3 (Introduction) Yarn – What is it Good For?

The crochet hook is the crochet artist’s paintbrush, and the yarn is the paint and canvas. Knowing about yarn will help you to understand its use so you can make a good decision for your work and your projects will lastlonger and fulfill their uses. The three basic things you need to know about choosing a good yarn for your project  are: fiber, weight, and dye lot.

Fiber

The fiber is what a yarn is made of. It can make it more durable, softer, or warmer. Therefore, it is important to know what fiber a skein (a long roll) or ball of yarn is made of. There are natural fibers and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers come from plant or animal sources and have been around for thousands of years. Synthetic fibers are manmade and started turning up in the early 20^th century.

Natural fibers can be more expensive than synthetic fibers but are excellent choices for clothing and have a different look to them than synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are often shinier than animal fibers, but can be more durable and resistant to stretch and color fade. Natural fibers can include (but are not limited to); cotton, bamboo, hemp, soy, wool, alpaca, angora, mohair, llama, and silk. Synthetic yarns can include; nylon, acrylic, polyester, rayon. The list continues to be updated because scientists are creating new fibers for use in various industries every day.

An excellent article on yarn fibers and their uses can be found here: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/types-of-yarn-fibers.html

Weight

Yarns come in different weights (thickness). Each weight has a different purpose. The weight of yarn is measured from a 0 (Lace) to a 6 (Super Bulky) and appears as a symbol on the label of a skein/ball of yarn that looks like this:

0, or Lace sized yarn, is a yarn thread that is used with steel crochet hooks to make doilies and lace.  Size 1, or Super Fine yarn, is used for making socks and very fine baby items. 2, or Fine weight, is used for baby items and summer crochet items like summer sweaters and bathing suit cover-ups. Size 3, or Light weight, yarn is used for baby items and for light weight clothing items. 4 is Medium or Worsted weight. It is the most commonly used and diverse yarn, used for making everything from clothing to afghans. It is the most widely available yarn with the most fiber and color selections available. 5, or Bulky Weight, yarn is used for making heavy winter sweaters and coats as well as rugs. Size 6, or Super Bulky, yarn is a very thick yarn. It used most often in making scarves and some winter clothing.

For more information on yarn weight, visit: http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html

Colors and Dye Lots

Think of mixing paint colors. If you are trying to mix green from yellow and blue, depending on how much yellow and blue is used, you will get different shades of green. This is where a dye lot comes in. Have you ever painted a room and ran out of paint, returned to the hardware store, purchased the same paint color, and painted the rest of the wall, only to realize after it has dried that the color is slightly off? Yarns, unless otherwise specified, are dyed in lots after the dye is mixed. If you are making a large project with a yarn that was dyed in a lot, it is important that you purchase all of the rolls or skeins needed for that project from the same lot to prevent having the color be slightly different from one skein to the next. Dye lot is listed on the label either close to the UPC symbol or with the weight information

Other Considerations

As with clothing, yarn also has care instructions on the label. Make note of a specific yarn’s care instructions so that it will work with your project. Some yarns are dry clean only, while others are machine washable.

To purchase items or place orders, please go to my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/jackiesccrochetcreate

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2 (Introduction) - The Crochet Hook

Crochet hooks are made from a variety of materials. There are three basic types of crochet hooks to know; the basic yarn crochet hook, a steel crochet hook, and a Tunisian crochet hook. All of these are very similar but have some very different uses.

The Yarn Hook

The yarn hook is exactly what it sounds like; it is used for crocheting yarn. This hook is the most common hook you will see and is used for the majority of clothing and household projects. Yarn hooks are usually aluminum, but can also come in plastic, bone, and wood. You can purchase ergonomic handles if you have difficulty gripping the small handle of the hook (due to arthritis or carpal tunnel). I almost always use an aluminum yarn hook. Aluminum hooks are inexpensive and durable. I never use plastic hooks because I break them easily and I have never tried bone or wood because of the cost (I lose hooks all of the time). Yarn hooks can be both inline (which means the lip of the hook is in line with the handle of the hook) or not. I prefer inline for some projects (the yarn doesn’t slip off easily), and non-inline for others (it makes it easier to move the hook through challenging stitches where you will need to drop loops). It depends on the type of yarn and the project I am working on, but I can manage any project with either hook. The aluminum ones usually come in colors to be able to tell at a glance which hook you are using.

The yarn hook comes in sizes A-Q (USA), 2mm-16mm (metric), 14-000 (UK). The smaller hooks (A in USA, 2mm in metric, and 14 in the UK) are used for socks, some fine clothing and other fine materials. The larger hooks (Q in USA, 16mm in metric, and 000 in UK) are for bulk yarns and rugs.

Steel Hooks

Steel hooks are used for thread crochet for creating items such as doilies, table cloths, and lace. These hooks are very small and made of steel for added strength. These hooks come in sizes 14-00 (USA), .6mm-3mm (metric), 6-00 (UK).

Tunisian hooks

Tunisian is a form of crochet that is very similar to knitting. As opposed to using two hooks, you use one. Like knitting, all loops for a single row remain on the hook until the row is complete. The hooks are longer and have a capped end so the loops won’t fall off. This technique is typically used for quilt making but I have used it to make purses, and some clothing items with beautiful results. The hook comes in the same sizes as the yarn hook. These hooks are also difficult to find. I order mine online, but some of the better craft stores may have a small selection in stock.

You can like my page on facebook and place orders for custom crochet work at www.facebook.com/JackiesCrochetCreations

1 (Introduction): Crochet...Now!

I am commonly told that people love items that I crochet, immediately followed by "I could never do that" or "I tried that and it was too hard." I always tell the person that they can learn to crochet too.

People who try to crochet and don't succeed are overwhelmed by complicated patterns or the sheer scale of a project. Ask my mom or husband! They will tell you that I still abandon some larger projects, not for lack of skill but because I am overwhelmed by the scale of a project.  People that are trying to learn how to crochet tend to try to make a purse or a hat or some other item that they thought was pretty in a book, on the internet, or on Pinterest. These people are aiming too high. Crochet is an art. Did Leonardo di Vinci pick up a paint brush for the first time and create the Mona Lisa? Of course not, but he probably didn't paint anything worthy of a small town art gallery to display either. I concede that there is natural talent involved in any art, but there are also skills you can learn to become profficient at it. As with painting or sculpting, a person new to crochet needs to start small to prevent being overwhelmed.

In our society, people want results...now! Crochet is not something you can expect to master over a weekend, or a month. It takes years to get to the point where you can create some crochet items. I began crocheting at 8 years old, so that gives me 21 years experience, and I am still learning new techniques. I sometimes may prefer to do things my way after playing around with a new technique, but I always learn something new and sometimes can incorporate it into what I already know, which strengthens my abilities as an artist.

Crocheting is not difficult at all, but a person must take it one step at a time in order to succeed. Start with small projects and learn one stitch at a time and what you can do with it, then move on to the next. This builds your repertoire of skills so that over time, you will enable you to do most, if not all, patterns and make your own patterns.

I hope to introduce people to the world of crochet one step at a time. I will post to my blog each step along the way and even provide a pattern to go with a new skill so that you can take baby steps to your crochet goals.