Do you want to improve your crochet skills but don't know what to do next? Here are a few quick and simple tips to make learning to crochet even easier. These little tips will be easy to implement in a day.
Death by Granny square- stop doing this.
People do 'death by granny square' and I never understand why. They keep picking up that granny square and even though they're not getting it, they keep sticking that hook in and get upset when it becomes a circle or a triangle instead. My advice? Put it down and walk away. If there's something about the granny square that you're not getting, please put it down and do something else for an hour, a couple of hours or a full day.
There is no eye opening experience greater than coming back to your granny hodge-podge and seeing exactly where you went wrong. There may be too many corners. There may not be enough corners. You won't see the forest for the trees if you keep staring at it in despair.
Here's a quick video showing you how to make a basic granny square. I've slowed down as much as I can but you can also adjust the speed settings on the video to watch it in slow motion if you need more time.
I also have this handy little print out available so you can study the granny square in even more detail.
Stop your crochet stitches blending into lingo soup.
Stop your crochet stitches from blending into lingo soup from today. There's a really easy method for this one: Learn your terms. No, seriously, it will save you so much hassle. Here's a handy chart showing you what's what. There are only 4 main stitches to know, here. Is it really that hard or are you actively resisting?
If you're still struggling, here's my crochet stitch guide for beginners. It's a simple and quick companion of the basic stitches in coloured photographs as well as their UK names, US names and instructions. It's extremely handy to use if you're using Youtube to learn or if you're trying to read patterns.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Switch the social media off.
It's so easy to scroll through social media and be inspired by all of the amazing crochet out there. It's also incredibly easy to give yourself a heavy dose of comparison-itis. You can't help it. Instagram and Tiktok are set up for this kind of thing. After seeing hundreds of beautiful crochet pieces, you could easily come away feeling like you'll never be that good. Where you're at today is probably where those people were 5 years ago. There really is no basis for comparison here.
In the time you just spent scrolling social media (you'd be amazed at how much time flies when you're doom scrolling) you could have worked on your crochet!
Ok, your crochet may not be that pretty-- yet. Stop using instagram for a couple of days and focus on what you're doing. Turn your phone off for half an hour (or disable apps if you need it on for emergencies) and focus solely on the crochet. These are short bursts of time that we could really stick with if we removed all other distractions. Even as little as a dedicated half hour once a week would make a huge difference to your crochet skills.
Don't crochet when you're drunk or tired.
Both of these instances produce similar results (ask me how I know). The more tired you are, the more mistakes you will make. If you're ok with that, hook on! If you're not, put it to one side and try again tomorrow.
This didn't really need mentioning, did it?
Crochet something small.
Making small things for a while is absolutely fine. Your first crochet project doesn't have to be a blanket or a garment. Make a toy, a baby item or a small accessory. You''d be amazed at the way you get that hit of accomplishment in a relatively small amount of time.
What have you tried to help you improve your crochet? Did it work? Let me know in the comments!