Hi. I've recently (very very recently) taken up crocheting. At this point I've just been practicing with single crochet but I would love to start a project. I was thinking maybe granny squares but the tutorials I've look up look a little above my level, any suggestions for a newbie?
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Following! I'd love to learn!
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My first project was a ripple afghan. Super easy. It wound up all wonky because I worked so tight at first and gradually figured out how to work looser, so it was about 2 feet wider at one end than the other!
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I make amigurumi, which are dolls, but Ralvery.com is a wonderful resource for free patterns for anything you can imagine.
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I used a lot of youtube videos when I started. Sometimes It would take a few different videos to find one that worked for my brain though.
Craftsy is a great website with tutorials that are amazing (and you can ask questions) but you do have to pay for them. But if you're wanting a really serious teaching/learning experience, it's worth it.
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I just taught myself using YouTube. Of course I only know a few simple stitches, but I'm making a blanket.
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I personally love making hats because it's a quick project and very easy to take a few rows out if it's not turning out right. A ripple blanket or granny stripe blanket is also a great beginner project to get the skills down. Ravelry is great for finding patterns, Pinterest is great for finding ideas.
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Attic24 also has great tutorials. I used her ripple blanket pattern for my first ripple blanket. I would try a simple granny square (or granny stripe) first. The ripple took a bit more work to get the hang of.
ETA: keep in mind, her patterns are UK patterns so they have to be converted if you're used to US stitches. A UK DC is a US single, UK treble = US DC and so on.
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@MaryM: Agreed! Attic24 is great. I used her granny stripe tutorial for a blanket for my daughter and am in love with how it turned out.
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@LindsayLou: I made this one for a friend's son.
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@LindsayLou: @MaryM: so cute! What type of yarn did you use?
I recently said I wanted to learn how to crochet, so I'm happy to see this pop up! It seems easier than knitting. Is that true?
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@Happygal: I used Pound of Love from Lion Brand. I found it on sale through Craftsy and didn't realize just how much of it there was... I got it to make this star blanket, then made the granny stripe one, then a granny square, and a dinosaur scarf, and I still have a lot of the light blue left. lol. It's the love that never ends!
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@MaryM: OMG I love that dinosaur scarf!
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@ValentineMommy: Thanks! It's a free lion brand pattern
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Oh, and just a suggestion- start with light colored yarn. It's harder to see where to put the hook with dark.
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Thank you everyone!
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@MaryM: Gorgeous! I love that color combination.
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@Happygal: I think it is easier than knitting for sure. I understood the concept of knitting and have knitted a few washcloths and I find what I know of crochet so far way easier
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@MaryM: @LindsayLou: beautiful guys!
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@Happygal: @jetsa: I think most people tend to prefer knitting or crochet for certain reasons.
I prefer the look of knit, but I just don't have the patience for it. Crochet works up so much faster so it holds my attention better. I learned how to knit first and there was a steep learning curve to figuring out where on earth you put the needle with crochet, but once I got over that, it was much easier.
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@Happygal: I think crochet is 1000 times easier than knitting. Part of that might be that I learned crochet as a kid, so it seems more natural to me. I think crochet is much easier to learn, more forgiving, and easier to make up your own patterns.
I used Martha Stewart extra soft wool that I got on clearance for that particular project. I have a lot of yarns I like to work with, my main qualifications are that I like the color and it's soft. My favorite acrylic is Caron simply soft.
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This is encouraging! I tried knitting when I was younger and found it to be tedious.
I honestly started wondering about crocheting when watching an Elmo lullaby video with my daughter. It looks like the blanket on his bed has been crocheted.
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@Happygal: That blanket is definitely crocheted, it looks like a popcorn stitch. I find knitting tedious as well, but find crocheting to be relaxing and fun.
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I think there are pros and cons to knitting and crocheting. For instance, I think crocheting is better for blankets and knitting is better for scarves. I find it really hard to correct mistakes with knitting, but really simple with crocheting.
I would suggest you sign up for Ravelry. You can search for a pattern by the item you want to make, and you can filter the results based on difficulty. It's also cool to see examples of the finished product, to give you ideas for colours, or even just to double check yours is turning out the way it should.
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