Anna Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 This might not apply to the learning to crochet but I think I am looking for a pattern on how to make miniature socks eother crocheted or knitted... I am thinking I want to make a pair of socks in a preferably grey variageted yar if that is possible :thumb: not sure about that either LOL Anu suggestions on where I should start to search, I do have access to DHMS magazines at my MIL's but that will take a while to get to.... Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck princess Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Anna, There was a link on here about a week ago for mini socks...let me see if I can find it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck princess Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Okay, I don't know how to make a link on here, but the website is www.bitstobuy.co.uk/. It is the free pattern for the month. Good luck, and would love to see them if you decide to make them :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Slapping forehead, YES I remember seeing this site sometime ago, but then again I am excusign myself with having a slight fever and a headcold to follow up with! Thank you so much for this, will print of that pattern and see if I can make heads or tails out of them.... Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 OK, found what "purl" translates into and I think I can work the rest out as well, yay!!!! Now to look at the home made knitting needles my FIL made for me to see if they might work... Hmm, think they will need some sort of an handle of my figners will give up on me... Hugs and thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 You might consider getting one of the Boye "I Taught Myself To Crochet" kits. They come with a book, hook, yarn and you can actually produce something as you learn (scarf, cap, etc). And they sell the kits just about anywhere they sell yarn. It's rather easy once you get the hang of it and very relaxing. Have fun! Hi Charlene, I found a kit at Wal-mart! I had to go pick up a prescription and was killing time in the fabric section and I made my way into the yarn section and stumbled across the kits. It comes with the book, 5 different sizes of needles and some other stuff. I wasn't sure what type of yarn to get and there was a lady walking by and i asked her if she knew how to crochet...and yes she sure did. She told me it's easier to have someone show you how to do it....so i got one of the crochet hooks out of the kit and she grabbed the yarn that i had i my hand and started to crochet. Of course she was very abrupt, talked fast and showed me really fast....like she did it, then she would turn it around to show me how it looked....lol...By then I just politely oohhhed and awwed and sounded agreeable. She was a strange lady but did tell me the yarn that i had was best for beginners since it wasn't slippery but "i would NEVER use that yarn, it's cheap"....lol....she also said to try a smaller sized needle than what the book recommends because as a new person, my stitches wouldn't be very tight. Well, i was able to walk away with a couple of tips at least :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Good Luck on the crochet journey. I have had approximately 5 people try and teach me..(my sister, my mother, my mother`s friend, my neighbor, and my buddy) I am a fumble fingers. I cant hold the yarn right, the tension is always off and I drop stitches left and right. I gave up on crochet and knitting a long long time ago. I hope you have better luck than I ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadanna Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 I love crochet!! My grandmother is an avid crocheter, and can really make some beautiful items. She was teaching me to crochet right before I moved from the States to Canada. At first, everything was very tight... Now, I've got a very even stitch consistently. I've been making some crochet teddy bears lately. I have been interested in doing crochet mini style, but I don't even know where to begin... Like what kind of thread to use, what size hooks (it seems all the books I've read are american or british and don't seem to have the same system as here in Canada) Also, does anyone have the book "Dolls House Needlecrafts" by Venus A. Dodge (ISBN 0-7153-0169-1)? I received it as a gift for my birthday, and I'm anxious to do some of the projects, but I'd like to find someone to consult with about some of the items before I get started and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 9, 2007 Author Share Posted December 9, 2007 Okay, so after viewing youtube videos, i felt comfortable practicing i have done about 6 or 7 rows (who's keeping track, not me )...anyway...i think i'm making my stitches too tight. I starting to get the hang of it sorta but it's very ackward to keep tension, stitch and hold onto the piece i'm working on...oh and i keep switching my needl from inside my palm to over my hand between the thumb and pointer finger. Well, i've only dropped one stitch when i started a new row that's not bad is it? only once? it's not great, but it's a start. i'll try to take a picture of my poor progress and post it ...lol....i think my chain stitch my much looser than my other rows....anyway, it's curling up. and i've messed up a couple of stitches along the way. If you stand back 3 feet tho, you can't tell when you're looking at it. I'm determined i'm going to learn this tho! After i get this single stitch down a little better, i know the general idea for double crochet...i've already studied up on that ;) then...granny squares! My eyes are a little out of focus at the moment i feel almost cross eyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 9, 2007 Author Share Posted December 9, 2007 Opps, now that i'm taking photos i can see i dropped more than one stitch... I need alot more practice...lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggi Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Marg--looks really good for a first try. The reason it is curling is your