Tips and Tricks for the Beginner Crocheter

When I first started crocheting, I thought it was going to be so much fun and just be a relaxing little hobby I would enjoy every now and then. It would just be while I was on maternity leave and then maybe on the weekends.

Pfft. Well let me tell you, it's definitely enjoyable, but sometimes I feel like it has taken over my life! 

I was not taught by anyone, I learned through books, blogs and a lot of You Tube videos. Over the last 4 years I have picked up tips and tricks that would have been super helpful had I known about them when I first started. Here are my top 5-must have-can't live without- tips. 

1. Organization

You can never be too organized. When you first start out, you won't always have a ton of supplies. But once you get into it and get more confident, you'll buy more. Trust me. 

• Case for hooks, needles, scissors, stitch markers, pen/pencil etc.
• I bought a cute little dollar store pencil case that is big enough to hold all of my hooking supplies. It is one with a hinged lid, so there is no top to lose (Important for me having 3 kids).
• Keep a small pair of scissors in this case as well. I can't tell you how many times I have misplaced my scissors and gone absolutely mad looking for them in every drawer of my house.

• Dedicated bag/storage bin for current projects
• I have 2 specific bags that I only use for current WIP (works in progress). My kids know not to touch them or they may lose fingers. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Reusable shopping bags work really well as do large canvas bags or totes. 
• I keep all the yarn being used for those projects in the bag. That way I will know exactly where that yarn is and if I start to run low on anything. 

• Pattern binder or folder for your computer
• Patterns. you will accumulate them faster than you could think possible. I have patterns from 3 years ago that I saved and still have not used. 
• If you are a hard copy kind of person- meaning you have to print them out- I would suggest getting some kind of 3 ring binder to organize them in. Use dividers to separate them by pattern type (blankets, hats, booties, scarves, etc.)
• If you are a digital kind of person, like me, I would do 2 things. Save them on your main computer in a folder with sub folders for project type AND I would strongly suggest backing them up on either a thumb drive or to a cloud drive. I had a computer crash and I lost almost everything. Lesson learned the hard way.

2. Practice, practice, PRACTICE!

No one is great at something the first time they try it. And if they are, that's just unfair. The first thing I ever made was a little pair of booties. They turned out really well, but it took me about 4 weeks to get them right. We all want to make the cute little hats and booties, but those can sometimes be intimidating for a first project. 

My suggestion: start with swatches. Once you learn how to do the basic stitches, practice them by making little squares of them. best part is, if you mess up, all you have to do is rip it and start over! Swatches do a couple things. You get to master a stitch and you learn what your own personal tension is like. No 2 people crochet alike. Some crochet very tightly, some very loosely and others run right in the middle. 

3. Don't get Frustrated

Learning something new can be so fun and rewarding. But it can also be painstakingly frustrating when you can't get it right after a few tries. For someone who is a perfectionist, it is just unacceptable.

When learning to crochet, I ran into problems and issues and would find myself wanting to throw a project in the trash. DON'T DO THAT! Do like your mom taught you: put it down, walk away, and count to ten. Or count to a thousand if you're really irked. The easiest solution is to just put the project down for a while and do something completely different to take your mind off of it. It's a hobby and it's supposed to be fun! Don't turn it into something that causes you mental anguish.

4. Stretching and Posture

I know, it sounds very silly to tell someone to remember to stretch when we're talking about an activity that you sit down to do. Believe me, it is way more important than you think.

• Fingers and wrists
• I try to remember to take a break every 30-45 minutes when I am working on something that is going to take a few hours. I like to roll my wrists, flex and curl my fingers and shake my hands out and rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
• Posture
• I naturally have the worst posture ever. I slouch and slump and look like a hunchback. When I am crocheting it is even worse because my head is usually down. Try sitting in a chair or couch where you can sit with your back straight or recline slightly in. I have found it helps me to put a pillow on my lap and then crochet on top of that . \
• Take time when you stretch your fingers and wrists to also do some neck rolls and a good long body stretch to elongate your spine. 

5. Utilize the Internet

Technology is a most wonderful thing. When our parents and grandparents were learning to crochet, they didn't have You Tube or any of the thousands of free crochet blogs and tutorials to reference. They either had to learn from a mentor or find a book somewhere. Bless their hearts. 

You can literally type a search topic into Google and get thousands of results. The best way to search is by being as specific as possible. For example, if you are wanting to learn how to single crochet, then type in "How to Single Crochet" and you will likely get a handful of videos as the first search results. 

Tutorials and CALs (crochet-a-longs) are some of my favorites. Most blogs will offer very detailed instructions on how to complete a project and most of them with pictures. CALs are groups of people working on the same project, and the pattern is usually broken down into smaller sections. The benefit of this is you have access to ask questions with a larger group of people who may have more knowledge than you, or ran into a similar problem and found the solution already. 

I hope you found these tips helpful. Crochet on!