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Beginning
Crochet
The first step to enjoying this wonderful
craft is to purchase crochet hooks and yarn. You will learn that
crochet hooks come in a variety of sizes, styles, and colors. A good
hook size for beginning crochet is the G hook. It is recommended
that you use a G hook for practicing basic stitches.
If you have ever looked at a
crochet pattern, you may have thought that you were reading a foreign
language. That is because crochet patterns contain abbreviations, to
keep things simple and orderly. To begin crocheting with a pattern,
you will need to know what the abbreviations stand for, as well as have a
clear understanding of the basic stitches. First we will take a look
at various types of crochet hooks and yarn, and then we will discuss the
numerous crochet stitches.
Some crochet stitches are
very simple and basic, and these are the ones that all beginners should
start with. However, you will soon discover that as your proficiency
grows, you will soon begin to use some of the more difficult stitches.
It is simply amazing the effects you can create by using various stitches,
combining stitches, and alternating stitches with yarn colors.
The first rule of thumb,
when learning to crochet, is to remember to have fun. This means
that you shouldn't get stressed out if you make a mistake or if you don't
understand a pattern. Just practice making chain stitches.
Your goal will be to create a length of chain stitches that look uniform
and even.
Before you even begin to
think of tackling your first pattern, you will practice your stitches by
crocheting various swatches. These are crocheted blocks of a square
shape, you can determine the amount of rows that you would like, but the
object is to practice your stitches until you feel comfortable with the
shape and appearance of your crochet swatch.
Don't worry about wasting
your yarn either. In fact, if you like, you can save your swatches
and stitch them together to make other projects. It is recommended
that you make crochet swatches to test your gauge before beginning other
projects as well. So relax and enjoy crocheting swatches, they are
the groundwork for your future crochet designs.
It is also important to
realize that since your crochet experience is intended to be fun, that you
may want to test the limits of your creativity. Once you begin to
memorize different stitches, you may find yourself working on a pattern
then decide that you would like to take it in a different direction.
Never fear to stray from the patterns and experiment. Many times you
will learn that you can take the knowledge that you have and experiment
and create your own unique styles. This is how I have developed some
of my favorite patterns.
You will also learn that you
can create many beautiful crochet pieces from simple shapes such as
squares, circles, and rectangles. This is a great way for beginners
to branch out into a variety of projects without necessarily having the
experience or the proficiency to tackle more complicated projects.
However, you will discover
that just a few simple stitches and the ability to follow a pattern will
have you crocheting numerous amounts of projects in very little time.
If you fancy afghans, then
you may want to begin learning the Granny Square after you master the
basic stitches. Many beginners create one giant Granny Square afghan
with matching pillow as well.
The most important thing is
to make sure you have fun and take your time. Enjoy your crocheting
and you will find that in no time at all, you will be crocheting like a
pro.
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