So, you want to learn to crochet with beads? It is easier than you think. Adding beads to stitches you know is as simple as moving a bead to your hook as you’re crocheting a stitch and catching the bead in your work as you yarn over and close the stitch. Once you learn how to crochet with beads using one stitch, you can transfer the same technique to other stitches. This tutorial demonstrates how to crochet chain stitches with beads. Once you have a basic understanding of crocheting chains with beads, try crocheting single crochets with beads or double crochets with beads.

Herringbone double crochet (HBdc) is one of the first special stitches I learned. It is an easy way to create texture in any project. To achieve the full effect of the stitch, Herringbone double crochet should be worked back and forth in rows. For the purpose of practicing this skill, we’ll make a swatch in this tutorial. Yarn and hook size don’t matter for this practice swatch.
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I’m very excited this week, as we come to the Turkish spindle, the fourth post in our series “Spindles Around the World“. So far we’ve discussed the drop spindle and the Navajo spindle. The Turkish drop spindle is incredible, in that the yarn is wound around the whorl, creating a ball of yarn that slides off the shaft and is ready to use! Amazing!

Photo by Snyder Spindles

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If you’ve already tried to single crochet or double crochet with beads, and you like lots of sparkle in your work, Here is a technique to consider. Normally, the best way to make sure your project is dense with beads is to use single crochet, but what if you want a lot of beads in a pattern that calls for taller stitches? The answer is simple: use multiple beads in each stitch!

This tutorial is focused on bringing up beads on vertical threads of a stitch which gives the beads a neat, stacked look. The stitch used in the example is a double treble.
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In my last tutorial, I showed you how to crochet a tube in a certain way, by joining rounds. However, you can also crochet a tube in spirals.

For the purpose of practicing this skill, we’ll make a small swatch in this tutorial. Yarn and hook size don’t matter for this practice swatch.

You may mouse over images for left-handed views.

Abbreviations:
ch – chain
sc – double crochet
sl st – slip stitch

Foundation: ch 15. The photo below shows this completed.

In the fiber arts world, the Navajo people are recognized for their world-renown rugs and other woven textiles. As a teacher on the Navajo Nation for over a decade, I was able to see the beautiful handcraft in my students’ dresses and belts that they wore on special days such as class pictures and the school Christmas concert. For spinners, the Navajo spindle is well-known for its simple but graceful design. In our third post in the Spindles Around the World Series, we will be discussion the Navajo spindle, traditionally used by Navajo and Pueblo people in the southwestern United States.

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Do you love the intricate look of filet crochet but can’t get your spaces to come out right? Do your “squares” look like “rectangles”? This is a common problem that can happen to any crocheter, but is easy to fix. Grab your crochet hook and your favorite thread and let’s get busy! In this tutorial I’ll give you a few pointers to get those squares looking square.

After understanding the basics in filet crochet, many crocheters run into the same problem. After completing a few rows or a section or even an entire piece, they realize that their filet open and closed spaces (also called “squares”, “mesh”, “blocks” and others) have more of a rectangle shape. What do we do to fix this?
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In my doily nerd opinion, the only thing better than a doily is a vintage doily. But how can crocheters today achieve the look of a vintage doily? In this post we will be traveling back in time to the days when every household had doilies on display and every armchair had antimacassars. (What is an antimacassar? Read on…) I will be discussing the thread and patterns needed to achieve the vintage look.

Flowering Pine Doily Pattern

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When we talk about crocheting in the round, it can mean many things. For example, you could be crocheting a flat circle in rounds or in spirals. You could also be crocheting an oval in the round. However, there is another way to crochet around and around. Instead of crocheting flat, like a coaster or a placemat, you’re crocheting up, like a basket or hat. This techniques creates a three-dimensional piece and can be used in countless applications.

Have you ever dreamed of owning a spinning wheel, looked at various wheels online, only to notice their price tags, causing you to run screaming from the room? No? Well, I definitely have! Spinning wheels seem to run an average of $500 and up. Check them out, I’m not exaggerating. Scary, right? Well, today I am going to show you the spinning wheel that I received as a Christmas gift. And, SHOCK, it costs around $100. And, (drum roll please…) the maker of this wheel is offering all Crochet Spot readers a free hand carved crochet hook with every purchase! Woo hoo! Its Christmas all over again!

Spindle Wheel by Home Spun Creations

For years I have dreamed of owning a spinning wheel. No- I mean this literally. I seriously had dreams about owning a spinning wheel. But, the prices of most spinning wheels are totally out of my price range. So you can imagine how delighted I was to find a wheel that costs around $100!

Before I go any further I want to assure everyone that I am not affiliated with this company or getting anything from them for this review. I simply want to share information about a product that I personally own and use that I feel is a great product!
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