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I taught myself how to crochet last year and I've since made a couple blankets and scarves. I've also made some throw rugs out of old sheets from the thrift store. Recently I saw some filet crochet stuff on the internet and I was intrigued. I wanted to make my grandmother something for Christmas using the technique, but I didn't want to start out with a huge pattern without trying it first. I also wanted to be able to use whatever my first try was, so I didn't want it to be super lame/old lady-ish. I drew up an easy chart and made this: It's pretty sloppy, but I'm happy with the outcome. I'll probably end up framing it so my cat doesn't try to eat it.
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Aug 9, 2009 18:35
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My grandmother apparently crocheted like that a lot because after she passed, we found a drawer full of squares with cats and geese and stuff. I want to learn filet but I'm afraid that it'll be too tedious/frustrating. Did it take long to finish?
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Aug 9, 2009 18:41
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It didn't take long at all. I started it last night and finished it with the edging this morning. It actually goes pretty quickly because it's just chaining and double crocheting. Following the pattern is a little strange, though, since you have to read each row the opposite of what you read the last (first row - left to right, second - right to left, third - left to right, etc.) in order to get the pattern to match up.
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Aug 9, 2009 19:20
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Maybe someone can give me a suggestion here, I seem to be having problems with the single crochet stitch. I can get my first chain stitch down, but as soon as I start the next row the the single crochet stitch, things start to go wrong. After a few rows it starts to be shaped like a trapezoid. What am I doing wrong here?
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Aug 9, 2009 20:11
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Are you making one extra chain stitch at the end of every row so that the first single crochet in the next row has enough room to live in? If that's not what's wrong, maybe you're accidentally putting more than one stitch into the stitch below it, or maybe you're skipping some. Try counting each row to make sure that there are the same number of stitches as the row below. Finally, here's the video I learned to single crochet from. It has super-sized tools, slow-motion and everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hwHtyJFMf0 lemonlime fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Aug 9, 2009 |
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Aug 9, 2009 20:36
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lemonlime posted:Are you making one extra chain stitch at the end of every row so that the first single crochet in the next row has enough room to live in? If that's not what's wrong, maybe you're accidentally putting more than one stitch into the stitch below it, or maybe you're skipping some. Try counting each row to make sure that there are the same number of stitches as the row below. I was forgetting the chain stitch at the beginning of each row. I got confused because one video I watched showed making the chain stitch, but another didn't. At any rate the video you linked is far better than anything I found, thanks!
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Aug 9, 2009 21:45
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How do I carry two colors along to do some sort of checkerboard thing? I read that you are supposed to sew the thread of the color not currently being worked on top of the current row, and switch over on the last part of the sc. I do that, and I get the colors to change, but i still see the single thread of the wrong color perpetuating through the row. Is that normal? Is there a way I can make the wrong color thread all stay on the same side at least (for a good and bad side)? When I make a new row and turn, the bad side reverses to the other side.
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Aug 9, 2009 22:55
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^^I'd like to know this too, please.  Ragnar Danneskjold posted:I was forgetting the chain stitch at the beginning of each row. I got confused because one video I watched showed making the chain stitch, but another didn't. At any rate the video you linked is far better than anything I found, thanks!
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Aug 9, 2009 23:06
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lemonlime posted:I found the pattern on Crochet Pattern Central - it's the Cat and Mouse linked in the amigurumi section. Could someone please explain the ch 2 sc 6 into 2nd chain from hook? I really can't find where that entry point is after the 2nd or 3rd sc. Maybe it is because i am using the wrong hook size?
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Aug 10, 2009 03:32
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Chin Strap posted:Could someone please explain the ch 2 sc 6 into 2nd chain from hook? I really can't find where that entry point is after the 2nd or 3rd sc. Maybe it is because i am using the wrong hook size? That took me a while. Make your slip knot. Chain one and try to maybe keep a finger nail on it. Chain another. The first chain is the one you want to work into. Sometimes I can find the first chain really easily, other times I think I go into the slip knot. The last time I started I chained three and pulled the slipknot tight so that the second chain became the first. Or maybe you mean the 2nd or 3rd of the 6sc. In that case, the hole/area you're going into should be pretty obvious because it has a couple of stitches already. Do you have any stitch markers or safety pins? Maybe stick one where you should be going and use that as your guide.
