A lot of crocheter’s (and knitters) I have met over the years each have their own way of starting a center pull ball, but it’s essentially the same regardless of what ‘apparatus’ you use at the very start.
The method described below are fine for starting from either a ball, skein, cone or hank.

1: Wrap yarn around between two pencils (or two fingers, two markers, or any cylindrical objects will also be fine), leaving long tail wrapped between the two and trailing away.

2: Wrap the yarn around both pencils 8-15 times, not to tightly, but not too loosely either.

3: Slide the wrapped yarn off of the pencils and hold the yarn with your forefinger and thumb. Begin to wrap yarn around in a clockwise motion around the held between your forefinger and thumb, all the while leaving the long tail alone to hang out the middle of the yarn

4: Continue wrapping while rotating the ball in a way that leaves the long beginning tail somewhat exposed. So wrap the yarn around 12-20 times, rotate, wrap again, rotate, wrap again. Try to keep the shape round and the center pull exposed.
See how easy?

Have any questions or tips about rolling a center pull skein? Comment here!

Never fear, Crochet Spot (and Erin) are here to the rescue!

Here is a step by step guide to gently hand washing your favorite delicate crocheted items.

Step 1: Be prepared. Put thought into what you are washing before buying detergent. Some yarns that are bulkier and sturdier like a DK weight yarn and heavier can handle a regular laundry detergent, in very small amounts. Oversudsing any item can make it fray and fade. Other items (or if you want to play it safe, any item) will fair better if gentle detergents like Dreft or Woolite are used.

Have a large area like a sink, tub or basin clean and ready to be filled. Have detergent ready and if not in a sink or tub with running water, enough clean water ready to properly rinse item. It is recommended to sometimes wear gloves for hand washing items, but I’ve never found the need to.

Step 2: Fill your chosen basin with cold water. Add a small amount of your chosen detergent to the water. There is no way to properly convey the water/detergent ratio other than giving you some examples. I hand wash my daughter’s favorite hand-knitted sweater in my bathroom sink with less then one teaspoon of dreft. I use even less for my favorite crocheted shrug which is made out of a very delicate cotton/silk sock yarn.

Step 3: In handwashing, you’re actually working the water and soap through the fabric in a way that a washing machine can’t: with your hands. In this manner you can be more gentle, more thorough and able to pay more attention to properly washing the item. Mix the soap into the water with your hands or any implement. Place the item in the cold water and begin gently kneading it with your fingers, like you would dough, but much gentler! Usually this is enough to clean and freshen most items. If a item is stained or especially dirty, let it soak for a short time in the soapy water, come back to it and knead it again. Repeat as necessary until the item is clean.

Step 4: I empty and fill the sink again with more cold water and gently knead the item again to get out any excess soap. You could run the item under running water to rinse, just have the water running gently and do not ring or squeeze the item too much.

Step 5: Lay a thick towel out (or a thin towel folded) and lay the item out on the towel. Roll the towel up around the items firmly but not too rough, like rolling a burrito. I will leave the item out to dry in front of a fan or an open register, or if the weather is nice the best option is to hang your item out to dry! If hanging the item outside take care to not to stretch it. Pinning it with clothespins while the item is folded in half, instead of hanging it by the shoulders or edges will usually prevent this from happening.

Have anything to add about hand washing crocheted items? Have any questions? Please comment here!

Craft Shows and Festivals: More than likely there are several fun community events in your area that would let you set up a table of your wares. If you have a friend who likes to crochet or does other craft projects, split the booth costs and bring her along too. Why not try this as a girl’s day out and make a little money on the side.

Craft Boutiques and Flea Markets: Perhaps in your local area you might have a store that offers crafters an outlet to sell their products. These fun specialty shops are a great place to sell your crocheted goodies, especially since their clientele is in the market for something handcrafted. If the booth price seems a little steep, try splitting it up between your friends to lower the cost. It’s a great way for everyone to benefit!

Etsy.com: Why not dive in and open your own Etsy storefront online? It is super easy and there is very little expense. You also have a worldwide audience who are seeking out unique, handmade items. However, let me underline the word unique. You want to market your products as something no one else has. Make them extra special and spruce them up with your own creative touches. If you want to start selling crocheted washcloths, take them to a new level. For instance, make your washcloths like granny squares, crafted from organic cotton, include a crocheted scrubbie and package them in an irresistable way. You could also start selling patterns you’ve created.

