Friday 28 June 2013

Let's talk Slipknot, but not the band...

I remember being taught them back when I was at guides, I have a badge to show it, but actually I remember nothing about them...

Their role in crocheting is the starting point. It's a simple loop knot which is adjustable, and pretty hard to get wrong.
  • Take 10cm of wool 
  • Wrap it round your finger
  • Feed the wool through the circle you have just created
  • Don't feed all of the wool through.. This will just create a normal knot
  • Insert the crochet hook and use the end to tighten into a Slipknot...
It's quite difficult to explain,  easier done than said.. 
So here is a video instead! 

Actually this video is great because it shows you how to hold your crochet hook - which for people who knit it is very strange - but if you started out brand new like me it wasn't so bad at all! But you have to remember that the purpose of the left hand is to create the tension of the stitch - this is the part that takes loads of practice...

You can also use this video to learn to Chain and create a Single Crochet Stitch. 
When I first started I really didn't do very well... and it's quite hard when adding an extra row, to get that right too. I have photos to prove it!

This image on the right, believe or not was never meant to be this shape! As I was crocheting I was giving my made up creation different purposes as I went along. That's the beauty of crochet, to have the option to "kind of" make it up.I think I settled with finger glove, but there were ruder suggestions made!


To the left is my second attempt - trying to keep those edges in line is so difficult. You just have to keep practising! It's easy for me to say now I've got past this stage, and at the time it was a bit of a joke because I wasn't a natural.

Apologies for the a long, detailed post, but these aspects really are needed together, and are good to learn. Just watch the video. Trust me.
By the way, if you have photos to share then please do! I'm always interested to see others' creations!

Thursday 27 June 2013

First Post...

I am absolutely new to the world of craft. My introduction to crochet came as an unexpected one, and following in the same way for no reason at all it has decided to stick with me as a hobby, of all things! There are some people I have met on my journey when learning about crochet, but most follow the woolly craft from having learnt knitting, or being taught back at school in subjects such as Textiles...

I have decided to create this blog from the perspective of a complete newbie. I have had no lessons, and so far have been learning for a few months, but will slowly show you the process of how I have been learning - with plenty more to come!

Well - How did it all begin?....

Currently I work at a community radio station, and get to meet some fascinating characters - and work with some of them too! - some that you will get to know over the course of this blog I'm sure. But, it was on a non-peculiar day that I complimented a Youth Worker for her adorable head band. It was green, with some cute details of flowers, and looked nice and warm. Her response was simple "I made it!". Completely intrigued by this, our conversation continued for some time, and by the end of it, my conclusion was that I needed to give it a go. 

We all have these conversations from time to time, and quite often they don't materialise, or you just cannot copy someone else's enthusiasm for something. However, a situation came my way where I had a voucher -  so I purchased some crochet hooks.. and some wool! For me it was win - win, if it didn't work out then I hadn't lost any money on it, but if it did work out - then that's great too! And lucky for me, it came out as the latter, and I have been able to appreciate crochet as an art, as a money saving way to get new clothes and to create something unique to you and as a way to gain inspiration from others!

This blog is going to feature some of my tips that I have already discovered as a novice "crocheter", videos that I have found in particular to be helpful to me, as well as showing you some of the things I have made so far to help inspire you!

Join me as we learn about the World of Crochet together!

Selina x