Playin' Hooky: An intro to crochet

Hi, guys!  It's been a very long time coming, but as promised, here's my spot on crochet...hopefully the first of many.  

Even though I call this "The Knitting Safari," knitting is but one of the three main fiber arts I enjoy, the other two being spinning and, of course, crochet.  

Crochet tends to be the mostly-overlooked cousin of knitting, and for quite a few crafters, it can be devicive.  Some people love it, some hate it.  Some will incorporate it into their knitting projects, some wouldn't dream of having the two near each other.  Some hold crochet with the same regard and esteem as knitting, others...not so much.  

I pride myself in being fluent (-ish) in both crochet and knitting, even though the last few months my current knitting project has rather monopolized my crafting time.  Because my grandma crocheted (as well as my great-grandma, if I'm not mistaken), I've been able to see it at some of it's greater potential.  Here is just one of my favorite examples:  

That's a close-up of one of Grandma's many blankets.  I love the chevrons that span the width, the solid corrugated stripes alternating with the delicate lacelike stripes, and oh the yarn!  As fluffy as a cloud, and soft as a baby bunny's bottom.

Okay, that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Unfortunately, crochet is sometimes looked down upon, with opinions too numerous and too inflammatory to cover here.

But let me just say that if it's good enough for...



Yes, that is indeed Her Majesty Queen Victoria

 

...it can't be too bad! 
 

Hopefully I'll be able to shed some light on the subject and give the humble crochet the respect it deserves.  

Part 1:  Defining Crochet

Crochet is distinguished from knitting by several factors.  One is that crochet uses a single hook, rather than a set of needles.  This is one of many reasons I like crochet, especially for travel.  Another distinctive feature of crochet is the look and texture of the fabric produced.  

 

A close-up of knitting

 

Close-up of crochet--two rows of single crochet with a row of half-double in between.  We'll get into the types of stitches later in this post.

The stitches look a little more like little clusters, or even twists of rope than the neat little row of "v" shapes found in knitting.  Also, the resulting fabric is thicker for standard crochet technique (not including lace), and because of how often the crocheter wraps the yarn around the hook for a stitch, may use a slightly greater amount of yarn.  That being said, it's easy to make a single stitch longer or shorter to produce different effects.  

Finally, there's beginning the piece.  In standard crochet, a chain is made to create the starting edge of the piece.  This is where I have mixed emotions about beginning crochet projects; the good news is that it's easier to adjust the width of the project, or height when working side-to-side, whereas there's a bit more prep-work in knitting.  The bad news, though, is that working that first row can be very tedious if the stitches in the initial chain tighten up, which they sometimes do.  Just keep those stitches loose, and it will get better.  Don't worry.

Part 2:  The Gear

As with knitting, the crocheter has his or her own set of gear for successful crafting.  Let's start with the basics.

The standard crochet hook.  I was lucky enough to inherit my grandma's set of crochet hooks, all some form of steel or aluminum.  I remember how excited she was when I joined the middle school crochet club; since she had stopped crocheting some time before, she was thrilled that she could pass down the craft to another generation. 

Most of my grandma's original hooks--a couple are occupied in other projects.

Crochet hooks are sized by the same standard as knitting needles, as set by the Craft Yarn Council of America, and diameters range from 2.25 mm, or size 1, to 19 mm (size 35; you might as well be using a broomstick).  While knitting needles stop there with their notation, crochet hooks go another step and use letters to indicate size, starting with B-1 through S-19.  And for those that did the math, it doesn't make sense.  I agree. 

They even come in different styles, too, that correspond with different styles of crochet.  Besides the standard, there's the Tunisian...

in US size 9; I have it next to the case to get an idea of just how long this thing is. 

...the double-ended...


I actually pulled this image from the web.  I've never seen a double in person.

...and the list goes on. 


Oh, and you will need something to actually crochet--really, anything goes!  From traditional yarns and aptly-named crochet thread, to the unconventional-but-lovely raffia grass or strips of old fabric (or even weirder yet, strips of plastic grocery bags!), if it's flexible and you have enough of it, you can crochet it. 