Remember, a worldwide audience is wonderful, but it also means you have stiff competition from your fellow crafters. Try to brand your products with a sweet little name that is catchy and easy for your customer to remember. You want them to come back for more. It is also important to be timely when shipping your products so you can rack up that positive feedback, which might just mean more sales for you.

A Friendly Reminder:
Starting a business around your love of crochet is an excellent way to support your hobby and provide you with a little extra spending money on the side. It does take some time and dedication, but most of us die-hard crochet enthusiasts have been learning those skills while we work on projects stitch-by-stitch to completion. Home business are created in exactly the same way.

Do you have tips on making money off your crochet projects?

Reading and figuring out these patterns has been both wonderful and enraging at times; some of it is hard to read because of age and some of it takes a lot of deciphering due to language and abbreviation barriers. I became aware during the process that in some cases the patterns were written using UK abbreviations and then I realized why I had been so confused! Here is a quick chart to familiarize you with the differences.

The other big difference in deciphering very old handwritten patterns is that most of them are extremely vague. Using common sense and a general knowledge of crocheting terms and abbreviations is a big help! Check out the crochet abbreviation chart for help with abbreviations and symbols.

I had come across a lot of afghan patterns, being that crocheting is a medium perfect for making both simple, moderate and difficult types of afghans and these were the instructions for a ‘Carriage Afghan’:

‘Making a chain of over 100, use a moss stitch.
turning in every row until finished’

Sheesh, thanks for all the specifics, great great grandaunt! Although it’s fairly obvious what one is meant to do in this pattern, there is no gauge, no yarn weight recommendation, no indication to ch 2 before the turn for every row!

Finding and reinventing an old pattern, or one that uses different abbreviations, is as well worth the effort as cleaning and cutting a dirty diamond. Look out for these gems at flea markets, at garage sales or in your grandmother’s hope chest!

Need help deciphering an old pattern? Ask for help here!

This tutorial is for both right and left handed people. For left handed pictures, roll your mouse over the image and it will change for you.

V-Clusters

The cluster used in the instructions for the V-Clusters goes as follows:

(yo, insert hook in st, yo, draw up a loop, yo,

(draw through 2 loops on hook)

twice,

yo, draw through all 3 loops on hook

ch 1 to finish cluster

Start by loosely chaining a multiple of 3

Row 1: (cluster, ch 2, cluster) in 5th ch from hook, skip 2 ch, *[(cluster, ch 2, cluster) in next ch, skip 2 ch] repeat from * to last ch, dc in last ch

Row 2: ch3, turn, (cluster, ch 2, cluster) in first ch-2 space and in each ch-2 space across, end with dc in ch-3.

Repeat Row 2 until appropriate length is reached.

Clustered Chevrons

These instructions include a double crochet decrease (dc2tog), instructions on completing this stitch, can be found here: How to Crochet: Double Crochet Decrease.

The cluster used in the instructions for the Clustered Chevrons goes as follows:

yo, draw up a loop in st,

(yo, draw up a loop in same st)

twice,

yo and through all 7 loops on hook.

Start by chaining a multiple of 17 plus 3

Row 1: dc in 5th ch from hook, dc2tog, ch 1, (cluster in next ch, ch 1) 5 times, *dc2tog 6 times, ch 1 (cluster in next ch, ch 1) 5 times, repeat from * across to the last 6 ch, dc2tog 3 times

Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc in each st across

Row 3: ch 3, turn, dc in next sc, dc2tog 2 times, *ch 1, (cluster in next sc, ch 1) 5 times, dc2tog 6 times, repeat from * across to last 6 sc, dc2tog 3 times

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until appropriate length is reached.

I know that clusters are challenging but are very well worth learning! If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to comment!

Material: Hooks are made from a variety of materials. Years ago our grandmothers would have used an ivory, bone or steel hook. You might be overwhelmed with your choices today from acrylic, steel, bamboo, plastic, aluminum and rosewood there is a perfect hook for everyone. Plastic is the cheapest choice. However, aluminum ranks second in being cost effective. Yarn slides easily on aluminum making it a breeze for beginners to crochet.

