# Wher do newbie crochet questions go?



## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

*Where - sorry ! 


I tried to search before I asked but I wasn't getting good results. 

Do you make balls out of the skeins of yarn? If so, how to you keep up with what the color is?

I think I twist my yarn sometimes. I am learning to crochet flowers (don't laugh-I had to start and FINISH SOMETHING!) and I am learning to get the stitches all the same size but it looks like my thread twists somehow. Does that make sense? When I googled for help all that came up was about twisting the foundation chain. 

My favorite yarn so far is the el cheapo Sugar N Cream. Nevermind the colors - I love the way I don't have to struggle to grab every ply. Does that make sense? I'm trying to learn something each night and then teach Paisley the next day (we went to AC Moore because they are having a sale and we got a sweet coupon via email today) and she gasped when we first got to the yarn section-it was precious!) - and she agrees. The color and feel of the Caron Simply Soft are awesome but it's so hard to work every ply through the stitch. The Sugar N Cream stays together without much effort. What's the secret to keeping the plys together?

I found a Meet Up group that meets locally and the woman who started it offers help without charge. I am SO going to make some new friends!!!


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

Yes, it makes sense.

When you mention twisting, it sounds like you might be wrapping your yarn front to back around the hook instead of back to front. Yes, there is a difference. One thing to try, to make sure you are wrapping the yarn correctly, hold the working yarn straight out from the stitch, instead of moving the yarn around the hook, move the hook around the yarn. So you insert your hook through the stitch and reach the hook _over_ the yarn to pick up the loop you'll pull through. Then again, pick up the working thread by going _over_ the thread and pull through both loops on the hook. Never go under the thread.  It may feel a bit awkward at first, but gets easier.

I only make balls out of skeined yarns. I always make center-pull balls (I hate 'chasing' a ball across a room!). I tuck the label underneath a few of the threads of a brand-new balled yarn, but I don't leave the label once I've begun using it, though I will tuck the label in my knitting bag for future reference if needed. I suppose I ought to mention that I leave yarn in skeins until I decide to use them. Balling up the yarn stretches it and if stored that way can make for some interesting complications after it's been worked up!

I know exactly what you mean about struggling to "grab every ply" I'm not a big fan of what I call "splitty yarns" either! There was a 4 or 6 ply wool yarn I tried once a long time ago, it was an absolute nightmare for splitting! And it's one of the biggest reasons I won't touch Lionbrand Homespun yarns for crochet. However, there are plenty of wonderful multi-ply yarns out there that don't have this issue. I like the Sugar N Cream yarns for anything that requires a nice 100% cotton yarn. And I don't think there's a single person here that would pass up low-priced yarn (in whatever their favorite medium might be). As far as the best way to keep the plies together... tension and hook size. Using the proper sized hook for the yarn will make it easier to maneuver those plies. Maintaining good tension (not too tight or too loose) will also help. Of course, as your ability increases, you'll be able to grapple with those pesky plies with smaller hooks. But even with many years of experience, sometimes a thread or two will still escape and you'll still find yourself having to pull back a stitch or two (or 4... LOL) to straighten things out. It's just becomes less with experience.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

PrettyPaisely - your questions can go right here - on your own thread!  

I did that when I was looking at spinning wheels. It was really helpful to have all of my questions in one spot and not have to chase them down or wonder where in the world I had asked a question.  

Nothing at all wrong with starting with flowers! It's nice to be able to look at something you've completed. Plus, being as you are so new, if you started a scarf you might find such progress in your skills as you worked on it that the beginning of the scarf would look much different than the end of it!  So flowers are good. Dish cloths are good. Small things make sense at this point. 

Falls-acre gave some good advice. Can you take a picture or two of how you are using the hook? 

Hang in there! It gets better!


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

I like to work on small projects when I'm in the midst of a big one just so I can see something get _done_. Plus, if you're making those out of kitchen cotton and have no real use for it as a flower, it can become a little face scrubber or something of that ilk.

Sugar n' Cream is an awesome yarn to start with because it isn't so splitty (plus, it's cheap and quite practical). I've been crocheting for 20 years and I still get into arguments with Simply Soft. Heck, I've made entire blankets out of kitchen cotton for my son (the weight helps immensely with his sensory issues).