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Aug 10, 2009 04:41
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I have been crocheting like it's nobodies business, and I am making some fair progress in a knit cap!
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Aug 10, 2009 04:54
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porcupinecake posted:Filet crochet. I'm working on a baby blanket for my sister-in-law using the filet style. The bunny panel is from the original pattern, but I had to adapt all the other animals. The back and forth aspect is really tedious... but after I mapped out the panels with graph paper and got to work, the first complete row of panels took about two days to finish. 
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Aug 10, 2009 13:39
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How do you get such defined holes between stitches? My stuff is stitching together, but there is no real definition between each stitch, as far as holes go. Does yarn size play a role in this? Or is it just something that will come with practice?
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Aug 10, 2009 15:09
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Ragnar Danneskjold posted:How do you get such defined holes between stitches? My stuff is stitching together, but there is no real definition between each stitch, as far as holes go. Does yarn size play a role in this? Or is it just something that will come with practice? It might have to do with the size of your chain loop. So when you're doing the double crochet, and then you chain another loop, and then do your next double crochet. I make sure that my loop in between each double crochet doesn't shrink, if that makes sense? So the chaining loops end up being the same size as the top of the double crocheted lines. Hope that helps.
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Aug 10, 2009 16:02
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madlilnerd posted:There is one thing in crochet I just haven't gotten the hang of yet though: How do I store it without the hook slipping out and it all coming undone? Currently I just make a load of extra sacrificial chain before I put it away, in the hope that I will be able to catch my loop before it reaches actual work. Plastic stitch markers are your friend. I always have loads of projects on the go so these things are all over the place. I just hook one in the last loop before I put it down, it rarely slides out. Lots of lovely filet going on there - not something I've tried myself, crochet thread is not well-stocked here, it seems.
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Aug 11, 2009 11:17
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discordiaskitten posted:Plastic stitch markers are your friend. I always have loads of projects on the go so these things are all over the place. I just hook one in the last loop before I put it down, it rarely slides out. And make sure you get the right kind. The circular ones meant for knitting either won't work or will be a bitch. You want split ring or locking ring ones.  The two kinds at the top are good. The ones at the bottom are bad. There are also round ones that are like key rings. Usable, but a pain in the rear end. Or you could use safety pins. Or the expensive hand made crochet stitch markers that are all over the place online. But you're best bet is to find a coupon for Michael's or JoAnn and get the locking or split ones. I've got locking markers and use them to hold my last stitch as well when I'm putting things down. You can also make some out of vinyl-coated paper clips I've finished most of the work on my first amigurumi. It's two peas in a pod and the peas are different sizes. Relaxing a bit while making them didn't make the fabric itself have bigger holes but it made the end product bigger. Sometimes I make stitches so tight I can't get the hook through without a fight. Now I know I can loosen up without hurting the toy.
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Aug 11, 2009 17:37
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Devi posted:The two kinds at the top are good. The ones at the bottom are bad. quote:Sometimes I make stitches so tight I can't get the hook through without a fight. Now I know I can loosen up without hurting the toy.
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Aug 11, 2009 19:14
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discordiaskitten posted:I have the ones on the right - only ones I could find in Hobbycraft, actually, oddly I've never seen plastic knitting markers. I also use them for counting out rows; when I've got a complex or large pattern I'll hook one in where I've done an increase or decrease, or every 20 stitches along a row so I only have to count the markers, not the stitches. Got a 180-stitch/row cardigan going on atm - 18 rows of it, brrr. I'd never be able to do anything without markers! The locking ones are great for amigurumi or at least for me since I can't accidently knock them off. I'd like to have the other kind to use like you do but I'll hold off until I do something larger. Or lose more of mine. discordiaskitten posted:Have you tried going up a hook size (probably, I guess, but might be a tip for newbies)? I know I work tightly so I always go up .5mm for amigurumi; for clothing there's no way I can get away without a tension swatch. Sometimes I have to go up as much as 1.5mm to get it right. I haven't tried that yet. I think if I can keep myself loose I'll be okay. The hook I've been using is the only one with a comfort handle so I have some incentive to relax. I'd kill myself using a normal hook right now. There aren't nearly as many crochet accessories as there are knitting ones but I'll be damned if I don't want them all. I thought one comfort hook would be fine, but I want another. I thought one package of markers would be fine. Now I want a ball winder. It's never going to end.