Where to buy and what you’ll pay: Crochet hooks are very inexpensive. You can buy an eight hook set for under $10.00. However, if you aren’t ready to make that kind of commitment simply purchase the size you need for your project and then add to your collection over time. You can purchase crochet hooks at any craft store or online. They are incredibly cheap for the years of pleasure and satisfaction they provide.

If you are into antique stores, keep your eyes open for antique hooks. These treasures might just be in your price range. Their age is in your best interest if they are made from bone, ivory or wood. They will be silky smooth from all the years of use.

Finding the perfect size: Your pattern will dictate the hook size you will need. When shopping for crochet hooks it is easy to get confused by all the different sizes. Some hooks are sized by numbers while others are letters. Try to remember that hooks made from aluminum and plastic are sized by the alphabet, A being the thinnest hook and Q the thickest. On the other hand, steel crochet hooks are sized by numerals, 14 being the thinnest and proceeding down the scale to 00 as the thickest. Steel crochet hooks are typically for very fine work like lace doilies. Learn more in the Crochet Hook Sizes post.

Troubleshooting: Okay, so you bought your hook and set to work on your project but something just isn’t looking right. Be sure to check your gauge! It is usually mentioned at the very beginning of your pattern. It might look something like this: 3 dc = 1”. If your tension is too tight what should be one inch could really be less or if you’re crocheting too loosely you might have the opposite problem. So, try to loosen up, tighten up or get a different sized hook to remedy your gauge problem.

Also, if it seems difficult to keep the yarn in the hook it might be that your hook is just too small for the size yarn you are using. Trying moving up a notch on the scale and see if this fixes the problem.

Do you have any tips on finding the right hook?

I learned this the hard way when my oldest daughter Rosey was five.  I had been waiting and waiting her whole life until she was old enough for us to read A Wrinkle in Time together and within the first five minutes of reading it she exclaimed, “Momma!  This book is so boring!!!!”.  Bummer.

Thank goodness she is very much into crochet, or I might have lost all hope!

Here are some tips and free beginner’s patterns that would help you share your love of crochet with your children or any special child in your life.

• Buy a loom!  Both of my daughter’s started on a circular loom, it generated interest in crafting items and was easy enough not to frustrate them.
• Use fun colors and big hooks!  Making it exciting and interesting is always a plus.
• Don’t get frustrated or down if they can’t magically crochet.  I’m sure none of us could pick up crocheting in one sitting.  Have them put their work away and come back to it another time.
• Suggest they make a gift for a friend or teacher.  Rosey makes a scarf for her teacher every year and it was one of her biggest motivations for learning crochet.
• What child wouldn’t want to make an adorable scarf for a stuffed bear? Teddy Bear Scrap Scarf
• A gift for grandma? Colorful and simple Dishcloths
• Dress up Barbie with a Summer Wrap, a Ruffle Dress or Santa Claus Hat, just preferably not all at the same time.

Have any more tips to share about crocheting with children?  Have any questions or comments? Feel free to share and ask away here!

My favorite of these type of stitches is the star stitch.   A lot of ‘star stitch’ patterns have you break off at the end of each row…which leaves a lot of ends to weave in upon completion.  The instructions I use and am including below use a turn and a row of hdc instead.

This tutorial is for both right and left handed people. For left handed pictures, roll your mouse over the image and it will change for you.

Start by chaining an odd number of stitches.

Row 1: pull up a loop in 2nd ch from hook and in each of the next 4 ch, yo and pull through all 6 stitches on hook, ch 1 to close star.

* Pull up a loop in ch-1,

pull up a loop in last ch of star just made,

pull up a loop in each of the next 3 ch,

yarn over and pull through all 6 loops on hook,

ch 1 to close star,

repeat from * across, hdc in last ch.
Here’s what your first row should look like

Row 2: ch 2, turn, 3 hdc in each ch-1 from the previous row, ch3 turn.

Row 3: pull up loops in the 2nd and 3rd ch of turning ch-3 and in the next 3 hdc, *pull up a loop in ch-1, pull up a loop in last ch of star just made, pull up a loop in each of the next 3 hdc, yarn over and pull through all 6 loops on hook,  ch 1 to close star, repeat from * across. hdc in last hdc.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until appropriate length is reached.

Tips for working the star stitch:

• Holding the previous star between your thumb and forefinger while working will help while working through these instructions.  I do it like this:

• You don’t have to literally put the yarn over your hook.  You can instead put the yarn under and have the same results.  The main idea is to make a loop and keep those loops on the hook until it’s time to close the stitch.

