Join-as-you-go Granny Square Method- a tutorial

As promised I have created a tutorial to demonstrate the 'join-as-you-go' granny square joining method I used in my Rainbow Disco Blanket. This joining method is fantastic in that it is much quicker than joining your squares at the end by slip stitching or sewing. More importantly for me if you are joining a you go along you are able to see your blanket emerge before your eyes, giving much needed motivation to finish. This method is not only for blankets, I also used it on my vintage tea cosy and hot water bottle covers which you can find on Ravelry by clicking through here. 

One caveat though is to be careful if you are making a very large blanket as the weight of the wool will pull on the joins. Instead use a more secure fastening such as double crochet or hand-sewing. I have also produced a downloadable PDF of this tutorial which you can find under my tutorial tab here. 

Here goes with the tutorial, I hope you find it useful :-)

1) Work your first square to the total number of rounds (3 in this example) and sew in the ends

2) Work your second square to the penultimate round. You will be completing the final round as you join

3) It is easiest when you are first learning this method to start with a corner. As you get more experienced you will be able to start anywhere along the granny square and know exactly where to put your hook for the join.

Join on your yarn and make your first 3-treble cluster of the corner. Usually if you were making a granny square you would make three chain stitches then your second 3 treble cluster. This time however you will make your first of your three chains as normal and INSTEAD of the second chain make a DOUBLE CROCHET (UK terminology) into the corresponding 3-chain space of your FIRST granny square.

Make the third chain stitch as normal followed by the second 3 treble cluster to finish the corner of your second granny square. 

4) So now you have joined your first corner you need to join along the edge.

To do this, make your next stitch a DOUBLE CROCHET into the 1-chain space between the treble clusters on the edge of your first (red) square as shown by my needle on the second image below. 

…..Then make your three treble cluster into the next 1-chain space on your second (orange) square. It will look like this…..

5) Repeat step 3 for the second corner, making your middle chain of your three chains of the corner a double crochet into the corner of your first square. 

6) Complete the final round of the second square as you would normally for a granny square. Voila! You have your first join. This becomes a bit more tricky when you are working a blanket rather than just strips of squares as some squares you will have to join on both sides. Once you get going though I am positive that you will love this technique!

If you do use this tutorial please let me know how you get on and show me your projects!

Learn to crochet: the slip-knot

So a whole post dedicated to a knot you might say.......

The slip-knot is the starting point of every crochet project (more or less), and can be a bit tricky to master when you first start to crochet. However, if you follow these 4 simple steps you will be slip-knotting in no time.

If you need a recap on the kit required to start crocheting, look no further than this post.

1.  With the tail end of the yarn (the end of the yarn as opposed to the 'ball' end, or the working yarn) hanging downwards make a loop over your index and middle finger from front to back. When you go back over the top lay the top yarn over the bottom yarn.

2. Pull the bottom yarn at the top of the loop through. Put your hook through this loop.

3. Gently pull the tail end of the yarn to tighten the knot on your loop.

4. Don't pull it too tight though- you want to leave a little gap between the knot and your hook. This will mean your stitches will be easier to make later.

This can be a bit fiddly to begin with but persevere! Up next, holding the yarn and the chain stitch!

As before, please let me know if you have any problems or would like to ask any questions.

SSxx

Learn to crochet: the kit- you will be surprised by how little you actually need!

Hello and welcome to my new 'learn to crochet' blog series. This series will provide beginner crocheters with all the instructions they need to get crocheting.

I have been teaching crochet classes for a year now but unfortunately in recent months, due to various circumstances I have been unable to hold classes. I generated a plethora of teaching materials for my classes, and I don't want them to go to waste. Therefore, I will be converting my materials to blog posts for you all to benefit from. I hope you like them and find them useful, but please please let me know if there is something you don't understand and I will try and help you out. Equally, if my posts don't cover something you are desperate to know, get in touch and I'll see what I can do! 

This post is just to ease you in- the equipment you need to start crocheting. As you can see you really don't need very much at all:

1- Yarn

2- Hook

3- Tapestry needle for sewing in those pesky ends

4- Scissors

That is pretty much it to get you started. There are other things which can be useful, such as stitch markers and a ruler/tape measure but these are the absolute basics.

You can pick hooks up for less than £1 in some shops and depending on the quality of the yarn you choose, you can pick up some real bargains here too. 

Before you get carried away one quick point about yarn weight and hook sizes. The hook size you choose (usually marked in millimetres in the UK, and letters/numbers in the US) dictates the amount of yarn used in a stitch (so in effect the size of the stitch)- the bigger the hook the more yarn and the bigger the stitch, and the wool weight will effect the density of the resulting crochet fabric- thicker wool= a denser fabric. Therefore, it figures to use a hook size appropriate to the yarn weight. 

I will talk about this in more detail later but just to get you started I would recommend using a double knit (DK) or aran weight yarn when you are learning, with a 4mm (US size 6 or G) or 5mm (US size 8 or H) size hook respectively. This is a guideline only, but will do to get you started.

