have been useful to you, see you in another article!!