Monday, October 10, 2011

crochet school

I can't crochet. I've tried teaching myself but never gotten past the chain.

Kristin, a member of the Anchorage Modern Quilt Guild, listened to my crochet woes awhile back and then surprised me with a mini lesson before our last meeting! She taught me how to double crochet after just a few minutes of instruction, then sent me home with the hook and the yarn. I thought I had it down this time.

Unfortunately, I have failed again. See the exhibit below:

I'm guessing this is some other sort of stitch to make curls or circles or something
 That was my result this weekend after an hour of trying to figure out how to do single crochet stitch. I can't find my other swatch that looks like two teddy bear ears and a bunch of knots.

Sigh. So now I'm following Crochet School on Craftyminx. All this month, she is posting a daily lesson that will hopefully solve all of my crochet woes!




It's perfect timing too, as we're hitting the road soon and I need a simple travel project. A hook and ball of yard won't take too much space. Maybe I'll finally get it?

12 comments:

knottygnome said...

it's kind of hard to tell from the photo but the curling could just be A) the twist of the yarn causes your work to bias and/or B) the tension you are using when you sc makes it curl.

have you done multiple rows? sometimes it might look wavy or curly on the first row but subsequent rows will even the piece out.

if it truly is curly/ruffly, you might be working multiple stitches in your chain--accidentally increasing, which will eventually produce something like this: http://www.aestheticnest.com/2011/06/crochet-spring-frills-scarf-tutorial.html

Melissa {AllSewnUp} said...

I've been crocheting since I was a little kid, my ma taught me, but knitting was my brick wall, I learned via you-tube, I need to see it happening/in action or I'm lost! Still shots and written descriptions did me no good!

Svetlana said...

I'm also following craftyminx and her crochet school and hoping to learn how to do it. You are right, it really is a perfect craft to take on the road, it would definitely make my waiting while my kids have guitar lessons much more pleasant.

Anonymous said...

I am with you on the crochet. I can knit, but for some reason can't figure out how to crochet. There are lots of cute crochet projects that have been catching my attention recently and I may have to try to figure it out.

Kelli said...

I have trouble with crochet too. I can knit (to a degree...), but crochet confuses me for some reason. My sister is the opposite. Together we make one kick-butt yarn tackling team, though! ;)

Kadybug said...

Aww, I am sorry! Well if you need more help feel free to call anytime. From the photo it looks like you are doing a fairly good job. Sometimes like someone mentioned things can look a little curled even when they aren't. Try a gentle pulling to straighten it out. Sometimes when you are just starting it can be that your stitching is uneven (some too tight some loose. My daughter is still on her straight stitching until it evens out.

Poppyprint said...

Good luck, good luck! Where's the roadtrip to?

Anna said...

oh no, I wish I could help. but I'm sure if you keep trying you'll get it!

CitricSugar said...

Stick with it - it's a little fiddly at first but eventually, you'll get the knack. It was a month before I figured out that the reason my single crochet looked so weird was that I was doing slipstitches...

It's like learning a new language; at first, you get tongue-tied and tell people that the cheese is in the bathroom. Then you learn a few tricks, start recognizing words, and chatting the ear off unsuspecting strangers in the metro.

Rachel at Stitched in Color said...

Yes, yes, yes you can do it! Glad you're following Craftyminx!

Leslie said...

good luck on the lessons. i was recently trying to teach my husband and kids(they asked) and it did not go well, or maybe i am not a very good teacher. crochet is one of my favorite filler crafts....like when my machine was being repaired i made plenty of crochet things just because.

NadineC said...

If you want to feel WILDLY competent in your crochet skills, you should go read my post on my blog about my foray into the world of crocheting. You will think you are a crochet genius! http://apronvalleyroad.blogspot.com/2011/04/ive-got-mad-crochet-skills.html