Thread a yarn needle with your current color. Weave the needle through the yarn.

Pull the needle and tail through the yarn and remove the needle.

Thread the needle with your new yarn. Pass the needle and yarn through the loop in your old yarn.

Weave the needle through the new yarn just as you did with the old yarn. Pull the needle and tail through the yarn and remove the needle.

Pull both yarn tails taut, closing the loops where the ends of the yarn meet.

Clip the tails and continue crocheting.

If you need any help, feel free to leave a comment.

2. Family. Sitting with your mother, grandmother, aunt, or sister to crochet is another excellent idea. The stories you could share and just time spent getting to know one another is a tradition all in itself. Adding crochet to it would be even better.

3. Party. Yes, I said party. You should throw a crochet party. Create a new tradition. Everyone can bring their favorite yarns, hooks, and other crochet tools. Trade items or tools. Share patterns. Of course, make sure there is a food and music flowing all evening.

These are just a few ideas to keep time-honored traditions alive, while creating new traditions to be enjoyed all year long.

Do you have a crochet tradition?

What’s that you say? You can’t see it? That’s because it’s invisible! Look again.

There it is, right next to the traditional hdc2tog. This decrease follows the same idea as the invisible sc decrease.

Remember you can roll over the pictures for a left-hand view.

Yarn over as you normally would for an hdc.

Insert your hook into the front loop of the next stitch.

Insert your hook into the front loop of the next stitch.

Yarn over.

Pull through the two front loops.

Yarn over and pull through the three remaining loops.

Need help? Leave a comment below, and I’ll help.

Crochet, like any other daily activity, can create rigidity and discomfort in the hands and wrists. With this in mind, here are a few easy exercises to rejuvenate and relax both the hands and wrists.

1. Prayer Hands – Using the familiar position of prayer hands with the thumbs at the middle of the chest. Hold in upright position for a few seconds, then turn your hands downward holding the same position. So the hands are up in prayer position, then down in prayer position. This movement should be felt in the wrists while getting an excellent stretch in the fingers. Do 10-12 repetitions.

2. Shaking Hands – This is simple and fun. Simply hold out the hands in front of the body and shake them. This movement should be felt in the wrists and the hands. Shake your hands for 10-20 seconds.

3. Double Wave – Hold the hands up in front of the body at chest level as if you are about to wave hello or good-bye to someone with fingers spread, then bring the hands down bending at the wrists. Move the hands up, then down. This is similar to the prayer hands exercise, except the hands are not pressed together. This movement should be felt in the wrists while providing a nice stretch for the hands, including the fingers.

While these are just a few great hand and wrist exercises, with a little research, you can find more exercises to help your hands and wrists so you can continue to enjoy your crochet projects with less pain and discomfort.

Have a helpful exercise to ease tension in the hands and wrists? Share it here. We’d love to hear from you.

To make a a trtr: yo (yarn over) 4 times, insert hook into next st, yo, pull up a loop, (yo, pull through two loops) 5 times.

Here’s the visual breakdown. You can hover over the pictures with your cursor to see the left hand view.

To start your triple treble, yarn over four times. Your work should look like this:

Next, insert your hook into the next stitch.

Yarn over again and pull up a loop. There will be six loops on your hook.

Yarn over and pull your working yarn through two loops five times.

You have now made a triple treble crochet stitch! Do you have a question or need help? Feel free to leave a comment at below and I’ll help you out!

Drum roll please…the answer is in the yarn. Yes, we can go out and buy some very thick yarn and thus, we will have thicker texture. But what about those of us who are on a tight budget and need to work with the yarn we already have, which is the average thickness?

Try this technique:

1. Place two separate strands of yarn together. You can mix and match the colors as you wish.

2. Tie your knot on the hook as usual and proceed to chain and stitch according to your pattern’s instructions.

Voila! You have a thicker and tighter stitch, which creates a nice thick texture that is perfect for pot holders, mug coasters, and placemats.

