We’ve all been there. Crocheting the wrong stitch, not counting stitches, and making mistakes we aren’t willing to admit. But it’s time to face the truth: mistakes are inevitable in crocheting. They are what help us grow as crocheters. Learning from our mistakes and learning from others is a great way to avoid problems down the road. Plus, it’s just comforting to know that we aren’t’ the only ones out there refusing to count stitches and regretting it later. 😉
Yarn Woes
Darlene K. – Misjudging the amount of yarn needed….then when I went to get more there was none….and they weren’t getting any in stock anymore either….that’s when I learned what discontinued yarn means…..
Sharla A. – Splitting yarn, CONSTANTLY and not counting stitches.
Teri R. – Not calculating the right amount if yarn… Whew. Talk about some quick-change projects. “Oh, no, I meant this afghan to only cover your 2 year old???”
Kelli K. – Just now I accidentally clipped the wrong yarn and unraveled my project.
Pattern Woes
Lana S. – Not asking for help, not counting, not knowing when to end or how to tie on a new color…. understanding patterns is my biggest down fall. I can learn easier from you tube or someone sitting in front of me.
Carl R. – Oh, I have to comment on this one! When I was taught crochet, all I was taught was a double-crochet granny square. The rest I learned on my own, mostly through trial and error. I’ve been crocheting now for 25 years and just this year I realized that every single-crochet I’ve ever made was actually an extended-single-crochet!!! LOL Wow. I mean, it never affected my work, but I was looking at the basic techniques in one of my magazines and realized I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time!
Lindsey A. – Not realizing that you need to go under both loops for each stitch. I crocheted into the front loop only, until I ran across a pattern that specifically told me to do that!
Belinda K. – Not to learn how to read patterns, been crocheting for 25 years still can’t.
Rosemary B. – Not being aware that there was a difference between the stitch names used in US and UK patterns!!
Stitch Woes
Becky C. – Not counting stitches in a row, and not counting rows.
Cyndy C. – Not counting stitches, not keep consistent tension and not checking my gauge. My first few projects were disasters!!
Irena D. – It took me awhile to learn the importance of counting stitches and using stitch markers!
Lisa D. – mistaking slip stitch for SC, and not practicing chaining and sc before moving on… just to name a few.
Joann P. – Not counting the starting chain properly and where to put the first stitch after turning!
Maxine R. – Making my stitches too loose or too tight.
Annamarie Y. – Not learning the names of the stitches. My aunt showed me how to crochet at age 9, but not the names of the stitches. So at age 43, I took a crocheting class at our local school n learned names of stitches n then how to read patterns! It opened up a WHOLE new world.
Shelly C. – My grandma first taught me crochet when I was 8 and the biggest mistake I made when starting out was holding the yarn so tightly that the stitches were impossible to work with! When it came time to work into the previous row, the stitches were too tight to get the hook into.
Toni G. – I didn’t know how to start a granny square so my mum started for me. I also thought that each stitch had to go I between the other stitches. Thank God for YouTube lol.
Nadine H. – My double crochet stitch was really a triple crochet. Made for some interestingly larger than planned afghans.
Look for Part 2 next week! What mistakes have you made?
- 19 Jaw Dropping Crochet Afghans - January 16, 2021
- Afghans in Bloom: 14 Floral Afghan Patterns - December 6, 2020
- 13 Last Minute Crochet Christmas Gifts - November 28, 2020
Accidently threw away skein yarn with One row to go.
Making a Christmas tree skirt, main color was shimmer white. Every tenth row I had one row of baby blue. It was a leftover skein I had laying around.
Unfortunately it WAS laying around on end table. There was small trash can in front of table. Some how the small amount of yarn was knocked off table, into trash can.
Didn’t realize it until I reached that last and final tenth row.
I frantically searched every yarn bag, overturning my recliner. Nothing. Found a small ball of the yarn. Took it to store. My prayers were answered. Found same color!
A hard lesson to learn — one way to prevent the “almost-done-but-out-of-yarn” disaster is to always buy one extra skein.
My worst problem is not being creative enough to correct pattern mistakes. I have spent weeks and weeks on a FANCY wedding gift afghan only to have all that time, effort and money wasted when I found an error I couldn’t overcome in the last one or two rounds. No, trying to contact the designer or publisher didn’t help.
I started crocheting when i was about 9-10. My biggest issue was when id stop thinking and end up making single crochets instead of double crochets.. a big woops when i would try to make tiny christmas wreaths for the tree every year..
I have taught myself to crochet about 20 yrs ago. I have a hard time changing color throughout the pattern. I usually end up with a mess along the edge of my project and have to do a sc along the edge so it looks all neat and tidy.
Never have a hard time again-all the patterns I know tell you to join by dropping yarn and pull in new color-ends with a mess of ends to work in. Go to You Tube and learn the
“Russian Join” it is all I use now and you never have lumps (from knots) in your yarn and once you get good at it it looks as if it was variegated yarn that ended always in the correct
spot. Good luck!
Those turning edges. I haven’t found any tips or instructions for turning in the correct ending stitch yet. Tutorials always seem to think you know where the last stitch is. I don’t know how many wandering edges I end up, usually only on one side. Now I try to use stitch markers so I can remember where the last stitch in the row is. Helps keep a straighter edge, but still wanders sometimes.