Now, what are you waiting for?!

SS xx

Easy tip to improve your product photography

I'm no photographer, but one thing I do know if that if you want to sell your craft items online, or want people to return again and again to your blog you need great photos! Some blogs have fantastic photography for example A Beautiful Mess  (they do have a photographer though!), Coco Rose Diaries, and Slugs On The Refrigerator (Kat is a pro-photographer) that keep you going back time and time again.

For me, I'm just pleased if I get a photo that looks half decent. However, in the last few months I have been exploring ways of improving my photography. I.....

• Got a DSLR for Christmas- its just fab- I love it! I'm still learning and not quite brave enough to go full-out manual but am getting used to playing with different settings and am slowly seeing my photos improve.
• Learnt to use Photoshop Elements- this is a paired down version of Adobe Photoshop but still has plenty of scope for improving your pictures massively. 
• Read a great book - 'The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos' - this book is brilliant for a beginner and covers all aspects of product photography from using your camera to how best to photograph different products. Now that I know my camera better I think its time to re-read it. 
• Have been working on my composition and trying different backdrops. The tree stumps in my garden are becoming a firm favourite! 

One problem I always have though (and is hard to completely remove using Photoshop Elements) is shadow. From the above book the general rule is lots of shadow =bad. No shadow at all can make your products look like they are floating on thin air but it is best to remove as much as possible. 

Shadow is created if you  photograph your product perpendicular to a light source such as a window. 

In this picture of a crochet heart the window (the light source is on the right). See the shadow on the left of the heart? 

In most cases you do not want this. In this next picture the light source is still coming from the right.....but the shadow has virtually disappeared! 

What's the secret?

Its not really a secret and is a technique pros must use all the time- a silver screen on the left reflecting the light back across the heart thus eliminating shadows! 

To make this 'screen' I simply covered a piece of card in tinfoil and folded it a bit in the middle to make it stand up. Voila! If only I had known this little trick earlier!

SSxx

Magic Circle Tutorial

Afternoon!

Thanks so much for all the lovely responses to my cute crochet stars pattern, I really appreciate them and would love to know if any of you complete the project.

My star pattern uses the magic circle (or magic ring) to start it off. This is commonly used in crochet patterns worked in the round as it leaves a much smaller hole at the top or middle of your project than if you make a foundation loop consisting of chain stitches and a slip stitch. 

When I first learned this technique I found it pretty tricky and fiddly but once I mastered it I was amazed at how versatile and useful it could be.  

This photo tutorial (photos courtesy of a very patient Pete) explains using a magic circle step by step. Apologies if you find it a little basic but I wanted to make it as clear as possible. 

Quick note: this tutorial was made by me, a right-handed crocheter. If you are left-handed the method is the same only you will be crocheting clockwise into the ring rather than anti-clockwise as shown in this tutorial. 

1. Start by making as slip-stitch as you would when beginning any crochet project

Yarn over your fingers......

.......pull the top loop under the bottom loop

2. Insert your hook into the loop as normal. BUT, do not pull the slip-stitch tight. 

Instead you must keep the circle open. 

3. You will need to reposition the yarn as at the end of step 2 you will have the working yarn in your right hand. 

Put your middle and fourth fingers of your left hand into the loop to keep it open and switch the working yarn into your left hand ready to crochet. Your hand position should look like the picture below. 

4. Make a chain stitch to secure the ring. This stops it closing up (this chain stitch does not count as a stitch).

5. We are now going to work double crochet (US single crochet) into the centre of the circle. 

You will be crocheting over two strands of yarn- the loop and the tail end of the yarn. 

6. Make double crochet stitches (or whichever stitch your pattern stipulates!), one next to the other  into the centre of the circle.

7. Now this is where the 'magic' happens. Once you have made the required number of stitches (6 in this case) gently tug on the tail end of the yarn. As if by magic the circle closes neatly up!

8. Make a slip-stitch into the first double crochet to join the round. Voila! As you can see you have a lovely first round of stitches with no gaping hole in the middle!

Easy yes??? Like all things crochet this does take a little bit of practice but with perseverance you will pick it up in no time!

To finish this post I thought I would share with you one of my favourite applications of the magic circle- making granny squares!

Traditionally you start a granny square by making 4 chains and joining into a ring with a slip-stitch. You then make your first round of stitches into this ring. I however hate making chains and slip-stitches so using a magic circle to form the centre of my granny squares is my preferred method. 

Follow steps 1-3 as for above to get your ring. Then, instead of making 1 chain to secure the ring as described in step 4, make 3 chains. These 3 chains count as your first treble stitch of the round. 

Being careful not to close the ring make all of your stitches for the first round into the circle.

Gently pull the tail end of yarn and the circle will close....

.....and here you have it. Round one of your granny square completed all into the centre of a magic circle.

Pretty good don't you think?!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and if you have any questions about using the magic circle please do get in touch. 

Happy crocheting!

SS xx

www.deramores.com/blog-awards: This blog entry is my submission to the Deramores Blog Awards 2014. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies.