The first snow and calling crafty ladies.

megngregk · November 2013

In MN anyway. I was in TX last year, so I'm totally grumbling today. It is pretty, though. I'm thinking I need to take up crocheting. I'm in need of cute hats and scarves this year. I can do a basic chain, but that's about it. Do any of you have good tutorials for basic scarves/hats/headbands? I need a hobby anyway.

And for you freaks that love the snow

Deblondie1 · November 2013

I use youtube a LOT! When I find a pattern, I'll youtube the stitch to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I found a lot of patterns on pinterest.

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

I agree with @Deblondie1 about youtube. I took up knitting, and got a basic knitting stitches book. It shows how to hold the yarn, how to do some basic things, but not really anything that is a "twist" from basic. Youtube, I've been able to search for even the abbreviation and gotten to tutorials. I'm guessing the same is true for crocheting.

Jen4033 · November 2013

I'm not crafty, but wanted to say hi fellow MN momma! My commute sucked today because of this darn snow!

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

I'm kinda jealous- we just got really cold rain. It's like 2 degrees above freezing. Snow is much prettier

Deblondie1 · November 2013

Also I, too, am jealous of the snow. I lived in ID for 5 years and I really miss white winters. It just rains a lot in NorCal. Rains and rains and rains...

bethughknee · November 2013

Deblondie1 said:

I use youtube a LOT! When I find a pattern, I'll youtube the stitch to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I found a lot of patterns on pinterest.

All that. My favorite YouTube channel to learn stitches is "New Stitch A Day." I made a basket weave blanket and I'm starting on a basket weave hat and both use the FPDC stitch, I learned it from that channel. Here's the video so you can see if you like their style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXKkSn8DJY

Pintrest is a great place for patterns and so is Ravelry.

ETA: video was wrong the first time!

juliasmama2010 · November 2013

@megngregk, I'm one of those freaks! Thanks for the snow pic; I'm totally jealous! They're predicting a snowier than normal winter in NE Ohio this year and I'm pumped!!

Got nothing as far as crafting goes...I'm like the anti-craft

vstevens · November 2013

This one is on my list if I ever stop knitting things for this LO:

ETA just realized this was a knitting pattern, and you wanted crochet...oops!

bethughknee · November 2013

@vstevens That cowl is awesome! I can't knit to save my life. I don't know what it is. I tried to knit a dishcloth and instead of a square, it's the shape of Africa. Props, girl.

Dishylo · November 2013

<<<--- freak who loves the snow.

Youtube is good for tutorials. You might have to go through a couple to find one that you like, that makes sense, goes slow enough etc.

@vstevens had some lovely patterns for cute hats a couple of weeks ago but I think they were knit, not crochet.

vstevens · November 2013

bethughknee said:

@vstevens That cowl is awesome! I can't knit to save my life. I don't know what it is. I tried to knit a dishcloth and instead of a square, it's the shape of Africa. Props, girl.

dude, i'm 100% self taught - youtube is the BOMB for knitters. i just sit with my ipad, get the pattern i want, and watch all these crazy cat ladies tell me how to do the stitches. you'll get the hang of it with practice!

vstevens · November 2013

Dishylo said:

<<<--- freak who loves the snow.

Youtube is good for tutorials. You might have to go through a couple to find one that you like, that makes sense, goes slow enough etc.

@vstevens had some lovely patterns for cute hats a couple of weeks ago but I think they were knit, not crochet.

Actually @Dishylo- I think that first aviator hat was crochet if I recall...::runs back to my post history to dig it out::

ETA: Great reminder Dishy - how about this for LO @megngregk:

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pat-hat-aviator-cap

I mean, can we take a moment and look at this photo:

km_md · November 2013

I knit and not crochet but I love ravelry. There are tons of free patterns and I've found some really great ones.

megngregk · November 2013

Maybe I should try knitting instead. I never even think to check YouTube, thanks for the recs/links ladies!

@vstevens, dying at the adorableness of that hat!

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

Be warned, though: Ravelry.com will suck you in to the black hole of pattern awesomeness. When I first discovered it, I didn't realized I had been gone to the world for 5 hours.

Shannahbee · November 2013

I just knit a headband last night, for my mom! I got the pattern off ravelry.com.
And like others have said, YouTube is the bomb for teaching yourself!

Dishylo · November 2013

@vstevens - the brain stopped working about 4 months ago.....I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right haha. And yes, that little aviator hat is to die for! I might even give it a shot myself

AnnikaD20 · November 2013

I've been crocheting since I was a kid (mom taught me), but I recently taught myself to knit. I think learning crocheting is a lot easier- the main advantage is that you only have one working loop at a time (meaning every time you finish a stitch, there is one loop on your hook) and if you mess up, you can just rip back to the mistake, grab the one loop, and go forward again. And once you've mastered the 3 basic stitches (chain, single crochet, double crochet) you can do pretty much any project. There are other stitches, but they're rarely used, and are pretty much all variations on the basic 3. So you can just learn them if you need to for a specific project.

Youtube is absolutely the way to go. You can rewatch the same thing 17 time is you need to, pause and follow along step by step. A lot of the videos err on the side of giving too much detail, while I find books often leave out things that they assume are obvious.

For patterns, ravelry.com is amazeballs. Their pattern search feature is awesome. You can be like "I want a free pattern for a baby hat using worsted weight yarn that's a beginner project" and sort by most popular, see pics of people's projects for each pattern to see what kinds of colors look good, read comments, etc. I

ravelry.

Momto1goofball · November 2013

@bethughknee I use the same channel.

I'm a leftie who can crochet but knitting is impossible. I have to use youtube anytime I come across a new stitch so I tend to keep to pretty basic patterns. Ravelry.com is amazing for patterns but like pp said, it will suck you in. Right now I have a sweater, a shrug and a pair of fingerless gloves that I have been "working" on since last year. I am thinking about starting a blanket or hat for LO but who knows if it will get done.

Toribaker171 · November 2013

If it makes you feel better, it's been raining all week outside of Dallas and everyone has been pretty miserable about it, even though we need it! It's so gloomy and nasty out, at least snow is a lot prettier than rain! Lol.

COgirl29 · November 2013

So is crocheting easier than knitting? My mom is amazing at knitting and she has tried to teach me several times and I just can't get the hang of it...but would love to be able to make some things!!

km_md · November 2013

megngregk said:

Maybe I should try knitting instead. I never even think to check YouTube, thanks for the recs/links ladies! @vstevens, dying at the adorableness of that hat!

I haven't tried to crochet, so I can't speak to that, but I taught myself to knit with YouTube videos. There were certain parts that I had to watch from a couple of different videos in order to really get the hang of it, but there are some great videos out there and for the most part, it was pretty easy.

Deblondie1 · November 2013

@COgirl29 I found crocheting so, SO much easier than knitting. My knitting technique was horrible and I always ended up overly tightening the stitches and it was just a disaster. Crocheting is calming and easier for me. And it goes so quickly!

COgirl29 · November 2013

Deblondie1 said:
@COgirl29 I found crocheting so, SO much easier than knitting. My knitting technique was horrible and I always ended up overly tightening the stitches and it was just a disaster. Crocheting is calming and easier for me. And it goes so quickly!

AH!! This news just made me so happy. **off to YouTube crocheting**

Winnieella · November 2013

Is it bad that I'm jealous of the snow? I'm crafy and have some patterns on my pinterest if you want to check it out.

https://www.pinterest.com/emraldbaby/crocheting/

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

I think that the ease of knitting or crocheting is person to person. I cannot stand crochet, but I can knit like a machine- perfect, even stitches every time. I will try to remember to post some work I've done recently

AnnikaD20 · November 2013

COgirl29 said:

So is crocheting easier than knitting? My mom is amazing at knitting and she has tried to teach me several times and I just can't get the hang of it...but would love to be able to make some things!!

As someone who does both (more knitting lately) I think crocheting is much easier. But I know people who prefer knitting. They both have advantages. (Knitting makes a more stretchy and flexible result, which I prefer for things like hats and socks. Crochet blankets and critters hold their shape better.) It take time and patience to learn either one though.

I do it because I love the process and find it relaxing. And it's fun to do stuff exactly how I want it. It's extremely time consuming, and not for everyone. Also, I'm the first to admit that you don't save any money at all by doing it. I think the cheapest pair of socks I made was $7. I just spent $60 on the yarn for a blanket I'm making for my LO. I love my hobby and get all excited whenever it comes up, but it's only worth doing if you think it's fun.

LindsB314 · November 2013

Hmm, now I would like to try crocheting! So glad you posted this op. I really thought I wouldn't be able to pick it up but you are all giving me motivation to try :-) thanks!

thelittlepear · November 2013

Add me to the list of people recommending YouTube, and Ravelry.

Less popular, but I also use the actual Bernat website quite a bit. Yes, they give you the patterns using their yarn, but it's readily available, they have quite a few free patterns, and there are lots of "basics" on there. Just another suggestion!

megngregk · November 2013

I think I'll definitely try to teach myself to knit. This isn't something that I need to do immediately or be a pro at in two months. I just need a hobby. I used to crochet with my grandma when I was young and could make little tiny hats for dolls and things like potholders, but I just stopped doing it when I got to be about 12 or so. Thanks for the input ladies

Coco1236 · November 2013

Like PP said Pinterest and YouTube are awesome for patterns and tutorials

I just made this cute owl hat(I included a pic!) here's the pattern:
https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/09/crochet-owl-hat-pattern-in-newborn.html?m=1

megngregk · November 2013

Coco1236 said:

Like PP said Pinterest and YouTube are awesome for patterns and tutorials I just made this cute owl hat(I included a pic!) here's the pattern: https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/09/crochet-owl-hat-pattern-in-newborn.html?m=1

I don't think I could ever do anything like that. Great job, it's so adorable!! I'll have to keep you ladies posted on the crafty check-in. We'll see how this goes

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