6 Pro Tips to Elevate the Quality of Your Crochet

I learned a lot about crochet by watching my grandmother knit.

Her even stitches worked with beautiful yarns using simple, yet elegant and classic patterns inspired me.
I figured if she could do that knitting, I certainly could figure out how to do that with crochet! There had to be a way!

It wasn’t an easy or direct discovery. Lot’s of fails, lots of “what was I thinking” moments. We’ll just chalk those up to experimenting; and as a result I’ve discovered some simple, helpful, tips to help you make your crochet even better, no matter how basic you might think it is.

1. Use good quality yarn:
   • Good quality doesn’t necessarily need to mean more expensive, but sometimes it does. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more to get the right yarn for the project. You are investing hundreds of hours in crocheting your project, and you hands should be happy having the yarn slide through. The right quality yarn for your project will also add to the longevity and heirloom quality of your finished project.
   • When you use good quality yarn, even the simplest of patterns is going to LOOK better!
   • When you use good quality yarn, you are going to feel more confident and that is going to show in the quality of your stitch execution
2. Work your stitches correctly and well:
   • So, this is a “shameless plug” for you to be learning from me! Executing your stitches well is going to make all the difference in the world. Knowing the difference between an extended single crochet and a double crochet for instance will give your work and entirely consistent look, and will make pattern reading so much easier.
   • Knowing the correct way to perform a stitch is crucial! There is a difference between putting the yarn over or under the hook that will change teh way your stitches look.
   • Choosing the right hook for the yarn you are using is also going to make your stitch formation that much easier as well. Choosing the right size and style of hook can change the way you move your hands and it can change the way your stitches are formed. Are your stitches soft and open? or are they tight and rigid? Neither is necessarily incorrect, it depends on the effect the finished project should have.
3. Stop using worsted weight for everything:
   • There is a stereotype about crocheters that we only use worsted weight acrylic, for everything, regardless. Crochet inherently makes a thicker fabric than knitting, so when we use a thicker yarn, we end up with an even thicker finished project. That can be ok, if that is what you are going for, but it’s not generally lovely for a lacy skirt, or a summer top. Consider exploring other yarn weights. I LOVE crochet thread, and other fingering weight yarns. You might cringe and say “But it will take forever to make the thing”, but what is your objective in crocheting? Is it to make as many things in as short a time as possible? or to make beautiful things that years from now will be loved and treasured?
4. Check your gauge:
   • There are elements of this one in the previous 2 items. Making a gauge swatch may seem like a delay in getting started, but really, it is PART of getting started. Sometimes, making a swatch is about making sure that you have a certain number of stitches per inch, and sometimes it is about deciding if you like the fabric you are making with this yarn and hook. Better to understand that in a 4″ square than 4 skeins into an afghan!
5. Choose good colors:
   • We’ve all seen those afghans at yard sales and at the secondhand store that people won’t even take home for their dog to sleep on! It’s so SAD because so many hours of love and crochet skill are now going unloved.
     Now, I DO get it when we are using up random scraps just to make a thing, knowing that the afghan is destined to a life on the floor or out in the yard, we don’t want to use our best favorite colors for that. When my kids were growing up I made each of them what I affectionally dubbed the “ugly afghans”. Each kid rummaged around in the scrap yarn box until they had a enough to make a ghan.
6. Learn to read crochet patterns:
   • Crochet and knitting patterns are a LANGUAGE. There are terms, phrases, grammar, symbols, and methods. In order to execute a pattern successfully, you need to know the language.

There you have it.
6 Pro-Tips for making your crochet better.

Did this help? Send me a message and let me know!