tension is not the same on all rows--but with practice you will be a pro in no time. The tension part was the hardest for me to get down pat. I think that is the reason I "feed" my thread thru my fingers different from anyone else I've seen crochet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 10, 2007 Author Share Posted December 10, 2007 Thanks for the pointers Peggi I had a hard time with the tension part...sometimes i felt like i had a good tension on it then all of a sudden the wool was not between my fingers anymore...lol...don't know what happened. Oh and after pulling thru the two loops, sometimes the wool would slip off of my hook. oops. The lady i had run into at Walmart told me that since newbies make their stitches too loose, i should use a smaller needle. I found i was getting my stitches too tight, then i'd compensate a couple of stitches later and make them more loose, then i'd go back to tight...etc...it was hard to not do that. So when i'd due a new row, some stitches were easy to pick up and add the new row and others were harder. I think i'll try a larger needle this next time. I also need to go back on study the youtube videos, regarding turning a row. I definately need work on that. I'll just keep trying. I really want to learn this!!!! I want to make mini afghans!!!! that is my ultimate goal!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadanna Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 ilovecats: Oh and after pulling thru the two loops, sometimes the wool would slip off of my hook. My friend who is a GREAT crocheter and one of my teachers told me it's all about the quality of the hooks you use. I also got the "I taught myself to crochet" kit from Walmart and every piece I worked on with those hooks, I just kept having the yarn slip off the hook which made everything sooooo slow. Then I got some Susan Bates hooks from my friend, and I have not had one instance of that issue again. In fact, the Susan Bates hooks have really been easier for me to use and more comfortable, and I can work at breakneck speed without worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck princess Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Marg--looks really good for a first try. The reason it is curling is your tension is not the same on all rows--but with practice you will be a pro in no time. The tension part was the hardest for me to get down pat. I think that is the reason I "feed" my thread thru my fingers different from anyone else I've seen crochet. I'm having the same problems with curling, but would also like to know about needle size and thread to use, once I get better at this. I would love to make some cute aghans for the dh, that I probably wouldn't have patience doing in RL, but realize that working in mini is going to require lots of patience, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petite Crafter Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 The main thing is to just keep practicing, you will get the hang of it. The tension is always a problem for beginning crocheters because they are afraid they are going to lose control of the yarn. The best thing I can tell you is to make yourself relax, hold the yarn snugly, but not overly tight. I am right handed, and in my left hand, I let my yarn/thread come up by my palm, over my index finger, and down again between my index finger and thumb. This way, when crocheing, you sort of pull the thread from your left hand with your hook. [if you're left-handed, do this in your right hand, of course]. Crocheting is nothing more than making a loop, or a series of loops with a thread/yarn and a hook. Don't think of it in terms of complicated - it is just making loops. Then when you are comfortable with the hook and the tension, get a simple pattern, and follow one stitch - one line at the time. I have people that have learned by printing out a pattern in larger print, but with each instruction on a line by itself. That way it doesn't confuse, or intimidate you. Follow that one line, then on to the next. But still, the main thing is practice and getting used to the hand positions and holding the thread. Relax your hands - you will get it. For mini crocheting, I use #10 thread and a size 3 hook for rugs, and or afghans. For doiles and daintier things, I use #40 or 50 thread, and a 000 or 00 hook. But, start with yarn, and a large hook, [G, or H], and work your way down to the smaller threads and hooks. Practice, practice, practice. [easy for me to say - I've been crocheting for over 40 years]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Great work, it needs practicing to get it even and "enough" stretch in it as well... It can be tough at times but it will look lovley when you do get into a flow while crocheting! I have been crocheting on and off since a very early age (mum used to knit and crochet items that went on display in a yarn shop when we grew up) and I learnt crocheting as a right handed person, thought this was before starting to write witht he left hand LOL so I suppose I am somewhat ambitextrous (sp?) but she also tought me to loop the yarn around the pinky not to tight but still as an extra little hold on it so to speak, I do the same with the knitting yarn... Might sound weird but it has helped me to keep an even flow of the yarn. Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 Thanks for the pointers everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I also wrap the yarn around my pinkie. It used to make my teachers crazy in school because I would put a book in a stand and read while I crocheted in class. They would ask me a question and I could answer correctly too. Heehee. Gotta love multitasking. (Now I play on the computer, watch TV and am talking to DH about a project he wants to do.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenlaine Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I also wrap the yarn around my pinkie. I think it allows the tension to be more stable and even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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