Crochet Technique and Stitch Tutorials
Tutorials for crochet techniques and stitches, not entire patterns.
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Tutorial – Introduction to Bruges Lace
Welcome to the New Year, New Technique CAL! This week's technique is Bruges lace, and one of the patterns is my Bruges Lace Napkin Ring. If you've never done Bruges lace before, this pattern is a wonderful introduction.
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Tutorial – Split / Center Stitches in the Round
Split or center stitches are just like normal stitches except for where you place your hook. It's much easier to work split stitches from the right side than from the wrong side, so they're particularly great for working in the round without turning your work. Normal stitches are staggered between the stitches from previous rounds. As we've discussed before, this can cause the rounds to shift. Split stitches, on the other hand, line up directly above the stitches below them, so there's no shifting!
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Tutorial – Herringbone Half-Double Crochet Decrease
Earlier, I showed you how to do the herringbone half-double crochet stitch (hhdc). If you're not familiar with the hhdc stitch, please take a look at that tutorial first. Now let's look at how to decrease (and increase too) in hhdc.
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Tutorial – Herringbone Half-Double Crochet (hhdc)
The herringbone half-double crochet stitch creates a lovely, reversible texture, with stitches leaning to the left on one row and the right on the next row. It sounds much more complicated than it is. It’s really just a slight variation on the half-double crochet. Herringbone Half-Double Crochet (hhdc) – Photo Tutorial: (scroll down for video tutorial) Half Double Crochet (hdc) Let’s first look, in detail, at how a normal half double crochet works. As you know, you start with a yarn over, then insert your hook in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. In the picture below, the purple loop is the one that was already on the…
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Tutorial – Changing Colors
When changing colors, the goal is (usually) to get a nice, clean edge between your color sections. You don’t want to end up with any part of the first color showing in the stitches of the 2nd color. Changing Colors – Photo Tutorial: (scroll down for video tutorial) Here I have a row with a few single crochet, and I’m going to change from green to blue. Take a look at the green working loop that comes out of the last stitch. That loop is going to become the top of the next stitch. If we just start the next stitch with blue, we would end up with the bottom of the stitch…
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How to Crochet Bobbles – Photo and Video Tutorial
Bobbles, sometimes called clusters, are a wonderful way to add texture to a project. They are more of a technique than a specific stitch, because there are so many ways to make them. Learn how to crochet bobbles, and some of the things you can change to achieve different looks.
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Tutorial – Crochet Mitered Rectangles
Last week we talked about mitered squares. You can use a similar technique to create mitered rectangles, though it does require a little extra planning up front. Sc Mitered Rectangle: With a mitered rectangle, the first row defines the proportions. So to start, we need to decide what we want those proportions to be. What you’re looking for is the final stitch count that you want on each side (not counting the edging). You can determine this by taking your desired length and height, and multiplying those by your stitch gauge to find out how many stitches you need on each side. For this tutorial, let’s make a rectangle that is…
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Tutorial – Crochet Mitered Square
Crochet mitered squares are super easy and versatile. They look great in solid colors, but are even more dramatic in self striping yarn, or with each row a different color. Make small squares for a set of coasters, or larger squares as washcloths. If you put several together to make a blanket, you can get some neat effects by rotating them in different directions. You could also just make a really big one as a square blanket. If you can do it with granny squares, you can probably do with mitered squares too. Sc Mitered Square: The easiest mitered square is made in single crochet. Start with ch 2, (sc, ch 2, sc)…
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Edging – Jacob’s Ladder
I’m mildly obsessed with Jacob’s ladders. Ever since I did the Jake’s Blankie Crochet-Along last year, I’ve been hooked. I used Jacob’s ladders in my Jacob & Julia bracelet, in my Accidental Beanie, and in my Criss Cross Applesauce square. I love the chunky, braided look, and the versatility of this stitch. A bold, Jacob’s Ladder edging just seemed like the perfect way to wrap up our 6 week discussion on crochet edgings. Basic Jacob’s Ladders: The idea of a Jacob’s ladder is to make a series of loops, and then chain those loops together. The loops can be made with chains, or with very tall stitches. If you’re working…
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Edging – Shells and picots
Shells or fans are very popular for a decorative edging. If you get them spaced properly, they will lie flat and create a nice scalloped edge. Picots work well with shells too, and can add a little extra elegance and interest.