I have this same problem! Was hoping to find a solution here.
Most patterns will tell you if you should include the turning chain as a stitch or not. This makes a big difference to make your edges neat and to keep your stitch count. If your pattern does not specify, then just be consistent in what you do. Try this, chain 10, add 3 chains for your turning chain, starting in 4th chain from hook, dc in each chain. Stop and count 10 dc plus the turning chain 3. Note if you were counting that turning chain as a stitch, you would have 11 dc. Now chain 3, when you’re not counting the turning chain, then your first dc goes in the top of your last dc. At the end of the row your last stitch goes into the last dc, not the top of the turning chain. Now stop and count your dc’s, making sure you still have 10 dc and 1 chain 3 turning chain. Keep practicing with this counting your dc’s in each row. You’ll see that when you do not count the turning chain as a stitch, there is a slight bump on the end of every other row.
Now using the same sample, start treating the turning chain as a stitch (put a stitch marker in the row where you switch). When you count the turning chain as a stitch, then you skip working into the first dc. Since your turning chain 3 is your first stitch you’ll work your dc into the second dc. At the end of the row, your last dc goes into the top of your turning chain. Keep practicing with your sample, counting 9 dc, and 1 turning chain 3 on each row. Some people complain of a small gap at the start of the row using this method. It’s really a matter of personal preference, or what method the pattern uses. If your edge will be seamed or have a finishing edge, it may not matter which you use. The most important thing is to be consistent using the same method throughout, otherwise you will loose stitches making your edges uneven and affecting the final dimensions.
Great great advice! Thanks!
My answer to putting the last stitch into the correct place is really simple – in fact, it may sound weird:
Crochet as far as you can on the row, then do ONE more stitch.
Works for me.
My mistake was washing a newly crocheted vest (made by my mom) & not realizing it was wool. I cried when I finally realized my new vest was Barbie sized …well, maybe a little bigger than Barbie. My mom was stunned speechless (no small feat)! The vest disappeared, never to be referred to again. Small concession: I was only 9 or10 at the time…lol
Can I start with D. All of the Above
I’m mostly self-taught, so I do a lot of “winging” it and could never repeat it if I tried. I think the first three years I crocheted, only been doing it for about 4, I REFUSED to rip anything out. I’m slowly learning that skill. And I avoid, with a passion, anything that requires sewing together. My 7-year-old is lucky that I really love her and that I crocheted her 18″ doll a wardrobe for Christmas, because – gack – it required seaming.
Adding a stitch at the end of a row…either that or dropping a stitch.
I do that still any good helpful hints please…..
Put a stitch marker on the last stitch in the row. It works for me. Just move it to the stitch when you star the next row. You will have a marker at each end.
I had the same problem. My great grandma taught me to crochet many years ago. She was left handed and couldn’t teach me much. I thought as long as the yarn somehow made its way over the hook, that it didn’t matter. I went online to learn how to crochet flowers and in all the videos they were putting it on the hook in a different way… I was confused until I found this website explaining the difference between yarn over and yarn under. I was doing yarn under. I still continue to do that for blankets because I think it comes out bulkier and less holey. Long story short I had been yarning over wrong for 10 years!!!!
There is a difference in yarn under and yarn over? lol Learn something new every day. I am self taught and have been crocheting for about 10 years now. So far nothing has fallen apart…at least that I know of.
I once made a circle in square afghan and didn’t count all my rows so I ended up completely skipping row 19. (I will always remember what row because all the pain in the rear it took to figure out which one I missed.) I also hadn’t learned yet how to change colors properly so there were lots of knots and bumps. I had to then figure out how to make all the squares with the same mistake. LOL
My other big “mistake” was not getting pictures of everything before gifting stuff out to show off my work.
I am a self taught leffey was teaching 6 nyear old belive it of not she did a chain and sc. crochet right handed she was so proud that day hope when she is older she will enjoy crocheting
Im in UK and i didnt know there was a difference between UK and US stitches but all my work turns out ok
I have been crocheting for 30years plus and only found the difference in US stitches when I came on line last year; so confusing when a patt. tells you to use a “Q” hook.
Not leaving enough yarn to weave in, when tying in a new color.
Not reading the pattern completely before starting a project. By NOT doing that it takes me a while to get the pattern going.
I love US patterns but often find I am unable to match the yarn thickness giving me projects that are too big or too wee. Adjusting the hook never seems to work as I tended to use the hook size shown on the yarn band. I have now found a yarn matching template and suddenly everything fits. Only took me 5 years to learn as it was 5 years ago when I retired that I found the US pattern sites.
Where did you find a yarn template? I would love to have one.
I would love to know where you found the yarn matching template. Was it online? If not would you possibly be able to email a copy to me? I would be so grateful for your kindness.
Just go to the Crocher Crowd on facebooks site and they have the web address for yarn comparisons and they also have the different size hook chart with both letters and mm. sizes listed. Hope this helps
Sorry not Crocher but Crochet Crowd
I too would love the learn more about the template you mention. I constantly struggle with adjustments. Please let us know how to get this – many thanks and a belated Happy New Year!
Here is a site for yarn conversion:
http://www.crochethooksyou.com/yarn-conversion-chart/
This is a helpful site:
http://www.queenofdiy.com/crochet/crochet-yarn-weights-hook-sizes.html
I check my gauge and adjust needle size if need be as I have a tendency to crochet on the tight side. What gets me is when the gauge is correct but the final measurements still come out wrong. I think I’ve adjusted most of my work. Made more rows or whatever to get the measurement right. Oh well.
Connie this is exactly why I recently vowed to never make another thing where gauge is critical! I even started making my gauge swatches bigger to allow for the natural rhythm of how I crochet to kick in, but things still come out too big.
Trying to be too creative and deviating from a pattern because I think it will look better, only to unravel half a project or start over completely because I was wrong.
Anyone happen to know what that stitch in the blue sample is in this article? LOVE IT!
If you click on the picture of the blue sample, it will take you to an article entitled “how to avoid stiff crochet” where you can click on another link entitled “click here for crochet tips” which says that working in front or back loops only will give you better drape and provide the look that is in the picture.
Looks like a half double crochet stitch
It’s sc in the front loops.
Slip stitch
I taught myself to crochet when I was about 10-12 years old. I still have the my first crochet hook. :-). Not reading the pattern carefully, not buying enough yarn for the project, not counting my rows or rounds carefully. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who makes mistakes. Happy crocheting and Happy 2014 to all!!!
I learned to crochet from my grandma when I was seven or eight and to this day I don’t knowhow to count stitches, read patterns, gauge my work or what most of the abbreviations mean. I suppose crochet is a very forgiving art because of all the projects I’ve completed, they’ve all worked out in the end.
Dear Ladies, please refer to “Mistakes Every Crocheter Makes -Part 2” for my (rather lengthy) comment which will send you to a wonderful source for tutorials on anything your heart desires. It is called PINTEREST and is really easy to join and follow.
Good Luck
I can’t do Pinterest! I just don’t understand it. Maybe it was the app I was using, but Pinterest is hard!
I agree with you don’t understand Pinterest. It says the patterns are free, but they’re not. So frustrating to see something and want to make it and find out it’s not free after all. Why do they say it’s free when it’s definitely Not free.
I M O
Cathriin
Pinterest is a great source of informationas well as fabulous patterns 🙂 I was recently told about it by a friend and spend a lot of time there just finding out about all kinds of stuff;
Thankyou to everyone who contributes to that site and to you for giving us so much help.
I taught myself to crochet years ago – started with the steel needles & made doilies for everyone as gifts till they asked me to stop already! I now crochet with yarn & make hats, pet clothes, purses, etc. – I have learned TONS of techniques & stitches from watching online videos, like seamlessly ending a piece, tying yarn together invisibly, Russian join, etc., but there is one totally basic instruction in most patterns that I just don’t get – “3 dc (counts as 1st dc)” – it’s not always 3, sometimes 2 or 1, but I just have never understood what “counts as 1st dc” means. I usually just ignore this & haven’t had any disasters, but I’d love to know what that means & what you’re supposed to do, if anything!
Are you sure you don’t mean 3 ch (counts as 1st dc)? Usually your first dc in a row or round will be replaced with 3 chain stitches. So a row of 20 dc will be 3 chain stitches then 19 double crochet. Does that make any sense?
Correct, we rarely crochet into the very first stitch (that’s why we chain 1, 2 or 3 depending on the stitch being used).
If you crochet into the very first stitch, you would end up adding 1 stitch to every row, thus having a wavy border.
I use to make that mistake on all my afghans, I was self taught and didn’t know why my blankets were growing. (at first, I thought it was my tension)
I HATE weaving in ends so I have completed afgans that do not have the ends woven in that look AWFUL because i wont take the time to weave in the ends. One is a granny square blanket that will cover a king size bed that the granny squares changed colors every row that will take FOREVER to weave in the ends and will look awesome. i could probably sell it for a tidy sum but it will take me weeks to weave in the ends… just won’t do it. i would rather go for a mouthful of root canals and to the GYN every day for a year than weave in the ends on that blanket…
thanks for letting me share
I hate weaving in ends and joining too, but not quite as intensely as you. Thanks for the laugh.
Sherbear…I’ll weave in those ends if you go to the dentist and gynie for me!
I totally agree! I’ve just learned to weave in as I go, otherwise at the end it’s overwhelming!!
Weaving in ends is my least favourite part of crochet too but if you weave in the ends as you go, its not so overwhelming as doing all of them at the end:-)
If you crochet a border and crochet over all of the loose ends you won’t have to weave them in as much
You sound like the perfect candidate for the Russian Join. It’s pretty easy to learn from youtube videos. That’s how I learned, and I love it. I use it very often to make self-striping yarn and giant balls of scrap yarn. It doesn’t seem to work on slick yarn, like Caron Simply Soft, but it’s a great technique to have in your arsenal.
I also hate weaving ends but now I crochet over the “tails” as I go . they get lost in the pattern;
I started crocheting 1 year ago learning from Internet, made hats, shoes, adult and Kids things(, have no Patience for Granny Squares,) have made myself a reference book each time I discovered anything new, and most important, made a Sample and written Explanation of each new stitch i found. Used to knit more but crocheting is faster, as I get bored quickly. Crochet is very popular here in Germany, but cannot read the Patterns, thank God for the Internet!
