CROCHET TIPS and TRICKS

We all make mistakes in our crochet from time to time.

No, NOT THIS KIND OF MISTAKE:

crochet mistake 092509

Rather, we fail to count correctly, get our gauge wrong, lose our way in a pattern – that sort of thing. Here are a few ideas to help you stay on the crochet straight and narrow (or wide and fluffy if that suits you).

Need to know how to calculate how much yarn you’ll need to complete a project? This site will help you:

http://www.thecrochetside.com/content/tips/project_yardage_calc.html

This site has a nice compendium of information about yarn weights and recommended hook sizes – and more:

http://www.craftdesigns4you.com/crochettips.htm

Here’s a LOT of information on crocheting with beads:

http://www.beadwrangler.com/tips-crochet.htm

Crochet Tip #54 on this site is INVALUABLE for those of us who are ‘counting challenged’. I’ve read that I’m not the only one with this problem. There are a couple other good tips at this site too:

http://crochet-mania-tips.blogspot.com/

Finally, here are a few tips from my own experience:

1. Hook sizes given in patterns are mere suggestions. Use the hook size that works with the yarn and gives you the size you want.

2. Gauge is often important, especially when crocheting garments, so swatching is irreplaceable. However, for flat items like afghans and doilies, gauge is necessary only if you might run out of yarn if you change to a much larger hook size or crochet out of gauge limits for any reason – like you tension.

3. Patterns are great starting points, especially for beginners, but are often mere suggestions. Don’t be afraid to experiment if you love the item pictured but don’t like one element, like the stitch selection. Change the stitch selection if you want. Pay attention to gauge in this case – absolutely necessary for a garment – so that you wind up with something that at least resembles the pattern.

4. Be daring. If your project fails, consider turning it into a motif rather than frogging it (unless the yarn is very expensive and you MUST use it for its originally intended purpose). Freeform crochet is another way to use ‘failed’ pieces. Google ‘freeform crochet’ to see how far you can go with a hook, some yarn, and your own mind.

5. If your wrist or hand is getting tired from hours of crochet, change the way you hold your hook – say from knife to pencil – for a few minutes. Gauge doesn’t change (in my experience) and, while it may feel awkward, it uses different muscles and allows your ‘regular’ crochet muscles to get a rest.

6. Don’t change hook sizes in the middle of a project. Ask my friend DJ about her narrowing plaid afghan. Nuf Said.

Now, go crochet something – and have fun!

Ghost crafts are a lot of fun for kids to make and they’re a way to get into Halloween crafting that’s not really scary. Here are some easy ghost crafts for you to make with kids, whether it’s your kiddo at home or a class full.

I love this simple ghost made with a pompom or cotton ball covered in paint and used as a stamp. This one is from Crafts on Sea and you can have kids just hold the pompom or hold it with a clothespin to make it a little less messy.

Use cotton balls and printable facial expressions to make these silly ghosts from Housing a Forest. The post includes the printable templates or you can just add googly eyes.

Little fabric ghosts are a classic, whether you make them with white fabric or fall or Halloween fabric. Buggy and Buddy shows you how to make these little ghosts with a few cute embellishments. Just make one or two or make a garland or Halloween tree full of them.

There always seem to be paper plates lying around, and this paper plate ghost from Crafts by Amanda is a fun one. There’s a printable in the post for the facial features and arms, or kids can draw their own faces (and leave off the arms if you want to keep it simple).

What kid doesn’t love peeling dried glue? Turn that impulse into a craft with these glue ghosts from Friends Art Lab, and don’t miss the tip in the post that helps you turn these into window clings.

This handprint ghost in the window craft from Glued to My Crafts is so cute and easy for kids to make alone or with help. The post shows lots of variations so it would be fun to make these in a classroom and let each kiddo design their own “window” or add embellishments.

These sweet little tissue paper ghosts from Red Ted Art are actually mini pinatas, but you can just make it as a ghost without anything inside if you’d rather.

And you know I love a good kids’ sewing project so I can’t resist sharing these little felt ghost puppets from The Craft Train. Kids can sew them by hand or you can make them out of paper if you don’t want to try sewing them. The template for the ghosts is free to download, and you can also just make little softies instead of puppets if you like.

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