Crochet anyone?

[leaette]

i'm a leftie. and i crochet leftie. my gram taught me to crochet and she was a leftie too. there are instruction books out there for leftie instructions.
to me, crocheting leftie makes more sense to my brain because you go from left to right (like when you're reading). when i watch people crochet rightie, it confuses the heck out of me. looks like it's going backwards lol

i read in a crochet magazine in this past year about a leftie crocheter and she learned by using a mirror. so it's definately worth a try.

i have a knifty knitter loom too. i like it. but you definately need 2 hands to do it. you have to hold the loom while you use the hook to pull the yarn off the tab. and you have to hold the loom while you wrap the yarn around too. but....it's super easy and once you figure out how to use it, it's easy as pie.

good luck.

 

[Miss Sis]

My BF's Mum showed me how to do a few crochet stiches this weekend, so I'm on my way!

I already knit but somehow I just had a bit of a block before when I've been shown crochet, but she was very good at explaining and it was so easy.

My first project will be a belt for a knit suit that I have to wrest from my ex-boyfriend's attic....

 

[leaette]

miss sis: i hope you enjoy crocheting! i love it.
i highly suggest you join the crochet forum. it's huge and so helpful! and it's a great inspiration too, you can see what other people are making and look at patterns, etc. and there is a help section and the ladies are so helpful.

www.crochetville.org

 

[windshe]

first time on the thread

...of the fedora lounge AND crocheting.
i was just in Joann's and i saw this amazing crochet book by Teva Durham called Loop d Loop. it had the most awesome clothes in it. the book was $30 and i just HAD to buy it, even though i never picked up a needle - is that what ya call it? haha - in my life. they had the most gorgeous, sexy pair of crocheted stockings in the book.
now it's my goal to start crocheting. i'm more visual, and a demostration would definitely help me. i've found a class offered at a good price nearby, and i think i'll sign up for classes - wish my mom remembered how!
wish me luck everyone!!

and nice to meet you all, this is my first post!

~w

 

[ohairas]

Hi Windshe, welcome to the lounge! Try doing a search on youtube for "learn to crochet." I found this beginner's video, and saw many others. Good luck!
Nikki

 

[ohairas]

LOVE that scarf pattern! (I like your floral furniture too, lol!)
Nikki

Everyone has made such nice stuff! I made a beret and a scarf recently.

 

[windshe]

scarf stuff

i looooooove that scarf, too! where did you get that pattern, if i may ask - or is it one of your own? the book i just bought has a lot of funky patterns in it like this, i can't wait to start learning!!!!

beautiful work on the scarf. do you have pictures of anything else?

 

[Lotus Leroux]

Thanks Ohairas and Windshe!

Windshe, the pattern is a free pattern from Lion Brand dot com. The name of the pattern is the Medallion Motif Scarf.

fftopic: Ohairas, my mom inherited the furniture from my grandmother when
she died years ago. Thanks for the compliment!

 

[Lady Day]

*bump*

LD

 

[MarieAnne]

Thanks MarieAnne. I have been crocheting off-and-on since my greatgrandmother taught me when I was 8, so 40 years now. But really I am not good at pattern reading, so I totally understand where you are coming from. Try these additional notes for the Perky Snood from another crocheter that include an image of her blocking the piece that shows what it looks like as you crochet it.

http://qctester.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/perky-snood/

I didn't block mine, probably should have, but I think I still can if I want to.

Thanks for posting this link. I was able to make the snood! It looks good, but it's doesn't fit. I'm not sure if I did anything wrong, or if my hair is too long. I'm pretty heart broken about it; I was so excited. Now that I understand the general pattern, I'll try to alter it.

 

[MarieAnne]

Inky - Check out this doozie! I'm trying to get it started but the starting chain is shorter than the indicated lenght (in inches.) Any advice?

 

[Babydoll]

Are you a tight or a loose crocheter? They're basing the gauge on a moderate level of tension. I would either adjust your tension level, or just adjust how big/long you need to stitch to accommodate the measurements given.

(I happen to crochet tight if I'm not watching it. Leads to lots of ripping out and re-doing if I'm being neat and tidy with what I'm doing.)

 

[Inky]

MarieAnne - Wow that is a beautiful snood! Thank you for posting that pattern.

Ditto what Babydoll said. Are you getting gauge? I tend to be a sloppy crocheter/knitter and have to go down a needle size or two when I crochet/knit to get the gauge. You may be a tight crocheter/knitter and have to use a larger hook/needle to correspond to your yarn.

I hope that helps!

 

[Tallulah]

Just looking at this is making me reach for my hook! You all make the most incredibly beautiful things. It is sooo inspiring.

 

[JupitersDarling]

HATS

Has anyone tried crochetting any of these hats?

http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/hats.html


I love the Fleur De lis and Town Club. Only thing though is... What size do they come out in???? As a "big-headed" gal , (22.5-23) I would hate to crochet one of them up and find out it's a size 21 or 20. :eusa_doh: Is there anyway to predict what size they'll be and resize accordingly before I break out the yarn?

 

[leaette]

I think it would be safe to assume that these are not for us "big heads". I am a 22.5/23 too. Most vintage hats run small (at least all the ones I've tried on).
You could do a few extra increases to compensate. I just made a basic winter hat and had to add a few more rows to make it fit my melon head. And it fit fine. You may have to frog a few times though.

 

[Ccc]

Sweaters and Socks and Youtube

I'm relatively new to crochet, having made my first hat after spending LOTS of time working on two afghans and many dishcloths.

I would now like to try and make a sweater, but I can't find a not-to-difficult adult cardigan to crochet.

And, I would like to crochet socks as soft and fine as knitted socks, if that is possible.

I've also learned most of what I know from watching Youtube videos; they've been extremely helpful.

Thanks for any suggestions on sweaters and socks!

Ccc

 

[Lillemor]

This may already have been posted but here it is any way:

http://learntocrochet.lionbrand.com/?learnToCrochet=1

I don't have the time and lifestyle to test how easy their instructions are to follow. They also have a section on learning how to knit. I used to crochet small decorative stuff but I've never worked on garment pieces. and at least to me the instructions make sense. I never learnt how to knit

 

[Amie]

Anyone try crocheting slippers/shoes like these before?

If so, where can we purchase outer soles? I couldn't find anything like them in a general shoe supply store.

 

[Gingerella72]

I've been teaching myself to knit the last few months and I'd love to learn how to crochet as well. I was handed down a box of miscellaneous sewing supplies from my mother in law (I also need to learn how to sew, lol) and in it was a size G crochet hook.

As soon as I'm more comfortable with my paltry knitting skills, I'll be off to become a "hooker" too.

I had an aunt who, every time I'd visit her, would say "One of these days you're gonna have to let me teach you how to crochet,"....sadly she passed away before I had acheived the correct mindset to want to learn things like this.

If you have an elderly relative or friend who knows how to do these "vintage" domestic arts, whether it's crochet, knitting, needlework, quilting, or whatever, don't hesitate to learn from them now while you still can! It won't be long before the generation who knew how to do all of these things as a matter of course will be gone from us, along with all of their wisdom.