I make a little book for myself as well with stitches and patterns I make with the stitches. I have been crocheting about 25 years and pick it up and down a lot. I never have any difficult making things and I have only found my problem to be within the patterns itself. It is very important to learn how to read a pattern in both ways with drawings/symbols and word patterns. I have read patterns that were so messed up and would confuse the best crocheters! Take your time! Speed is not necessary, making something beautiful for all to see is the joy! I tell anyone who is wanting to learn crochet, practice makes perfect! So, dive into making something and count, count, count!
Hahah I’ve done about half of those listed above and when I was first learning I tried to make a scarf- but my aunt didn’t tell me to ch after a row when turning your project. My scarf kept getting narrower and narrower and I had no idea what I was doing wrong!
Oh…..lol. OK, lol……that is what was wrong!
So recognisable!
I don’t understand the comment Sherbear made about weaving in the ends? When I change colors I was told to crochet over the ends as I go and I don’t ever have ends. How does the afghan not fall apart? I’m new to crocheting, so I don’t understand how she has ends.
Since it is granny squares, she is sewing them together at the end which causes those ends, since you are not crocheting at that point. But I I have made afghans where I have lose ends just doing straight crochet. I don’t like to crochet over the ends because it can be noticeable in thicker yarns or when you change colors.
After reading all of these comments, i have never agreed with so many people at one time in my whole life, i had taken up crochet after a very traumatic experience that landed me in hospital, when i eventually woke up, i observed an elderly lady doing funky things with her wool and a metal thing, so, me being extremely curious i gingerly got out of bed to investigate. The lady was more than happy to show and explain to me just what she was doing and offered me a go…. Well i left hospital and parted company with the lady and forgot crochet, over 30 years and the most extreme life that no human should endure has passed. I found myself twiddling my thumbs, you know, with an itch to do something! After ripping the wallpaper off with the help of my son and ripping up the carpet then redecorating i still wasn’t satisfied until i found crochet again….oo oooh and Pinterest they go hand In hand for me. I don’t remember what i had learned during my hospital stay, only that i really enjoyed it. Since i have returned to the decadent art of crochet i have made numerous and hilarious mistakes only to find that i need to chill and go with the flow, thanks to the internet and the many books i have bought and downloaded and all the blank books for my notes i found that with time and patience it will come, remember the saying if at first you don’t succeed frog it and try again! There are many many endings to that one. I just want to thank you people for writing what you have, for taking me back to my own beginnings of crochet and helping me remember just how i felt at the joy of learning from a stranger but most of all for wanting to crochet myself an incontinance pad because if i laugh much more I’m going to need one, happy hooking everyone, every stitch is a memory xx
Crocheted for 3 years. Had the hardest time with one pattern and went to a friends house for help. Came to the realization that I was Yarning Over incorrectly…how could one do that you ask…..turns out I was Yarning Under. Didn’t know there was a term for that. 🙂
The magic circle….. I could never do it right… still can’t.
When I have tried, it seems to work well for some time… but then my projects turn into awful things with a big hole in the middle, and it keeps undoing from the centre…. :'(
Lol, I always chain 3 and slip stitch into the last one to form a circle. It’s never too big and I don’t have to mess with the ‘magic circle’.
When I try it that way, I can never figure out where the center of the circle is! I just pick somewhere and hope for the best..
I have watched so many videos for magic circle and also tried your way, not being able find where the center is, but finally I realized that I could stick a small piece of contrasting color yarn into the middle of the hole BEFORE I join the two ends together to make the circle, and remove it after I have crocheted however many stitches into it, and guess what? Perfect to find the correct hole every time!!!! I even keep some 3 inch pieces of colored yarn in my hook case now since I still don’t trust myself otherwise…
What a good idea!!! I will remember to tell the girls in my crochet group since a few are still struggling with the basics. Thanks!
Putting a project down without writing the pattern name and hook size on the yarn wrapper. I always think I will remember, but I don’t and the I have to frog it. Arrrrgh.
been there and done that! especially between moves so I don’t find or have time to work on anything for months. Then wonder what in the world I had started and what was it supposed to be… or put a project away because I was not happy with the pattern or yarn or had something else that had to be done now. Then wondering where on earth I could have put it and searching and searching only to find this thing stuffed in the corner of a closet or under the bed (where only the cats and dust bunnies live) and wondering what pattern? what size hook? Where is the rest of the yarn?…
When I come across a partial item that I had forgotten about, and can’t remember where I found the pattern or what hook I used, I usually just pick it up and start crocheting, doing my own thing. When finished, it may look totally different from the pattern; but, I know one thing – no one in the world will ever have an item exactly like this one. LOL!
Ivy
I’ve been crocheting for nearly 20 years and I still have trouble figuring out how much yarn I need for a project. Fortunately most things I make are a bit whimsical so it’s not such a big deal if the colors don’t match perfectly. I also hate making swatches to check my gauge so I avoid patterns that require such things.
I’m a self-taught crocheter and it’s taken me quite some time to read patterns. Most of the time I do end up improvising, then my project almost always has different stitches or rows than the pattern and never looks as nice as the picture.
