Why Doesn't My Single Crochet Look Like Yours?

I discovered just last night that I have not been doing standard single crochet.  What I've been doing isn't technically wrong - it is single crochet and I have completed four scarves already using it.  However, I've been doing single crochet through the front loop only.

You can still make anything you like going through the front or back loop of a stitch, but it changes the texture.  And here I kept wondering why my scarves were so stripey!

Stripey and wonky!

Not stripey...but still a bit wonky.

3 1/2 Scarves

I haven't continued with my Craftsy Crochet Lab class this week, but only because I have someone teaching me in person and she, unfortunately, is going back home this week.  I have to take advantage of her mad crochet skills while I still can!  I still love and recommend the Craftsy class and am planning on taking more as my skills progress.

So far I've made three scarves using single stitch crochet.  Because it's the only one I currently know.  I'm getting used to how to hold the yarn and the hook (there's no one right way, trust me), as well as figuring out which style of hook I like.  Because I hold far too much tension in my hands, I prefer hooks that have a thicker handle.  There are a variety out there, but I chose from the slim selection at my local crafts store.  My current favorite is by The Crochet Dude.  I love this hook's thick, padded handle.  At some point, I'd still like to try the Addi ones that have a wide, curved handle.  I can work with the standard skinny hooks, but I simply prefer not to.  I know that you can get rubbery grips to slip over them and I've heard there are adapters (I guess you would call them) for people who have arthritis and need a much larger, rounder handle, so I'll have to check all of that out, as well. 

I chose to try a few different yarns, as well, to see how I feel about them.  When I first started, the only one I could use was the Caron One Pound I originally bought.  The acrylic is a bit scratchy and I have no desire to wear it (super sensitive skin), but it holds its shape really well and doesn't split, making it a perfect yarn to learn with.  I made a few samples and then a long scarf the acrylic and decided that it's going to be the yarn I turn to whenever I learn anything knew in crochet.  So when I go back to my Craftsy class and do the first project, which I believe is going to be a crocheted electronics case, I'll use the acrylic to learn on.  My experience making the scarves was that after enough practice on the acrylic, I felt more comfortable using the Bamboo Ewe I'd bought, then trying out a random lone skein of Noro Cash Iroha that I found in one of my moving boxes from my mom's wealth of yarn that got left behind when she moved to Italy.  The Cash Iroha is the silkiest I've come across in the many boxes of yarn I have in my garage, but it isn't the easiest to work with.  But the Bamboo Ewe is only soft in comparison to the acrylic and some skeins of wool I found.  Another type I'm favoring for its feel alone is alpaca, but the particular skeins I have are very thin.

Here are the three scarves I completed this past week:


On the left, in pale blue, is the Caron One Pound, which is 100% acrylic.  Great for learning on, but not very soft.
     In the middle, in a silvery grey, is the Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe, which is bamboo and wool.  Softer than the acrylic by far, a little more stretchy and plied so it's not the easiest to work with when starting out.  It is not, however, hard to work with in general.  I will definitely be getting more of this.
     The dark multicolored one on the right is the Noro Cash Iroha, which is cashmere blend, wool, cashmere and nylon.  It's luxuriously soft.  I want to make a blanket out of this stuff, but it would be a pretty dang expensive blanket.    
     I'm also making a scarf for one of my friend's kids out of the alpaca I found and will post photos once it's done.    

     I'm proud of myself for having already created a few things with the small amount of knowledge I have (huge thanks to Maria for teaching me and my mom for buying me the Craftsy Crochet Lab class), but I'm not actually finished with them.

     Aside from a variety of stitches and patterns, I need to learn how to block my projects once they're done and I need to learn more about the various yarns that are out there - don't even get me started on patterns, embellishments and using more than one skein on a project!

Right now you can take a free mini-class on Craftsy called Know Your Wool.  This seems like a pretty advanced class, but you never know what you'll glean and it's FREE.

Crochet Lab on Craftsy

I have just started my first crochet class online at Craftsy: Crochet Lab with Vickie Howell (Basic Techniques and Patterns).  First impression:  I heart Vickie Howell.  She's just the right amount of quirky and perky and I love the stuff she makes.  She is now tied in my heart with Debbie Stoller of Stitch 'n Bitch. 

