Common Beginner Crochet Mistakes {TUTORIAL}
- loopieshandmade
- Aug 3, 2017
- 2 min read
Crochet is a hard skill to master, and it can be even more frustrating when you can’t seem to get it right time and time again. Well, I’m here to help with some of my crochet tips and hints for the beginner. Many people make these mistakes for years, and trust me, I’ve been going for almost three years and I’m still making mistakes. Don’t get discouraged. Rectifying these mistakes and teaching yourself to be more vigilant will make your work perfect!
One of the most common mistakes I made when I first started crocheting was figuring out the difference between a whole stitch and the back and front loops of a stitch. In crochet, you must put your hook through the whole stitch unless the pattern otherwise dictates. You can usually tell if you’re only using the front or back loops if the front and back sides of your work look different.
As you can see from the image above, whole stitches make a v shape. When crocheting normally, you must put your hook through the entirety of the v. If you see a pattern that states you must stitch in the BLO (back loop only), then the blue shaded stitch is where you put your hook under. If the pattern states FLO (front loop only) then you put your hook under the pink stitch only.
Another problem that took me a long time to train myself out of was the ever increasing size of my projects. They just seemed to get wider and wider and nothing I did rectified it. Until I realised I was adding stitches to each row! The only way I got out of this habit was by counting my stitches. I know this sounds very boring and rather frustrating, but trust me, it’s easier than ripping your stitches apart. As a general rule, single crochet stitches start in the first stitch and doubles start in the second after your chain.
When I began, I had a habit of holding everything extremely tight. My hook was bent (I had cheap eBay Chinese imports that were made of the worst metal you could imagine), my yarn was tight and I had a permanent line engraved into my left index finger. Ouch. You need to realise that your work will not escape. Yes, you need to hold your work tight-ish, but it won’t leave you for another crocheter! Practice some self esteem, be confident in your work and treat it with care. Plus, being relaxed helps with hand ache. Crochet hand ache is the worst, and I recommend a rest of 10-15 minutes to recoup.
I hope this helps with any of the little mistakes you may be making, and don't worry, mistakes are common and so is ripping out your work!
Is there anything you'd like me to cover in the future?
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