I do that, too. For some reason, a lot of patterns just don’t work for me. So, I “ad lib.” Sometimes, the end product actually looks better than the picture.
Ivy
I don’t remember learning to crochet, but I remember creating clothes for my dolls when I was 5 or 6, so I guess it’s been over 50 years. I have been trying to teach myself to read graphs, but try as I might, they just don’t make any sense to me. Written patterns, no matter how complicated, are easy for me to follow and I’ve even learned how to read patterns in a couple of different languages. Unfortunately, I have a number of lovely patterns, but they’re graphs…sigh…
I look at pretty stuff then look at the patterns and think.” OMG how am I gonna do that.:
At best I make pretty blankets. Usually single crochet and yes, had to learn about chaining
On the end myself. My blanket for my doublebed is my pride and joy. Oh and using the wrong kind of yarn for scarfs.
OO! Working in the round and not paying attention to which way you’re going! I have had to unravel hats because I have reversed direction inadvertently in the middle of the hat,
And my pet peeve is when people write patterns incorrectly, not making sure terms are correct and not testing their patterns. I notice it a LOT more lately, I am not sure why. Most recently someone put the asterisk AFTER the repeating part, so the piece I was working on was all out of sorts, I had to go back and figure out she misplaced all the asterisks.
Yesssssssssssss that is so annoying. I find a flaw in every other pattern I work with and I end up spending an ungodly amount of time figuring out what they MEANT to say. Annoys the crap out of me.
My mother taught me the basic stitches when i was a child. But I was limited, so i learned how to read a pattern by myself. I have been crocheting for over 50 years. and yes I still make mistakes
When I make a pattern and it takes squares where you have a lot of end you have to sew in sew in the ends, I find if i crochet about 10 squares then work the ends in at that time, then make ten more and when i finish the number of blocks I need then the ends are all worked in for your squares. Then all the ends you have to sew in, is when you are joining rows together.
I don’t think anyone likes to sew the ends in, but is a necessary evil i guess.
Did anyone mention not checking to see if pattern written in British vs American terms?
My grandmother taught me to crochet and did a really good job with all the basics. I have learned new things like cables from the internet and library books.
I did however find that the crochet patterns from my fav fabric store where really poorly written and filled with faults and I STILL bought another one! So my biggest mistake is probably repeating mistakes thinking that this time it will somehow be different…
That and sometimes I dont sew in the ends well enough – because I get like.. lazy
I taught myself to crochet years ago using 3 books from the library. One had good instructions, a second had good drawings and a third had good photos. Then I set it aside for quite a while. Now when I try it again, just for scarves, I just do plain stitches alternating a row of single, then half- double, then double. It makes a nice looking pattern, but I have trouble getting the right number of stitches across. I’ve had scarves get bigger and others get smaller. My trouble is at the edges. Where do I crochet into for the end of the row, and then for the beginning of the next row. I think I need to go back and find good beginning instructions and actually follow them.
I had a patient teach me how to crochet about 8 years ago. The first thing I made was…well let’s just say I somehow crochet like a left hander but I’m right handed. She made me copies of step by step intrusions. From there I mastered the basic stitches and now I can look at something and make it.
I too had problems with figuring out the end stitches. I have had to tear out countless of rows.And change of color does take practice. But one thing I have learned is you cant be afraid to tear out and redo. Making mistakes and learning from them is the key to making beautiful crochet. You must experiment and finds what works for you.
I’m self taught… and still learning or basically just doing the one same stitch. I have gone crazy in my head trying to do the ‘in the round’ stitch because before i can get it big enough.. it comes out too small for a normal head or comes out wavy and end up unraveling the whole project, and end up doing it open and joining the ends together and pulling the top end closed.
useful hints?
i’ve heard about the wetting method to get rid of the wavy-ness, but i rather have it done right and not worry about other methods.
When an item waves at you, it has too many stitches. It is then necessary to frog it down to where it starts waving and use fewer stitches.
DON’T decrease too many stitches, though. Too few stitches make the item pucker.
Ivy
I always wanted to learn how to crochet, so I asked a classmate in high school (she was a beginner crocheted) to teach me. I learnt a name-less stitch (which I discovered later that it was the double crochet stitch) that was very hard to do. It went like: yarn over, insert the hook through the loop, pull through 2 loops, pull through the remaining 2 loops. My work always looked different from my classmate and neither of us know why. To discover one year later via YouTube that I skipped a step in my double crochet stitch :p
My Grandmother always told me that to rip it out was a sign that you would live to see it wore out!
Thinking I know a better/different way than the patten says. I’m forever thinking that I can “improve” on something. Also, kind of proud that I can “reverse engineer” a lot (but not all) — that is, figure out how to make an item just by studying a photo of it. Needless to say, those efforts often turn out completely different than the original. Finally, I’m not fond of blocking.
