Sunday, February 26, 2017

Beginner Crochet - How to Make a Crossed Double Crochet Stitch



Hi! Crafters!

I use this stitch a lot for the body of my hats or variations, especially when make a men’s hat with Red Heart Zebra yarn. This makes a cool pattern with this color of yarn. I will include written and visual pattern for this stitch.  This is again from Crocheting with dummies at http://www.dummies.com/crafts/crocheting/stitches/how-to-make-a-crossed-double-crochet-stitch/.

Cross Double Crochet Stitch
Written:

Decide where you want to place the crossed double crochet stitch and skip a stitch at that point in the row.

You’ll be going back to that skipped stitch.

Work 1 double crochet (dc) in the next stitch.

Work 1 double crochet in the stitch that you skipped.

By working the double crochet behind or in front of the first double crochet stitch you complete the stitch.

The completed stitch makes an X in the row.

Repeat the preceding steps to continue working crossed double crochet stitches across the row.

Stitch diagrams use symbols to give you a pictorial description of the pattern design; they may or may not include written directions.

These are the symbols for a crossed double crochet stitch, either of which you might find in a crochet stitch diagram.  ( As I discussed in reading a diagram directions,)

Visual:

 
















Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at sandi_tipple@yahoo.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!


Saturday, February 25, 2017

How to Crochet Circles



Hi! Crafters!

Circles I use to make crowns of my hats and I use them a lot for heads, eyes, and bodies for stuff animals.
 
I like visual directions but you will find both here from 
 



This is how I learned how to make a circle; because, I was never taught how to do a magic circle when I first learned how to crochet.

How to start a circle from Crochet for Dummies

 
Working stitches in the hole.

The most common method for creating a center ring is to make a chain and close it into a ring with a slip stitch. You would use this method when your first round is made up of a fairly large number of stitches and you need the room in which to fit them, or if the design calls for an obvious hole in the center. The following steps show you how to create a simple center ring of 6 chain stitches:

1. Chain (ch) 6.

2. Insert your hook into the first chain stitch you made, forming a ring (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Making the center-ring chain.

3. Yarn over your hook (yo).


4. Draw the yarn through the stitch and through the loop on your hook, as 

Figure 2a shows.

Your center ring is now complete (see Figure 2b).

Figure 2: Completing the center ring.

The number of stitches in the beginning chain determines the size of the hole that the center ring creates as well as how many stitches you can work into the center ring. Make sure the ring is large enough to accommodate the number of stitches that you’ll be working in it. On the other hand, make sure it’s not so long that you have a big loose hole in the center. When you’re working a pattern, it tells you how many chain stitches you need for the proper size center ring.

After you make the center ring, you’re ready for the first round. Just as when you’re beginning a new row, you first have to determine the number of turning chain stitches that you need in order to bring your hook up to the proper level for the next round of stitches. (The number of turning chain stitches you need depends on the stitch you’re about to work.) Now here’s the really easy part about working with a center ring: Instead of inserting your hook into the actual stitches of the center ring, you just go through the center hole. The following steps show how to work single crochet stitches into the center ring:

1. Chain (ch) 1 to make the turning chain for single crochet (sc).

2. Insert your hook into the center ring (see Figure 3a).

Figure 3: Working a single crochet in the center ring.

3. Yarn over your hook (yo).

4. Draw the yarn through the center ring (refer to Figure 3b).

Visual:









Second Written Direction method:

Join both ends as of a short chain to start a circle. Start with a slip knot and chain six or seven stitches. Put the hook back into the first stitch of the chain and make it a slip knot.

Works two single crochet stitches (increase) in every chain stitch until you come back to the starting chain. Attach a yarn marker right there to remind you to began a new round.

On this round increase in every other stitch.

Increase every other stitch on every other round and you'll end up with a 
big circle.


Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at sandi_tipple@yahoo.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!