Good luck and if you have any questions or comments don’t hesitate to comment here!

Wow, you’ve just finished your latest or even your first crochet project and you’re anxious to start something else…but what? If you’re like most crafters you might have an ever-growing list of “to-do” projects or projects saved to your Ravelry account. Maybe you have a binder or two full of projects, organized by categories/colors/yarn weights, etc. Perhaps you have them downloaded to your computer or a thumb drive. Or maybe you only work on one project at a time not concerned about the next project…not! Sometimes, you may want a simple or small project after tackling a large or complex project. How do you go about choosing your next project? It may seem over-whelming to select a new project; there are a lot of good resources out there.

Crochet magazines are good source; they are always up-to-date, they offer fresh ideas, great patterns and usually have a how-to section in the back. While sometimes pricey, many libraries carry crochet and knitting magazines. Speaking of libraries, they are a great resource also. Sometimes, if you’re not sure you want to commit to a book, checking it out at the library is a good way to see if it’s worth the investment. The books available are abounding. Sometimes just browsing sparks an idea. Stitch guides are invaluable also. Trying a new stitch or several is a great way to practice and it’s practical for scarves or even a sampler afghan. That shrimp stitch or even the roll stitch is just waiting for you. Still need ideas…try technology?

Technology has given us the opportunity to connect to other crafters all around the world. The internet is full, and I do mean full, of wonderful ideas and suggestions. There are countless blogs, message boards, websites, rss (really simple syndication) feeds, video-sharing websites, social networking sites and phone applications that offer up oodles and oodles of tips, patterns, suggestions and finished objects. Still need inspiration…check out your yarn stash or go shopping.

Have you ever looked to your yarn stash for inspiration? Some people pick the yarn first and then decide what to make with the yarn. Isn’t that how most of us got our stash in the first place? Your local yarn shop is always a source of inspiration. That gorgeous fresh-out-the-box yarn sometime just calls to you, begging to be bought. Sometimes selecting the yarn for your next project is almost as exciting as choosing the project.

However you go about choosing your next project, remember, there’s always the next one and the next one and the next one.

Dannee lives in Baltimore, MD. By day she works for a great library system and by night she crochets and knits, mostly crochet. Dannee likes movies, crossword puzzles, steamed crabs and having fun.

My acrylic stash, and some acrylic projects

Synthetic/Artificial

Synthetic and artificial yarns consists of manmade fibers. Think giant Red Heart acrylic skeins that come in every color imaginable. While most synthetic yarns that I use are of the acrylic variety, there are also yarns made from nylon and polyester. Acrylic yarns are the result of highly involved chemical processes and are twisted as opposed to spun. They tend to be on the rougher and sometimes scratchier side (as opposed to cashmere and bamboo cotton), but yarn fiber technology has produced some softer varieties. Some benefits of synthetic yarns? They also tend to be cheaper than other types of yarn and come in a wide variety of colors.

A sub-category of synthetic yarns are the catch-all term “novelty yarns,” which are of the curly, furry and fuzzy varieties, or anything with a distinctive texture. They can even be multiple kinds of yarn woven together and take the idea of “multi-colored” to the next level. Boucle and eyelash yarn are two specific kinds of novelty yarns and can add a lot of texture to a project and may be well-suited for trims or accessories.

Natural

Naturally-derived yarns can come from two sources: animals and plants. Common animal-derived fibers are wool, silk, alpaca, cashmere and mohair. Wool yarns are good for those bulky winter projects where warmth is key, and luckily there are lots of not-scratchy options out there. It may cost you, however, as wool is spun from sheep and requires a process that relies on people not just machines. Just like buying garments in shops, fibers made from cashmere and mohair are pricey, but these types of yarn make for some elegant, extremely soft finished items. Unlike synthetics, natural animal fibers have “stretch” to them, which means they may alter when in contact with water. (Like when you felt with wool!)

Some common plant-derived fibers are cotton, hemp, soy and bamboo, and most recently there are organic varieties of these if you are a green crocheter. Just as with clothing made from them, these kinds of fibers wash well without being altered and they are more lightweight. Cotton yarns are good for making dishcloths and socks, for instance, and some organic varieties are almost as soft as mohair, lending themselves to crochet clothing projects.

Are there particular types of yarn you prefer to work with?