After crocheting for quite a few years, I finally found a place that described what to do when your gauge swatch doesn’t match the size. Either go up or down a hook size (ok, everyone knows that) but no one ever says to make the height of your stitches smaller or larger by loosening or tightening your tension! If your dc swatch isn’t tall enough for example, make your stitches taller; changing your hook size probably won’t help with that!
my biggest crochet mistake is not checking the dye lots in the yarns alot of times. so I end up with different shades….yea I meant to do that give it that homemade with love feel……LOL
Thank you all for sharing. I teach beginning crochet and pattern reading. Your examples mirror so many comments I hear from my students, both beginners and advanced. The most common mistake I see is: instead of Yarn Over, people grab the yarn from behind it. And the other is turning the wrong way at the end of the row. Both easily corrected! My biggest mistake is half finishing projects and forgetting my hook size or misplacing the pattern. Makes me crazy and takes a lot of time to get it right!
Oh man! Like so many others, my grandmother taught me when I was 8 and it was a MESS! (she started me with a tiny needle, so I choose to blame her… lol!) I didn’t know where exactly I was supposed to put my stiches, so I kind of just picked the next hole my hook could go, which made for wildy uneven…scarves? I just made rows and rows out of this ugly maroon yarn, never did patterns.
I made myself a gazillion little head scarf things (they were really just triangles on strings I used to wear, but I knew nothing of decreasing so I just stopped stitching when I wanted it to taper… lol!) and then I stopped crocheting for a long time.
Well when I was in college a friend wanted a beanie and I agreed to make her one. I picked it back up and (thankfully) had the sense to make sure I knew what I was doing! Learning to read that first pattern opened up a whole world of amigurumi, more hats, special stiches, etc. But I still have a problem of thinking I know a stich when I don’t… For instance, I’m working on a hat right now for my sister-in-law and I JUST realized I’ve been doing dc’s all wrong (I pull through a loop before pulling through 2 loops twice, apparently I just invented it)!
On top of my less-than-perfect stitch knowledge, I seem to be allergic to gaging. I’ve never done it, and I keep telling myself that 10+ years of crocheting is more than enough time to suck it up and gage, but I’ve never had issues *not* doing it… I know I must be a terrible crafter!
But thanks to everybody for sharing their goofs!
not learning how to make a magic ring YEARS ago. I used to make a small circle and there was always a sad little hole at the top of hats or in the middle of flowers!
I have been crocheting (taught by mother – first project baby soakers for baby allergic to plastic pants) for 50+ years. My big problem is Tunisian Crochet – cannot get it to make even rows – the work just grows or shrinks…I put it away and bring it out again over the years but cannot quite get the hang of starting new rows. Tunisian crochet makes a very nice fabric but I am frustrated each time I think i’ve got the hang of it!
My great aunt showed me how to chain when I was about 8 or 9 years old. She used to knit and also crocheted. I used to watch her. After I graduated from high school, I decided to try my hand at crocheting. I got this pattern for a shell stitch sweater and a how to crochet book. The sweater was supposed to stop at the hip, but when I got done with the back piece it was down to my knees. I never finished it. Then maybe 5 or 10 years later I decided to take it up again. I was watching my cousin crocheting and realized what I was doing wrong. I was crocheting in the back loop only instead of under both loops. It made a big difference. Still learning tips from other crocheters and the new videos help a lot too. I still have some trouble with gauging, but most of the time my projects come out pretty well.
My mom taught me to crochet when I was about 8 or 9. She taught me chaining, single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch, and most importantly, weaving in those pesky ends as you go. Most of the things she made were out of granny squares, though, and I just could not get them right. They would always curl up around the edges like tiny little bowls. Mom kept telling me I was crocheting too tightly, but I just couldn’t loosen up.
I started reading her crochet magazines and found so many things you could make without using granny squares; I was thrilled!
A whole new world opened up to me – I made everything – scarves, hats, sweaters, shawls, ponchos, mittens. The possibilities were endless!
I learned to crochet with thread using my great-grandma’s old teeny tiny steel hooks, which I still have and use occasionally. My eyes aren’t what they used to be, so it’s not as easy as it once was.
Having said all that, my biggest mistake is counting. It’s not that I don’t count; it’s just that I lose count. When I’m watching TV or there are other people in the room, I am soooo easily distracted, that I skip while I’m counting. I do this with individual stitches and with rows. You’d think by now with all the yarn I’ve ripped out over the years, I’d learn to pay more attention, but I guess some people never learn from their own mistakes!
I started crocheting about 12 years ago. (I was 8.) And the hardest thing for me to this day is when I am working in the round, I can never remember if I am supposed to crochet into the sl st or not.
My biggest problem is that I modify patterns to fit me, say a few extra stitches to make mittens more roomy and few less rows to make the hand portion smaller, and the first mitten turns out perfect. But because I have forgotten, or thought I would remember, instead of making notes the first time, mitten two turns out different. Now, a pencil and notepaper are part of my crocheting kit.
A good thing to do is making them at the same time. Both mittens and socks.
I taught myself to crochet, because I’m left handed and my mom was not. My first project turned into a cape instead oh an afghan. Thus learning the perils of not consistently counting stitches. I also found out it’s almost impossible for a eighty to finish a project started by a lefty. Again, learned in the school of mistakes.
I started a difficult pattern, one third way thru I realized how much thread I was actually using, I had an extra skein, it was a different manufacturer, the color was dull, mine had a sheen. I went back to the store, my thread was discontinued. I put the project aside. I was at a garage sale, a few months later, and low and behold, there was the skein I needed, wrapper still on the skein. I had to buy a whole bag of thread to get the one I needed, but I got it! I can always use the excess thread for doilies, for flowers. I thank God I didn’t rip out what I had already crocheted.