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Aug 11, 2009 20:26
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Devi posted:There aren't nearly as many crochet accessories as there are knitting ones but I'll be damned if I don't want them all. I thought one comfort hook would be fine, but I want another. I thought one package of markers would be fine. Now I want a ball winder. It's never going to end. You haven't been bitten by the yarn bug yet? Seriously, I go into Hobby Lobby and just smell the yarn sometimes... I'm so addicted. I just use Safety Pins for markers. Cheaper and more multi-useful.
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Aug 11, 2009 21:45
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Well I'm almost done with my mouse. This is my first project. How do i weave in the loose ends and join the ear with the body? The instructions here just says weave in loose ends and sew to body. Also how do I embroider the nose?
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Aug 12, 2009 02:23
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Can anyone give me some advice on sizing things? I made a beanie from the following pattern: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2008/01/beanie.html It came out, but it's crazy small! I know it says you can add another chain to make it bigger, but is there a good way to gauge HOW much bigger it will make it? Going off that pattern, this beanie is like child sized, and I am pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong while crocheting it together!
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Aug 12, 2009 03:29
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BrideOfUglycat posted:You haven't been bitten by the yarn bug yet? Seriously, I go into Hobby Lobby and just smell the yarn sometimes... I'm so addicted. I'm getting there. At night I get the urge to go yarn shopping. A yarn store around here went out of business and I was by twice to get stuff. Now I'm watching sales so I can stock up on solids. And I've been petting yarn for a long time now. Since back when I was trying to knit. Ragnar Danneskjold posted:Can anyone give me some advice on sizing things? I made a beanie from the following pattern: Try with a bigger hook. That should make the end product bigger. I think. Chin Strap posted:Well I'm almost done with my mouse. This is my first project. How do i weave in the loose ends and join the ear with the body? The instructions here just says weave in loose ends and sew to body. The loose ends of the body can just be poked back into the body. A big plastic needle is great for that and for the weaving. To weave, just thread the yarn onto the needle and sew it in and out along some stitches. Use another piece of yarn and the needle to sew the ears on. RoxyCraft has a tutorial on attaching limbs that may help. For the nose, get some embroidery thread and an embroidery needle and just make some stitches. It looks like that nose is just some back and forth.
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Aug 12, 2009 04:14
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Ragnar Danneskjold posted:Can anyone give me some advice on sizing things? I made a beanie from the following pattern: Really easy way to resize anything- use fatter yarn and larger hook. This does take some guesswork though :/
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Aug 12, 2009 07:14
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Well between a few small experiments, and the beanie, my first roll of yarn is completely gone. So maybe I will go by the fabric store on the way home from work and pick up something a little bigger. Although their selection really sucked. 
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Aug 12, 2009 15:12
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Ragnar Danneskjold posted:Well between a few small experiments, and the beanie, my first roll of yarn is completely gone. So maybe I will go by the fabric store on the way home from work and pick up something a little bigger. Although their selection really sucked. :smith: Why don't you just unravel the first try and reuse the yarn?
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Aug 12, 2009 21:50
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Devi posted:Why don't you just unravel the first try and reuse the yarn? My stitch sizing isn't uniform, so there are a lot of spots where it will just knot up. That and I am not really a fan of the color anymore.