Here is what I get along with my class (for $15):

• Access to the class at any time, as many times and for as long as I want.
• Ability to skip around within the class sections, do 30 second repeats (perfect for following along) or pause the video.
• The ability to ask questions and participate in discussions with my classmates and instructor.
• Ability to create notes, which will be bookmarked on the video in my account.
• And access to printable class materials.

I came to the realization that I need a sort of starter-yarn (my mom's stuff is way too fancy), so I'm going to Joann and Michael's today to pick up a skein.  I'm hoping to find Stitch Nation's Bamboo Ewe in a light blue.  And I'm considering picking up whatever size hook it recommends, even though I have a set, because I want to try one with an ergonomic grip.  My right hand is crazy sore from crocheting last night.

Sunday is Crochet Day, so hopefully I'll have a sample of my awfulness to show you then!

Hallmark Holiday Crochet

I have something to admit to you.  You already know that I am the uncraftiest of them all.  What you may not know is that there is a special place in my heart for the occasional Hallmark Channel movie.  And I love Christmas movies even more.  This is most likely because my dad celebrates Chanukah and my mom spent several years ruining Christmas by decorating our tree super-80s-Southwestern style (long live the Christmas Cactus!).    


A few days ago, I decided (after much encouragement from Mary) to spend my day learning the basics of crochet while watching Hallmark Channel Christmas movies - because they know me well enough to realize that I will totally watch cheesy Christmas movies in the middle of summer.  That's how I roll.


I started out with a pack of crochet hooks from Michael's and a ball of yarn I found in the leftovers from my mom's storage unit (I have a lot of her yarn, but this one is a spare).  I only have one book on crochet, but it has a small how-to section in the back, so it got me started enough for me to figure out if this whole crochet thing was really going to work for me.  Which isn't to say that I haven't learned how to do the first step (a foundation chain) before.  I know I've made one, but I can't even remember who helped me with it, so remembering how to hold the tension (the way you hold the yarn) didn't go so great.  Actually that was one of my big issues before.  I'm assuming that practice is the only thing that is going to change that.  The pictures of the book and hooks, below, are product links to Amazon for the exact items I got.  For something I am NOT going to make, click here.

I started out with a US I9 5.5mm crochet hook (the pink one), because...I have no idea what I'm doing and it seemed like a good idea at the time.  I decided to start by making a few foundation chains (recommended by Mary).  I just watched the video embedded in the last sentence...I totally didn't do that...  Here's a vagapple for you...

The first chain I made (with the pink hook) is the longer one below (in other words, not the one with the blue hook, which you probably already figured out) and it is obviously not a very good chain.  It won't lay flat because the stitches are uneven, but I hadn't done this in a while, so I wasn't too dismayed.  I decided to switch to the blue one, a US H8 (ha!) 5mm hook.  And no, not because I hate crochet, I hadn't gotten that joke yet.  I just wanted to try a slightly smaller hook with this yarn to see if it made a difference.  It felt much more comfortable and the chain turned out better (it lays flat and only the first few stitches are uneven).  I'm going to need a lot of practice and better instructions.

Part of me really doesn't want to do the learning part of this, I just wanna make stuff - I want to already know.  This is why I gave up knitting (I really hated that).  But I like crochet.  I feel more comfortable with a crochet hook than with knitting needles (there are two of them, it's so confusing!...shush) and I have all these boxes of fantastic yarn (which I won't touch until I know what I'm doing).  So let's make it official - I am really going to try to learn how to crochet.  

To keep me from being half-assed about it (and because she loves me), Mary bought me an online crochet class from Craftsy!  Craftsy offers online video courses in a wide variety of crafts, from Artisan Bread Making to The Art of Cloth Dyeing.  There are several crochet classes available, including two beginners classes.  I am going to sign up for Crochet Lab with Vickie Howell, which goes over all the details from choosing tools to learning stitches.  My ulterior motive is to someday take the Amigurumi: Design Your Own Monster course.  Duh.

I am off to sign up and will post more details about the class and my progress (let's hope there will be some of that) later in the week.  Actual crafting, you guys!  Crazy!