I forget to read the pattern through before I begin. Especially not reading “Special Instructions” or “Special Stitches” usually at the top of a pattern.
this thread certainly is comforting! so many times i’ve felt like an idiot…
my biggest mistake is (no, WAS!) not writing down my patterns. it’s so hard to replicate something i’ve made up when i can’t remember how long to make the chain, or what the pattern for each row is, or how many rows to make. I also have a problem with my foundation chain twisting-something small but so important to create clean work.
Learning to crochet with thread…pattern said use size 7 needle….even tho I did research…i was using a yarn crochet hook instead of a steel crochet thread hook! There is a difference! Had to rip my project apart!
I could not find the pattern for a vintage afghan my mom had half done before she died so I took it apart and used the yarn for a scrapghan. Last month the pattern came up on a vintage pattern instruction site. I should have kept it as it was. I would have it today and even been able to finish it.
A nurse taught me to crochet 30 years ago on night shift. So I went on to make a granny square afghan. I did it all on night shift between my rounds. Came out pretty. Made a nice pattern layout on Browns and Aran colors. Fit well over a king bed. So many I mailed it to my sister in Texas. She loved it. Turned out she just redid vet bedroom in those colors. Also turns out she crocheted too. She’d been in Texas a while so I didn’t know that. Anyway it came time to clean it. It started to unravel :-(. My BIG BIG mistake was not weaving ends. I just cut. She said she tried to repair it but it just could be done. LESSON LEARNED.
No matter how big my gauge swatch is, my project is always larger than intended. I’ve learned to compensate by using a smaller hook for the project than I did for the swatch. I hate ripping out 4 rows of an afghan that swatched at the right size but grew to be like 8 feet across. 🙁
I taught myself to crochet when I was around 11 years old. I’m left handed and everything I ever saw was right handed, so when I began learning from pictures and patterns, I thought at first my work was wrong until I realized it was just backwards. Also, not crocheting through both loops- no one actually tells you that! You have to see it to understand as well.
I loved reading all the comments. I have been crocheting for 40 or more years, taught by my Nana in the UK. I have lived in the U.S. For 29 years and it took me 15 years to realize the difference between the two crochet styles. I have never been able to keep a piece straight, miss count constantly and loose my place in patterns almost always. Yet I still love crochet the best of all my crafting. Now I free form crotchet, make stuff up as I go along, avoid anything with straight sides, never make the same thing twice – so I never make gloves 😉 it brings OOAK to a whole new level. I find having a sense of humor helps tremendously and at least now I don’t feel so alone.
My Auntie taught me how to crochet when I was 16. I was very lucky to have her as a teacher. She used to buy crocheted items from garage sales and then show me how to use them as a pattern. For the most part, I can look at a project and figure it out just from a picture. My Auntie was a very talented and amazing person <3
I just had a knee operation and will be laid up in the house for a few months. As a result, I needed a project to do so I decided to teach myself how to crochet based on the information I am finding on the internet and from a book. My first project I started is a dishcloth just using the single crochet stitch. Learning how to chain was interesting and had to start over a few times. I had to restart the dishcloth over at least 4 times. Just figuring out how to start a new row by using a chain stitch at the beginning and then using the single stitch until the row is completed. I have to remember to count the stitches as I seem be losing one every row or so. Thanks everyone for your posts above as it made me realize that I will need lots of patience and time for my journey into the crotchet world. I am about a quarter of the way through with my dishcloth and look forward to getting it done. I didn’t want to start with anything complicated. I have no idea how long it will take me to complete it. No matter what it looks like I will use my dishcloth with pride knowing the hard work that went behind it. Good luck to all new crocheters out there and remember to have FUN!!!!!!
I have been crocheting for over 30 years but still can’t quite figure out what is meant when the pattern says to crochet in the top of the turning chain. My projects nearly always turn out OK but I’m still not sure I’m doing it right.
My biggest mistake is not checking the lot numbers. I also will have my stitches to loose so I don’t have the same stitch gauge or making my chain counting it twice making sure I have the right amount but then find I’m short or long on my chain.
I first learned how to crochet when I was 6. Didn’t learn more than basic stitches and straight lines until I was 28. Taking that step had opened up a whole new world to me. If I get frustrated with a pattern, I just make something up. That usually works out but not always.
Judy, I presume the pattern says something like – 3ch (to stand as 1st dc). So when you come back to that 3ch at the end of the next row you need to make your last dc in the two loops of the third ch. hope that helps
I have been crocheting since a 7th grader so that is about 60 years.I am left handed and learning was very difficult as there were no other left handers around. I have learned that it is easier to show someone how to crochet when they are lefthanded and you are righthanded is to have them sit facing you as they are working in reverse. My problem is with the patterns that are graphic showing how the pattern goes as it is directly opposite for me and remembering that my finished work is on the back of the work and not facing me.
Try propping the pattern up against a mirror. it will show the work the way you will see it. I was asked to teach me how by a lefty many years ago. After frustration, tears and almost giving up I taught myself to crochet left handed (not easy for a righty who never did a thing with her left hand). Now my students laugh with me at my clumsiness and have fun learning.