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Aug 12, 2009 22:58
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My first finished object! Lion Brand has a lot of amigurumi patterns for free on their site and some are really cute (some are really stupid). They have a pattern for Two Peas in a Pod. It's adorable and the peas are a bridge and groom. One of my coworkers is getting married soon and I was able to get most of a ball done for an octopus so I figured I'd try this. Had to eventually finish the octopus ball to use the yarn for the pod, but this is my first fully finished thing. I don't ever want to use embroidery floss for faces again. I'm going to get a bunch of safety eyes soon. I'm not thrilled with the mouths but they're not bad, I think. Now I need to make tentacles. For the octopus. Not for the peas to freak out my coworker.
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Aug 12, 2009 23:21
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I love to crochet! I had no idea there was a subforum for this sort of stuff, I'm so excited! I love to do amigurumi and afghans!  Comedy and Tragedy, in cupcakes.  An awesome starghan made with I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby.  A gift I made, I just loved the way it turned out, its a star stitch.  And a firefly cupcake. Woo!
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Aug 14, 2009 19:43
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Ha ha, I crochet, usually make hats for my friends and family when it starts getting cold. Gives me something to do when I'm bored. Also I have a big head, so finding caps that cover my ears is difficult at best. Ah well, glad that I'm not the only one that does this.
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Aug 15, 2009 02:09
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I finished my beanie, and I think it came out really well! It is a lot more even when it is on my head, but I am not posting a picture of myself wearing it! Also sorry for the crappy cell phone picture, I can't find my digital camera!
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Aug 15, 2009 05:06
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I am in the process of making a really neat messenger bag for a friend. I'm a beginning crochet-er, and having fun just winging it as I go. I am a tiny bit terrified that it won't turn out as neat as the picture I have in my head...is that weird? I'm using Red Heart (ugh), because it's what I had lying around. I have a few questions for more experienced people. I bought some cheap black fabric to make a liner for the inside. However, with the chunky look of the purse, and the fact that I've never put a liner in anything, I'm not sure how to put it in without the stitches being very noticeable. Is there a way to avoid this? My other question is - I'm putting black trim around the whole outside, however my edges do not look nearly as clean as others I've looked up, so I'm kind of winging where I put the SC to make it look ok....is there a better way to do this? Here's a pic of my crappy edging.  Help! pepsigloworm fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Aug 15, 2009 |
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Aug 15, 2009 21:50
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pepsigloworm posted:I am in the process of making a really neat messenger bag for a friend. I'm a beginning crochet-er, and having fun just winging it as I go. I am a tiny bit terrified that it won't turn out as neat as the picture I have in my head...is that weird? I'm using Red Heart (ugh), because it's what I had lying around. I have a few questions for more experienced people. I've got some skeins of Red Heart from when I tried knitting a couple years back and now that I've crocheted with it I think the only thing I'd want to use it for is a bag. It seems like it would stand up to use really well. There's a really detailed tutorial about sewing linings into crocheted items that looks good. I haven't tried it so I can't vouche for it. http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2008/10/tutorial-sew-a-lining-into-a-crocheted-bag.aspx Waffle Images is up and down and lately they're more often down so your picture isn't loading for me. But your friend will probably really appreciate that you made the bag by hand and not mind that it's not perfect. Don't worry too much.
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Aug 16, 2009 03:19
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Does anyone have any advice for joining two balls of yarn together? I started a scarf, and I would like to alternate colors, but I am not sure of a good way to join the two together. I could just knot them together, but I am thinking that may not be the best method. Is there a better way to do this?
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Aug 16, 2009 20:18
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I discovered the hard way that any knots in the yarn will migrate to the outside and make the finished project look ugly. What I do is end one color with the slip stitch + pull tail through that you would use to tie off the yarn at the end of a piece. Then you take the new color, attach it with a slip knot to the hook(be sure to leave a good long tail to weave in), stick the hook through the last stitch (the ending slip stitch) and make a slip stitch over that. Then carry on with the new color until you need to change again. The best place to change colors is at the end of the row since it's easier to disguise any accidental bumpiness. You can do the same thing if your yarn comes with a knot or huge imperfection in it, too. Just cut out the bad part and reattach. There are other techniques where the "inactive" color can be run under or between the active color, but unfortunately I'm a pretty inexperienced crocheter myself and can't picture how one would handle the transition to the next row. There are a number of variations on the stuff I said above, too, so finding one of them online might help if what I suggested is weird to you. Someone else might be able to provide further enlightenment.