See the picture of the finished rows of two different color yarns used together in a basic single crochet stitch pattern.

2 Strand Single Crochet

You can use any size crochet hook when applying this technique to your pattern. The key is making sure you are using two separate strands (skeins) of yarn together.

A good way to get the feel for it is to place the two separate strands (skeins) together and chain 20 or 30.

Do you have ideas on creating thicker texture? Have you tried this technique? Please share your ideas and experiences with us. We’d love to hear from you.

Happy Crocheting!

If you’re left handed, you can hover over the pictures with your cursor to see the left hand view.

Find the lower horizontal bar of the stitch. It’s actually slightly diagonal (more so if the preceding stitch is a traditional dc), but when you’re done, it will be more level and the resulting stitch will resemble two rows of single crochet.

Insert your hook into the bar.

Yarn over, and pull up a loop.

Insert your hook into the next stitch.

Yarn over and pull up a loop.

Now, continue like you would for a normal dc. YO, draw through two loops

YO, draw through two loops

Done! Leave a comment if you need any help.

However, there are times when we can make a few too many appliqués and we’re not sure what to do with all of them. Especially, if the crochet sweater or the crochet dish towel have reached their appliqué quota.

Here are a few ideas on what to do with those extra appliqués:

1. Make Bookmarks. Now, this may sound a little complicated but it’s not at all. All you have to do is make a chain of about 20 or 30 chains depending on the size of the books. Then, tie it or sew it to the back of your appliqué.

2. Sew Them Together. You can sew your extra appliqués together to make a nice, super cute mix and match scarf or headwrap. When you sew them together from side to side. It’s a unique and fun way to create something completely new with them.

3. Make Magnets. There are some stores that sell the stripes of magnet with adhesive on the back. You can cut off the size that’s appropriate for the appliqué and put it on the back to make a nice refrigerator magnet.

Oh, here’s a bonus idea for you. Use your extra appliqués as wall decorations. If you have some small nails and wall space. Hang them up to add some extra style and fun to your home décor.

Once you get rolling with these ideas, I’m sure more of them will start pouring in.

Do you have ideas on using extra appliqués? Leave a comment and let us know your creative ideas.

If you’re left handed, you can hover over the pictures with your cursor to see the left hand view.

Start by finding the vertical thread at the left side (right, if you’re left-handed) of the stitch.

Insert your hook into the thread.

Yarn over, and pull up a loop.

Insert your hook into the next stitch.

Yarn over and pull up a loop.

Draw through all three loops on the hook.

And there you have it! If you need help, feel free to leave a comment below.

Have you found yourself feeling the urge to create your own crochet patterns? If so, here are a few things to remember when creating your own patterns.

1. Make Swatch Gauges. This is important because you want to get a clear view of your pattern to find out if it’s going to work or not. Let’s face it. Some ideas may not always turn out to be beautifully-crafted items. However, by creating some swatch gauges, you can immediately figure out if your idea can be a finished item that you will be proud of.

2. Try Different Size Hooks. Another hard truth to swallow about our favorite craft is that not every crochet hook is meant for every pattern, which is why it is imperative that you try different sizes for your crochet pattern idea. HINT: If you are looking for a ‘universal’ hook for most patterns, try the J size. I’ve noticed that it seems to work with just about any pattern. Bear in mind, you shouldn’t use a J size hook for a comfy, thick afghan or prayer shawl. Use the hook that will create the texture and look you are going for with your project.

3. Use Your Own Creation. Ok, my fellow crocheters, it’s a fact of life, if you won’t use your own creation, who will? *smile* Be sure to test out your own creation. If you’ve made an afghan, try it while reading or watching television one night. If you’ve made a pair of socks, try them on for size to see how they look and feel. This way you know you’ve created something that is not only lovely to look at, but also useable.

Do you have any ideas for those who like to create their own patterns? Please share. We’d love to hear from you.