As far as making balls, I only do it if the yarn doesn't come in a commercial skein (like CSS or Red Heart). Some people rewind ALL their yarn (my grandma makes my grandpa do it for her), but that seems like an enormous time suck to me. It's really a personal preference.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

When you find out the secret to the simply soft let me know! I gave up using it cause of that. I do have about 30 skeins in the other room waiting to be made into something.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I use Simply Soft quite a bit but I tend to have a pretty snug tension. I use a G hook with it and have no troubles. 

Here is a picture of a scarf I made with Simply Soft.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

If you're making a skein of yarn into a ball, wind it somewhat loosely. I usually start out around three fingers so when the fingers are taken out the center of the ball will be soft. Then wind the yarn around it in a not-so-tight fashion. This keeps the stretch from being pulled out of the yarn.

If you buy your yarn at a local yarn shop, many of them have yarn ballers and swifts available to make skeins into center pull "cakes" or balls. There are also nostepinnes which can be used to make a center pull ball. If you don't have an official nostepinne, you can use a couple of fat knitting needles or a bit of broomstick instead.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Newbie questions go where ever you want them. Generally you are best off starting a new thread so it is easy to see and find.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Kasota - that is AMAZING! I can only dream of finding talent like that in me !!!! Gotta say - if I can ever get good at this my struggle to figure out what to buy people @ Christmas will be null. At least for a few years ... I'd MUCH rather give and receive a scarf, hat, blanket, SOCKS that are handmade than something else to dust or return to Walmart ANYDAY !! 

I will see if Paisley can take a few pictures of how I hold the hook while I work on flowers this afternoon. I'm finding it even more challenging to try to teach her than to teach myself. I think it's just harder for an eager 7 year old to learn to slow down than anything.  

PS: I drove past a sign for a new Joann's store in the town where I work that's WAY closer than the ones in Charlotte. And any excuse to NOT go to Charlotte is always a good one!!!


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Taylor R. said:


> Sugar n' Cream is an awesome yarn to start with because it isn't so splitty (plus, it's cheap and quite practical). I've been crocheting for 20 years and I still get into arguments with Simply Soft. Heck, I've made entire blankets out of kitchen cotton for my son (the weight helps immensely with his sensory issues).


 This is so interesting. I have a good friend in Florida and we were pregnant with our first at the same time. She is an amazing woman; several years younger than me and taught herself to crochet when she was having chemo treatments in her late 20's.  (She is close to 10 years in remission.) She mentioned crocheting weights into a blanket for her son for sensory issues, too. I've had someone mention Paisley *might* have slight issues of the same; she loves to run in circles (I always thought to spend extra energy), must have all tags taken out of her clothes and insists on wearing her socks inside out because the seam at the toe "bothers" her. It never crossed my mind that socks have seams - I don't think I've ever thought that much about my toes (though I loathe anything other than flip flops). Can you tell me more about how a heavy blanket helps?


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## Belldandy (Feb 16, 2014)

I remember reading that the way you find the inner thread end of a yarn ball (for S & C or any yarn that doesn't come in a regular pull type with the end already sticking out, lol) is that you look for the loose outer end, then reach into center with a hook and pull from the opposite end. It does seem to work, and I do it all the time with S & C.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

PP, thank you for the kind comments! That pattern is actually very easy to do and it is one that I use for beginners because they get such satisfaction. There are only two stitches used...a single crochet and a double crochet. I am not good at either reading or writing out patterns, but if you would like I will do my poor best for you.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

Kasota said:


> PP, thank you for the kind comments! That pattern is actually very easy to do and it is one that I use for beginners because they get such satisfaction. There are only two stitches used...a single crochet and a double crochet. I am not good at either reading or writing out patterns, but if you would like I will do my poor best for you.


 
OH I would LOVE to give it a shot! And no worries - I can't read a pattern yet anyway !!!  Double crochet is about the only stitch I've not attempted. I've done half double and treble but I've not come across anything on You Tube that uses a double that has piqued my interest. THIS scarf though - does !!! 

When you have time ... I'd love to have the instructions. Thank you!


