Finding Help for Novice Crocheters

Novice crocheters may worry about following a crochet pattern for the first time. Many beginning crocheters learn crochet stitches from a more experienced crocheter. Their first projects may be granny squares or motifs, or other items, which do not necessarily require patterns, such as dishcloths or potholders. Novice crocheters, embarking on their first patterns need patterns that they can follow easily.

When looking at your first crochet pattern, check that you understand all the abbreviations before you begin. Do remember that British crochet terminology and American terminology is different; a US treble is not the same as a UK treble. Australians use British crochet terminology, Canadians may use US terminology. Experienced crocheters can crochet using either terminology, but it is better to choose a pattern written in the terminology with which you are familiar, for your first project, to save you confusion. An quick and easy way to tell which terminology a pattern uses is to check whether the abbreviation “sc” appears, meaning single crochet, if it does it’s an American pattern, if it does not, it’s a British pattern, or look at the publishing information it will say where the pattern was published. British hooks sizes are metric where as American hook sizes are letters.

Read the pattern through before you begin, ensuring that you understand what it wants you to do. Do make a tension or gauge square before you start crocheting your item. This helps you to match your tension or gauge to that of the pattern and ensures that your project will turn out the size that you expect and will save you much heartache.

Most crochet patterns are graded as to the crocheting ability required to make the pattern, your first pattern should be marked easy, simple, novice , or beginner, leave the more complicated patterns for later. Do not do what M did and crochet a complicated Christening Gown with an eight row lace pattern for your first crochet project using a pattern. M learned, the hard way, that it is far better to use a simple pattern for your first venture into using a crochet pattern.

The internet provides advice and help for all crocheters and no less for beginners. If you see something on a pattern that you do not understand try putting “how to” and the term you do not understand into a search engine, addingUKor US as necessary.

Novice crocheters might care to join their country’s crochet organization. In the United Kingdom, the national organization is The Knitting and Crochet Guild and in America, it is the Crochet Guild of America. Novice crocheters might also like to join an on line crochet community, two good ones are Ravelry and Crochetville, but there are others too. These are helpful whether you are a novice, intermediate, or experienced crocheters, and connect crocheters all over the world.

There are many tutorials on the internet for techniques associated to crocheting to a pattern, such as blocking, joining methods, and embellishments, such as pom pom and tassel making. There are also tutorials and guides as to the more unusual crochet stitches that you may not have come across yet, for both British and American crocheters.

The internet is a crocheter’s friend, and novice crocheters will find that the internet has help, advice and resources just for them. The internet is a gold mine for all crocheters, especially novice crocheters.