I have been crocheting for over 40 years. In 7th grade they taught me single crochet and I taught myself to after that. My biggest mistake is not ordering enough yarn for the pattern or ordering to much. And if the yarn has a dye lot not checking to see if they are the same, I had a sweater I made and had to scrap it because I couldn’t finish the sleeve because they ended up discontinuing the yarn. I looked everywhere for that yarn and never found any.
I started an afghan back in ’09 and ran out of yarn. Checking around, I found that it had been discontinued, so I phoned the company and told them my plight. They checked their stock and were able to locate my color and send me the number of skeins I needed. It still isn’t finished, but at least I have the material to do so.
I used to crochet extremely tight. Thus, my shoulders and neck were hurting and my index finger got a bluish color. Lately, I found out that the drape is more beautiful and the project less stiff, if you crochet a bit looser. And it is much more fun!
I have read most of the comments from other crocheters and some or most of you have not crocheted that long. I’ve been crocheting for 68 years and I’m still learning about crocheting. At one time I couldn’t understand why there was a needle for sewing with crocheting. Well, I found out what it was for, now I use it with all my crocheting. When you have a length of yarn at the end of a row (2″ or 3″) you thread that needle with that left over yarn and without showing it for about an inch or two and come back underneath the same path and then trim the end. You cannot have any unraveling, ever. My email address is ypatalano@cox.net or ymonast@cox.net, just email me your questions and I will get the answer back to you. In the meantime, suscribe to You Tube and watch Yolanda Sotes Perez (I think that’s her name) or Michael Sellick. They are very good. Happy crocheting
Figuring out how to hold my yarn and keeping it taught but not cramping my hand was the hardest. For me, I look like I’m constantly holding up a #1 with my hand, but its the most comfortable and the yarn runs over the top of my index finger comfortably while my other three fingers can grip the yarn tail fairly loosely as well as my work.
I have been crocheting for over 50 years and am constantly looking for new and different stitch patterns for scarves, washcloths, etc. I have found Pinterest to be the best site to explore and have made many scarves, etc. from the Free Patterns I have accumulated. Good Luck to everyone with your crocheting!
My biggest problem is when I’m making hats. For some reason when the rows connect the line never stays straight. It goes diagonally.
Charlene-I have that same problem no matter what the pattern is. I have made hats, baskets, slippers, etc and they all do the same thing. Every time I make something that has a seam I am always counting and recounting the rows to make sure I have the right amount of stitches, but it doesn’t ever seem to help. No matter what, my seam likes to travel. Maybe someday we will hopefully (fingers crossed) figure out the secret to a straight seam.
I forgot to mention, I am self taught with the help of lots of books and you-tube videos. I have only been crocheting since 2010 and have done some pretty complicated stitches (at least they are to me). One of the most complicated thing I have made was a Darlek from Dr. Who for my husband. I was still a new crocheter and was trying to figure out stitches like Popcorns, Front Post Single Crochet, Back Post Single Crochet, Front Stitch only, Back Stitch only, so on and so on. Even tho this was the first time I came across these stitches and done these stitches I was quite proud of how it turned out. I got a lot of compliments on how it turned out, considering I was still a newbie to crochet.
As for other projects, I still have trouble with some of my square/ rectangle projects, such as afghans and dishrags. They want to travel on the edges so much, they look like they are doing the wave. LOL!
I learned how to crochet crochet in my 5th grade class with Mrs.Lafey. I am now 26 and only recently admitted and learned how to read patterns and do a lot more with crocheting. I used to say that I knew how to crochet until I bought a book on how to crochet and I am the hhappiest crocheter ever. I’ve made so many mistakes until I researched more on crocheting.
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My biggest problem is trying to understand how to increase or decrease a fancy stitch pattern when converting it into a triangle shawl. There’s so many beautiful stitch ideas out there but instead of just straight crocheting a blanket or scarf, I want to use them in a triangle shawl or poncho & keep messing it up. Something about chaining at the end of row then on the next row putting the stitch pattern into those chains then chaining again at end of row.
not checking my gauge- EVER
I hate those plastic stitch markers. They are hard to insert and especially a pain when you are working
short rows and having to move them every second. Other than using just a small piece of yarn (another color) to mark the rows, does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks
Thoroughly enjoyed reading thru all the comments. I’m self-taught, wing it, YouTube or Pinterest everything, can’t read a pattern for nuts! There are rows and stitches to count? Who knew?! Thanks to all the peeps commenting above. I now know “I am not alone”.
I am working on an Afghan, and it’s going along pretty. I usually stop about every 5-10 rows and count my stitches and colors. This is when I realized that 4 rows below that I missed switching one of stitches with the color it should of been. I don’t want to tear out all 4 rows to correct it. Does anybody have any suggestions. Here is what I’m talking about:
X=red
O=black
Ex: Fourth row. XXXXXXXOOOO
Third row. XXXXXXOOOO
Second row XXXXXOOOO
First row. XXXOOOOO
Now what it should of been is in the first row it should of been FOUR stitches of red yarn and then the black stitches. Is there a way to correct without having to take it all out. Or is it alright as is?