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Aug 17, 2009 05:47
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Ragnar Danneskjold posted:Does anyone have any advice for joining two balls of yarn together? I started a scarf, and I would like to alternate colors, but I am not sure of a good way to join the two together. I could just knot them together, but I am thinking that may not be the best method. Is there a better way to do this? You should look into getting a double ended crochet hook, they make it really easy to use two colors, cause you work with one color at one end of the hook, and the other color at the other end. Its a version of Tunesian crochet.
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Aug 17, 2009 15:59
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Devi posted:There's a really detailed tutorial about sewing linings into crocheted items that looks good. I haven't tried it so I can't vouche for it. http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2008/10/tutorial-sew-a-lining-into-a-crocheted-bag.aspx I have, it's a good tute. My little bags here are lined in a similar way - they're flat, so I didn't need to make the lining as 3D as she has done, but it's great one to learn from. quote:Does anyone have any advice for joining two balls of yarn together? I started a scarf, and I would like to alternate colors, but I am not sure of a good way to join the two together. I could just knot them together, but I am thinking that may not be the best method. Is there a better way to do this? As someone else said, the cleanest way is to change colour at the end of a row. If you need to change colour, add a new ball of the same, or cut out slubs - don't knot it, for heaven's sake, it looks very ugly. This: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-change-to-different-colour-yarn-in-crochet is a vid on how to change colour at the end of a row. A clean colour-change mid-row is achieved like this: http://www.beansproutcreations.com/2008/10/05/crochet-clean-color-change/
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Aug 17, 2009 17:33
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I've gotten a big list of crochet sites that I might as well put to use. How about an annotated link dump? If you need help with any stitches or methods, you can probably find it online. Head to YouTube and do a search if you want to see it in action. Lion Brand has the basics up and you can download them to print off or look up later. I really like Crochet Cabana despite the design that looks like it came off of Geocities. More basics are covered but so are more complex stitches and there's lots of info if you poke around. And everything has a lot of pictures. Crafy Daisies has a bunch of beginning tutorials as well. Those are just the ones I've got bookmarked but there's a lot more out there. Yarn Standards is useful for abbreviations, hook sizes, yarn weights, and so on. The Roxycraft Blog has some video amigurumi lessons. There's a million tutorials out there for the magic adjustable ring that so many people prefer when making amigurumi. I've only been able to figure it out using the book it came from Crochet Me. The pictures are different than what what they have online but it's still one of the clearer--to me--tutes. Keep an eye on the Craftzine Blog crochet category for inspiration and out of the ordinary projects. They post easy projects as well as more advanced ones. Have you seen row counter bracelets? Another way to keep track of stitches and rows and it looks better than the clicky kinds. You can make your own using this tutorial. I think that's the best of what I've got. The rest is mostly single amigurumi patterns. Anyone else have resources they've found particularly helpful?
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Aug 17, 2009 18:14
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First project done. Halfway through a bunny now.
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Aug 18, 2009 23:16
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After a week of hell for school, I finally got a chance to start on my scarf again! I was able to join a second color, and it looks pretty good so far. It kind of looks like the new color is not the same width, but it has the same number of holes across. So I guess it is just because the first part has been sitting for a week or more, and is a bit more stretched out. I think I should be done tomorrow with it! 
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Aug 23, 2009 02:08
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Ragnar Danneskjold posted:After a week of hell for school, I finally got a chance to start on my scarf again! I was able to join a second color, and it looks pretty good so far. It kind of looks like the new color is not the same width, but it has the same number of holes across. So I guess it is just because the first part has been sitting for a week or more, and is a bit more stretched out. I think I should be done tomorrow with it!  It's so nice to pick a project up again after putting it down awhile, especially if you didn't really want to put it down in the first place. I've made 2 cat beds in the past 4 days and I could barely stand to put them down so I could go to sleep. 
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Aug 23, 2009 02:55
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