Part 3:  Styles and Stitches

Crochet can be found in many different styles, and there are countless combinations of stitches that go with them.  Shells and fans are classic motifs; Irish crochet uses a mesh background and gorgeous floral patterns.  Tunisian picks up stitches from an entire row much like knitting, with the simplicity of a single hook.  They all, however, start in the very same way:  the chain stitch.  This is the equivalent to casting on in knitting, only the stitches don't collect on the hook.  The chain is really the crocheter's bread-and-butter.  It's the backbone of every project, all the other basic stitches build on this technique, and it's even used as a stand-alone stitch in many patterns. 

Well, it all really starts with a slip knot at the beginning, but you get my drift.  And make sure the end that you pull to tighten it around the hook (or undo it altogether if it's not surrounding anything) is the working end.  To make the first link in the chain, you wrap the working end of yarn around the hook from back to front (another deviation from knitting, where you wrap from front to back), also called a "Yarn Over". 



Then, you'll draw that loop through the one on the hook.  



There!  You did it! 

I'll do other posts on specific styles of crochet, but I at least want to leave you with something else to practice in the mean time.  

Usually patterns will call for a number of these to start off a pattern, so go ahead and do that twice more.  I'll wait...

This is what they should look like from the front...

Almost looks like a single column of stockinet, doesn't it?

...and the back.  



When you do your first row, you'll insert your hook into both ends of the little "v" shape at the front of the chain.  You won't have to worry about that in later rows since it will be pretty obvious which is your working side.  Unless you're doing the textures like in the blanket example, then you'll only pick up whichever loop the pattern calls for.  Some even prefer to crochet from the little bumps on the back to keep a nice even edge, but we're sticking to convention for now. 

Now it's time for the nitty-gritty.  You're eventually going to wat to build on that chain foundation you've made.  Let's get crackin'.  

Oh, and this is where US stitch names can get a little hairy, but bear with me.  I'll also include the abbreviations, and the UK names for the stitches since those make far more sense in my mind.  The chain stitch is always just that, and it's abbreviated "ch." 

1.  Slip Stitch (sl)
Simple enough, really.  Insert your hook into the chain stitch or stitch from the previous row, yarn over, and draw the YO loop through everything.  This one is often used to secure rings when crocheting flat circles, which is why my example starts on the further end from the hook.  



The last two pictures are flipped around, but I think it better displays what's actually going on. 

2.  Single crochet (sc), UK double crochet.  Insert your hook just as with the slip stitch, and yarn over.  When you're starting your first row, you'll want to skip the link in your chain closest to the hook, 1 for a single crochet and more for taller stitches (for other rows, just chain before/after turning).



This is where regular stitches turn away from slip stitch; instead of drawing the YO loop through everything that's currently on the hook, you will draw through only part(s) of the stitch that you picked up from your chain (or previous crochet row).  

Since we picked up both sides of the "v" in our stitch, we're going to draw through them both at the same time. 

Then yarn-over and draw through both of the remaining two loops.



So why draw through two loops?  If you draw through only one at a time, you're basically just creating another chain.  That could be interesting, but that's not what we're going for at this time.  You're looking for just one loop on your hook when a stitch is complete. 

Here's what a row of three sc looks like:

Okay, the last stitch in a row of three.

Note the two ch stitches at the end...remember, you'll always chain before your next row!


3.  Half double crochet (hdc), UK half treble crochet (htr)
This is where the terminology starts getting weird, and where the British crocheters have it right.  I promise I didn't invent this!

Anyway, this time you'll do another yarn-over before inserting the hook, elongating the stitch.  

Yarn-over...



...and start the stitch

Complete the stitch as normal:  YO, draw through the chain or previous row's stitch, then draw through two loops at a time until only one remains on your hook.  

At this point, pictures are going to be redundant.  All that is changing now is whether or not you have a YO at the beginning of your stitch and how many.

The sequence goes just like this for stitches like...
4.  Double crochet (dc), UK treble crochet (tr); YO twice before inserting hook
5.  Triple (or treble) crochet (tr, sometimes tc), UK double treble (dtr); YO three times before starting your stitch.
6.  Double triple crochet (dtr, or dtc), UK triple treble; YO four times.  

Theoretically, you could even go more, but let's stop there.  

Yeah, it's a lot to take in, but in time you'll be making stuff like this...

 

Sweet!  

Until next time...