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

Kasota, beautiful scarf and hat. I love Simply Soft


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

PrettyPaisley said:


> This is so interesting. I have a good friend in Florida and we were pregnant with our first at the same time. She is an amazing woman; several years younger than me and taught herself to crochet when she was having chemo treatments in her late 20's.  (She is close to 10 years in remission.) She mentioned crocheting weights into a blanket for her son for sensory issues, too. I've had someone mention Paisley *might* have slight issues of the same; she loves to run in circles (I always thought to spend extra energy), must have all tags taken out of her clothes and insists on wearing her socks inside out because the seam at the toe "bothers" her. It never crossed my mind that socks have seams - I don't think I've ever thought that much about my toes (though I loathe anything other than flip flops). Can you tell me more about how a heavy blanket helps?


I honestly don't really know _how_ it works other than the extra weight helps to make him feel more secure and relax (a huge blessing with his anxiety that's caused by his SPD), kind of like a hug. A good portion of children have sensory issues, though most don't really interfere with daily life and therefore people just work around them (i.e., just turn the dang socks inside out and get on with your day).


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Ok, here is my poor best with this pattern. I am adding another picture because the one above is actually upside down from the way you would work it. 

For the scarf, if you look at the main body of it... you will see that it is worked in groups of 5. You can change up the pattern in terms of how wide you want to make it buy adjusting the number of 5's. However...you always want to end up with an odd number. So you could make one that was 35 stitches wide or 45 stitches wide, but you would not want to make one that was 30 stitches wide. This is because you want to begin and end each row with 5 double crochets. You would not want to end on a fan stitch. 

The fringe is added last, so you don't have to worry about that at the beginning. 

This scarf has a 35 stitch base. 
Chain up your base row. 
Then do two rows of double crochet. 

Your next two rows will be the ones that have the little square openings. 

The first one starts with 4 double crochets, then chain one and skip a stitch...then three double crochets, chain one and skip a stitch, 3 double's...and so forth until you get to the end of the row. 

The next row will start with 3 double crochets. You will make the same pattern of 3 double crochets, chain one and skip a stitch as you did above. The only difference is that when you are working over top of the spaces you not be inserting your hook into a stitch but rather underneath the entire chain stitch that you made on the row below that you are building on. 

(The directions for the rows with the spaces are for a scarf that is 35 stitches wide. If you do more or less, you might end up with different spacing on the ends. It really doesn't matter so long as you are in a rhythm of 3, space, 3 space and so forth. )

Your next two rows will be double crochets all the way across. The bottom edge of the scarf is done! Yay! 

Count your stitches. You should have 35 across and you are ready to start working on the body of the scarf. 

The body is worked in this manner. The row starts out with 5 double crochets. Next you will do a fan stitch. To make the fan stitch you will skip two stitches and then work 5 double crochets all together in the next stitch. Then you will skip two stitches and crochet 5 double crochets, skip two, 5 in one, skip 2 and so forth. 

The fan stitch has 5 double crochets in one stitch. There are two skipped stitches on either side... so you are still working in a group of 5. 

One little girl I taught to do this pattern said... Oh, I get it! 5 children each have their own bed. Then 5 children all jumped into one bed together...then the next 5 each get their own bed and the next 5 are in the middle bed. 

And that is all there is to the body of the scarf. You can make it as long as you would like. 

When you are ready for the other end you have one row to do that will be a little sneaky. I call it my "even it out" row. If you look at the last row that has fan stitches in it you can see that the center of the fan is taller than the surrounding stitches. You want to make it flat. 

It is not hard. You will crochet one more row. Put a double crochet in every stitch EXCEPT for the middle three of each fan. Just put single's there. The singles are shorter and they will take the bump out of your top line. 

Now that you have evened it out you are ready to do the other end. Just follow the same directions...
2 rows of double crochet
2 rows that will show the spaces as above
2 rows of double crochet. 

Now you need to put the fringe on. It looks fancy but it is so easy it will make your head spin. You are simply going to make a long chain...and when it is twice as long as you want your fringe to be - bring the end back and slip stitch it into the edge of scarf. I usually skip every other stitch as I work my way across or the fringe would be too thick. Some people who want a less bulky fringe than is what in this green scarf will skip two stitches. It really doesn't matter...just be consistent. 

And that is all that there is to this scarf. Single crochet and double crochet and a slip stitch as part of the fringe.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I am quite sure there are other people here who could turn this into a better pattern. I am not at all offended by suggestions.  

I will have to tell you how to do the scarf later.... 

I hope this helps!


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