Crochet is a magical textile art that can create some truly spectacular garments and accessories. It’s also hot right now, with many craving crochet pieces to pull off their perfect, laid-back, 70s-inspired boho look for the summer.
What you’ll learn quickly, however, is that true crochet is hard to find. More often, what you see as “crochet” is actually just a knit designed to mimic the style. If this is good enough for you, then go for it. If you were hoping for a true crochet piece for summer, then there are a few things that you need to know.
The first is that a machine cannot create crochet. That means every true crochet piece you see was made by hand. Unless it’s second-hand, a cheap true-crochet piece means someone, somewhere, was painfully underpaid and possibly exploited to make it, so it isn’t as common to come across. Therefore, you’ll find that most pieces will be expensive to buy to compensate the maker’s time properly. This can put people off, but there is an alternative if you want a stunning piece for less, without the guilt; your best bet is to make it.
Crochet is very accessible, meaning it’s easy to pick up. In general, there are only three main stitches you need to learn before you get started. To help you go further, you’ll want to use these steps to learn how to make your crochet pieces yourself:
1. Find a Pattern
You can absolutely freehand a shirt or bag, but for beginners, it’s useful to find and follow a pattern. These patterns can help teach you a lot while also giving you a goal to work towards. Since you can see how many stitches and rows you’ll be going through, you can even split up your project to spare your hands from any aches and pains.
2. The Materials You’ll Need
The pattern you pick should have all the materials that you need. This includes the size of the crochet hook and the weight and amount of yarn you’ll need. Crochet hook sizes are fairly standard, though you may come across two sizing standards (US and Metric). Yarn can be more difficult to understand, so beginners should use the recommended yarn outlined in the pattern for best results.
How to Save on Those Materials
Crochet is one of the cheaper textile arts to get started with. You don’t need a sewing machine, and yarn tends to be cheaper than high-quality fabric. That being said, yarn costs can add up and fast. That’s why you’ll want to go to a bigger yarn store when you’re first starting out instead of one of the indie producers. Not only will you have a larger selection of styles, weights, and types, but you can also use coupon codes and take advantage of sales to bring the price down further. Say you go to Joann Fabrics. Before you check out, always check for a Joann fabrics coupon to bring the price down lower. You can usually use these coupons in-store as well, though if the one you have isn’t available, you can always find what you have in your physical basket and buy it online to help you save further.
3. Use Online Tutorials
Whenever you come across a stitch or technique you don’t understand, go online. The internet is full of very helpful makers who have created easy-to-understand tutorials to help you nail every technique you come across.
Just take your time, and have fun with it. Yes, crochet takes time, but that’s why you’ll love your finished piece that much more. It’s also a great conversation starter since you made something by hand!