Crochet

[Maggie Mae]

I want to make an afghan. Does anyone know a good book for a beginner? How much yarn do I need? What are those hook things called? Where do I order yarn? Is one brand better than others?

[Destiny]

Do you already know how to crochet? I find ravelry.com to be an excellent resource for patterns, and most of them are free. I'd start there, and skip the books, but that's just my opinion.

Yarn - I like bernat baby, but most of the stuff I make is for babies. I've made a couple adult afghans, but they were Lion Brand yarn. I can't remember the specific variety any more.

[Maggie Mae]

Do you already know how to crochet? I find ravelry.com to be an excellent resource for patterns, and most of them are free. I'd start there, and skip the books, but that's just my opinion.

Yarn - I like bernat baby, but most of the stuff I make is for babies. I've made a couple adult afghans, but they were Lion Brand yarn. I can't remember the specific variety any more.

Oh no, I've never crocheted anything before. I know how to knit, though. Sort of. I made a hat in college. I really liked the afghans at my massage therapist's house. I

[Destiny]

Assuming it works with how you learn, YouTube has tutorials for every possible crochet stitch. I'll go looking for the pattern I used for my very first Afghan and post it if I can find it. It's a baby blanket, but I used a thicker weight yarn and the correct hook for the yarn size and 9 skeins and it came out ok. It's a super easy pattern too.

[Maggie Mae]

Assuming it works with how you learn, YouTube has tutorials for every possible crochet stitch. I'll go looking for the pattern I used for my very first Afghan and post it if I can find it. It's a baby blanket, but I used a thicker weight yarn and the correct hook for the yarn size and 9 skeins and it came out ok. It's a super easy pattern too.

Awesome, thanks! I was just thinking I could probably youtube something!

[Destiny]

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0238B.html

This is the pattern I used. I tripled the amount of yarn, bought 3 different colours to make stripes, and tripled the pattern.

I can't remember what yarn I used anymore, but it was worsted weight and I used a j hook.

[Destiny]

Personally though, I'd start with making a baby blanket. Full sized afghans are unwieldy and hard to keep your tension right for a beginner. Just my opinion. :)

[Maggie Mae]

Personally though, I'd start with making a baby blanket. Full sized afghans are unwieldy and hard to keep your tension right for a beginner. Just my opinion. :)

Also my attention span. :)

Thanks!

[Arete]

I second destiny31 on the baby blanket idea first. For a quick project to practice your stitches, I suggest baby hats. Lots of free patterns on the net, lots of good videos on YouTube. My preference for most things is 100% cotton yarn, and Bernat and the other big yarn makers all carry 100% cotton yarn, you just have to look closely at the labels when buying, because the majority of what they sell are cotton-poly blends.

When you are ready for an afghan, try the ones that are made up of squares. I find it is easier to keep focused on the project when you are producing finished "milestones" regularly, as opposed to being in the middle of a large piece for a long time.

[moreorlessnu]

There are a series of crochet pattern books called "Mile a Minute". They show stitches that crochet up fast. Here is a "Mile a Minute" video:

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[AnnC]

Ravelry and Craftsy have groups you can join when you are starting out for some support and encouragement.

My best success getting back to Crochet was to use a somewhat bulky yarn: 1 the project goes faster 2. Super cozy. (I used a Jiffy Baby yarn in the bulky weight and it worked great)

The pattern will list the hook size you need, and the amount of yarn. Keep in mind the amount of yarn you need will depend on the hook, and your particular style. Some projects can use a surprising amount of yarn. But for getting started, there are plentiful free patterns out there, the grit stitch makes a nice textured fabric and looks great with bulky yarns

Try to avoid homespun or slubby yarns for your first project, the uneven texture is more difficult to rip out (if you need to ) and it can be difficult to see your progress.

[CorruptionInc.]

Mikey from the Crochet Crowd has a fantastic YouTube Channel for learning everything from the basics to advanced and everything in between. Bella Coco is also another good Crochet YouTube channel.

[halfheartedheroine]

Is this a general thread (pun not intended) about crochet or is this specific to crocheting afghan blankets? If it's not general, I'm sorry and will promptly move this post.

My fingers sometimes go tingly when I'm crocheting-- anyone have any good tips to prevent that from happening? I've seen some neat crochet hooks with large clay-wrapped handles but I'm not sure if that's for correcting tension or something.

[FreeJesusFromFundies]

Mikey from the Crochet Crowd has a fantastic YouTube Channel for learning everything from the basics to advanced and everything in between. Bella Coco is also another good Crochet YouTube channel.

The Crochet Crowd is one of my favourite! Excellent resource for learning.

[heagleca]

I have a book called The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert that helped me a lot. If I had trouble following some technique in the book, I looked it up on YouTube.

[Morgaine]

For baby blankets, Lion Brand Pound of Love is often the right amount of yarn. You may some day grow into a yarn snob and want to use only proper wool or other natural fibers, but acrylic is good for baby blankets because it holds up well to being repeatedly vomited on and machine washed.

[CaptainFunderpants]

Is this a general thread (pun not intended) about crochet or is this specific to crocheting afghan blankets? If it's not general, I'm sorry and will promptly move this post.

 

My fingers sometimes go tingly when I'm crocheting-- anyone have any good tips to prevent that from happening? I've seen some neat crochet hooks with large clay-wrapped handles but I'm not sure if that's for correcting tension or something.

Super late on this, but sleep in wrist braces. It's a carpal tunnel symptom and you'll be amazed at what sleeping in them will do for preventing symptoms during the day.

[Gimme a Free RV]

On 8/19/2015, 7:59:52, halfheartedheroine said:

Is this a general thread (pun not intended) about crochet or is this specific to crocheting afghan blankets? If it's not general, I'm sorry and will promptly move this post.

 

My fingers sometimes go tingly when I'm crocheting-- anyone have any good tips to prevent that from happening? I've seen some neat crochet hooks with large clay-wrapped handles but I'm not sure if that's for correcting tension or something.

Mine do the same thing.  In fact, mine go tingly when I do any activity for longer than five minutes where my hands are higher than my navel.

[Kak]

48 minutes ago, Gimme a Free RV said:

Mine do the same thing.  In fact, mine go tingly when I do any activity for longer than five minutes where my hands are higher than my navel.

My left hand does it with crochet, but not knitting. 

[Gimme a Free RV]

38 minutes ago, Kak said:

My left hand does it with crochet, but not knitting. 

Are you a left-handed crocheter?  I hold the hook in my left hand.

[Kak]

1 hour ago, Gimme a Free RV said:

Are you a left-handed crocheter?  I hold the hook in my left hand.

No, I'm a right-handed hooker! Should have said.

[littlemommy]

I love to crochet! I've never had a hand go numb but sometimes my left shoulder hurts from slouching while I sit holding the yarn. Here is a picture of my messy haired girl holding one of about a billion blankies I've made her. 

[Rubaiyat]

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to chime in and say that my fav "cheap" yarn is Encore worsted.  Seriously.  I'm such a snob when it comes to acrylics, but Encore feels nice, comes in big skeins, washes beautifully, is relatively cheap, and lasts absolutely forever.  

Did you start your afghan yet?  How about now?  Pictures?

[mtc3659]

I just started a new crocheted blanket for a baby shower. However, I did make a blanket for my ma for Christmas this past year that I crocheted in 3 days. I was literally crocheting for 8 hours each day because I was on vacation.

[DaisyD]

I've done that. I get a semi permanent dent in my tension finger when I do that though.