This weekend I took a break from crocheting to adventure into cutting my own hair. I’ve never cut my own hair before or anyone else’s until now. Okay, maybe I did cut my doll’s hair when I was a kid, but I don’t think that counts (it turned out really bad).

Good thing for youtube, that wonderful site with all those videos! I saw one with this girl cutting her own hair and it actually looked pretty nice. Oh, there are lots of good crochet videos on youtube too!

My hair was long to begin with so there was lots of room for error. I only snipped off a couple of inches, just to get rid of those horrible split ends. The hair is still long enough to run down my back and maybe next week I’ll work up the nerve to cut some more, a little shorter would be better. I didn’t want to get too scissor happy on my first attempt and end up looking like a ball of fun fur yarn.

Sorry I don’t have a picture, I was way too excited to take one.

I’m often asked, “What is the best way to finish off and weave in ends?”

My answer: When I finish off I like to make one chain then cut the yarn and pull the strand of yarn through the chain if I’m working in rows. This makes a small little knot. If I’m working in the round I like to slip stitch in the next stitch, then cut the yarn. Then I weave the ends into the back side of the work. If you’re really scared that it’s not secure, such as when you do a color change, then feel free to tie small knots. Yes, I make knots.

I have a feeling that every time someone asks me this question, they expect some magical answer. But hey, I’m human and I just tell you what I do.

How do you finish off and weave in ends? Feel free to share your technique in the comments section below!

P.S. You can view a photo tutorial of techniques that Erin uses to weave in ends in her post: Perfecting Your Craft: Finishing the Project

Scarfs can do more than just keep your neck warm, they can keep your hands warm too! Or you can have a scarf with “secret” pockets by wearing the scarf with the pockets not showing. The simple idea is to create a scarf that is extra long so that the ends can be folded up to create pockets for your hands. This can be done with any type of yarn and just about any scarf style. In this crochet pattern, I’ll be using super bulky weight yarn and a large hook for a fast and easy project. Skill Level: Finished Size: 4 1/2″ (11.5 cm) wide, 64″ (163 cm) long Note: scarf can be made into any size you desire

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This is a set of cute bibs for little ones! It includes 3 different bib sizes and 5 different animal appliques! Mix and match as you desire to make the perfect bibs for any sized baby or toddler. This pattern set is now available in the Crochet Spot Store.

Pick a size that best fits…

Then pick an animal…or make them all!

Skill Level:

Note: some embroidery skill are required

Finished Sizes
Small Bib: 6 1/4” (16 cm) wide, 5” (13 cm) from bottom of neck to bottom of bib
Medium Bib: 8 1/2” (21.5 cm) wide, 6 1/2” (16.5 cm) from bottom of neck to bottom of bib
Large bib:10 1/2” (27 cm) wide, 8 1/2” (21.5 cm) from bottom of neck to bottom of bib
Animal Appliques: vary with largest 6 1/4” (16 cm) wide, 5” (13 cm) tall

This pattern set is now available in the Crochet Spot Store! Please visit the store to purchase and instantly download the pattern. If you’re a monthly Premium Pattern Member, then just sign in and download, no payment required.

Of all the things that I find online, yes, I found a crocheted tampon!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the idea of crocheting a tampon and reusing it makes me cringe! I’m sure at some time before tampons and pads were invented, women must have used something and probably did reuse them. But today, when we do have nicely engineered things to stick in specific places, why in the world would you want to crochet one? Maybe to prove that anything can be crocheted? Or to save the environment from waste? To save money?

Whatever the reason is, I’ll stick to the store bought ones, I like those!

By the way, sorry for grossing you out if I did.

Alright I gave in. I finally made my Etsy store! If you visit Etsy.com often, feel free to stop by my shop and take a look: rachelscrochet.etsy.com

It has the same things that are in the Crochet Spot Store. The only difference is that in the Crochet Spot store you can immediately download patterns or sign up for a Premium Pattern Membership. In the Etsy store, you have to wait for me to send the pattern to you in an email. Oh ya, the Crochet Spot store also saves your purchased patterns so you can download them again if you accidentally loose it.

I must admit the better store is the one on this site, but hey, I still love the Etsy store too!

Just like there isn’t one way to hold a crochet hook, there sure isn’t one way you have to hold your yarn. It’s all about experimenting and finding what works for you! So here are some ideas for holding your yarn to get you started if you are a beginner. In all the pictures the thumb is normally down helping to hold the work, but for the sake of showing where the yarn is, the thumb is up.

For left handed pictures roll your mouse over the image and it will change for you!

I’ve seem many people hold their yarn like this, wrapping the yarn around the pinky finger and over the pointer finger.

Others like to do something similar, but weave the yarn between the ring and middle finger to give it more tension.

And then there’s the method to grip the yarn with 3 fingers and then over the pointer finger again.

I’m sure I missed some other methods, but for the life of me I can’t crochet using any of the above methods because I can’t keep my finger straight! So here is a picture of what I do. I weave the yarn between my ring and middle finger then make a hook with my pointer finger.

Feel free to try some methods out and if none work for you, there’s no shame in inventing your own method!

How do you hold your yarn?

Here is another scrap yarn project! This sun can be used as an applique for clothing or bags. Or you may choose to use it as a fridgie by sticking a magnet to the back and putting it on your refrigerator. It’s all up to you and it’s really fast to crochet! Skill Level: Finished Size: 5 1/2″ (14 cm) diameter including the rays

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (small amount) Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm)

Crochet Pattern: Sun
Round 1: ch 4, 12 dc in forth ch from hook, sl st in top of beg ch: 12 dc
Round 2: ch 3, 2 dc in each dc around: sl st in top of beg ch-3: 24 dc
Round 3: (ch 8, sc in second ch from hook, sc in next 6 ch, sl st in next 2 dc) 12 times
Finish off.

Need help with crocheting the sun? Let me know!

This tote bag has style and can be crocheted pretty fast for such a large bag. The secret is that it’s made with super bulky chenille yarn! But if you don’t have super chunky yarn you can always hold a few strand of other yarns together to make it thick and fast to crochet. Skill Level: Finished Size: 16″ (40.5 cm) at widest part, 14″ (35.5 cm) tall not including strap

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This isn’t going to be a tutorial on how to hold a crochet hook. I believe there isn’t one correct or incorrect way to do it! I mean if you can hold the hook with your foot and crochet, that’s amazing! There are however, some popular ways to hold your hook. Here are some examples (mouse over the pics for left handed pics):

The Pencil Method…yes you hold it like a pencil (although some people hold pencils differently)

The Knife Method…yup, you hold it as if you are using a knife (although knifes can be held differently too)

The Rachel Method…well it’s more of a modified Knife Method, being that I don’t actually cut my vegetables like this. Also my pinky finger has a weird obsession with wrapping around the hook!

So the moral of the story is to just try out different ways to find what’s comfortable for you! If you already have a way that works, by all means don’t change it.

How do you hold your hook?