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Newbie needs help
I am trying to teach myself to crochet. I am looking for beginner patterns for afghans, etc. Need all the help I can get. Thank you in advance!
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Hope this help TNRenee just click on highlight Link below. Susan M J
https://www.google.com/#q=Beginners+Crochet+Afghan
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Hi there! I make only doilies
ɹǝʞɐɯ ʎןıop ɐsıɹɐן
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I'm a crochet teacher! Which stitches have you learned so far? That'll give us an idea for suggestions to make to help you be successful with your FIRST afghan! How exciting!
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You may be getting your laugh for the day, but I know we all start somewhere. I have two inspirations to learn. The first being the beautiful afghans and doilies left to me that were made by my great grandmother, and the other is to maybe help my fingers move better. I am having some physical issues with them. So far, I am repeatedly doing the single and double crochet stitch, working on consistency. Not sure which stitches are next step to learn, but want to master this one day!
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I have doilies made by my great grandmother. A few have small yellow stains that I have been afraid to attempt removing. Any helpful tips?
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My grandmother was, in part, my inspiration to learn, too! 
She crocheted till she was 99 and then her eyesight failed. Her fingers were kept nimble by the crocheting, I think.
Consistency is important and it's what sets an exquisite piece aside from a beautiful piece. But you don't have to achieve consistency before starting a project! A project as big as an afghan is a great way to practice consistency and if it's a bit lumpy or bumpy or has an unexpected gap here or there, that's okay. It can be either a family heirloom with stories attached to it...."see those 5 holes in the afghan love, that's where granny left her work to help granpa find his glasses, they couldn't so he borrowed hers, and she returned to stitching but left the holes because she couldn't see what she was doing" for example. Or it can be a warm charity blanket that will be appreciated because it was handmade with love!
The hand that holds the yarn feeds it to the hook is just as important as the hook holding hand. You want to be able to pull the yarn through the fingers of the yarn hand with the hook but feel a little resistance, and you need to be able to slow the "flow" of yarn through your hand by gripping the yarn with a finger or two (I use my pinkie and ring fingers). Consistency is also easier to achieve if you don't choke the hook. When you look at the loop of yarn on the hook, you want to be able to see "air" below the hook and above the base of the loop. The loop should be loose enough on the hook to easily draw the nose of the hook through after you've given it a quarter-turn downward so the nose is pointing down with it's pulled through the loop.
For beautiful double crochet sts, when pulling up a loop from where you inserted the hook, it's nice to pull up the loop about a "hook's nose" height above the previous row, or even higher (here's an interesting article about lifting).
Another thing to try is to go up a hook size. This small adjustment can sometimes make all the difference in the world to the beauty and consistency of the stitch!
Another thing that affects consistency is your mood...I have some pretty wonky items I've crocheted where some was stitched while I was angry and looking for some unwinding time, and some was done while having a glass of wine and chatting with friends by a cozy winter fireplace.
I'm relatively new to Crochet Talk myself, but from what I've seen in the forums, it's a great community to be in and many will help you.
No question is a dumb question!
Cheers,
Charles
Last edited by Charles Voth; 03-21-2014 at 06:14 AM.
Reason: adding a thought
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This is awesome! So glad I found this forum!
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Hi TNRenee Im glad your here also. Barbara & Charles have been a great help and any thing else arises just ask all our family friends will be here to help. Later!
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