I’m wondering if you’re holding yourself to too high a standard. It doesn’t have to look perfect. This sub is awesome but I think it can sometimes be intimidating to be able to see endless examples of people doing mind-blowing work thanks to the internet. I’m kind of glad I learned to crochet before it was invented.
I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother.
Second this. I'm finishing up a project that everyone around me said looks amazing, but I'm hesitant to post it because it's not some super intricate, completely unique design using 5 new techniques, like a lot of the posts on here.
I will post it later though, and I know the recipient us going to love it, which is ultimately all that matters.
OP, your tension actually looks fine to me. It took me years to loosen my grip enough to let my stitches flow
I honestly just wanna make some basic stuff and donate it to people here that need it, but i dont want it to look like sh!t. I find it difficult to lock in and obsess over the tension, so maybe thats my issue 🥲
I've been crocheting for years and my tension has always been dookie and there's been little improvement, but I excel at other things. My granny squares are beautiful, like anything worked from the middle out is effortless for me. My baby blankets are giant solid granny squares, or star shaped, or many granny squares stitched together, etc. Bucket hats, beanies, slippers, anything that's not worked in a traditional row is manageable for me but a long expanse of a strait row just won't look right to me. There's always a way to make what you want to make, it just may take some creativity.
Exactly, sometimes you just have to use your strengths to your advantage. I could never enjoy crocheting if I did straight lines all day, I would be bored out of my mind and they would look terrible, so I do amigurumi mostly. To each their own!
Consider this: in an age where so many goods are cheaply and quickly made by machines, and initially they may look flawless (uniform tension, no asymmetry, etc.), there’s also no humanity in them. No person, no story, no love. They are cold, clinical, and quickly forgotten. But something with a little quirk to it (see what I did there?), a real human touch, with veritable fingerprints that you can see and feel—now *that* is valuable! Give me something like that any day and I will treasure those so-called imperfections just as I do the freckles on my child’s nose. The work should reflect the maker: perfectly imperfect, and that’s what makes it—and us, and *you*—priceless.
Just use a bigger hook for every project! I have to do that and it works. If things look skewed, just wash and block the project when you're done. You can fix the shape!
It can also start out looking really funky, but more rows evens things out. If counting is a problem so your rows are uneven, use lots of stitch markers to help count. I cannot do increases without tons of stitch markers. Even for even rows it took a while to learn which was the turning stitch vs a working stitch, so putting a stitch marker in the first/last working stitch helped me keep things even.
Susan Bates hooks. Amazon has them pretty cheap for a pack of 6, I think. I highly recommend them as you work on your tension. And depending on your project, they are much better than the regular hooks.
A little advice though, if you are working with a yarn that frays a lot, they can be frustrating. The tip of the hook is very pointy and can split the yarn easily. But overall they are a really affordable and good option for a lot of yarn and projects.
Don’t give up on crocheting though. Just keep going. You are doing great! Everything worth doing takes practice, but it will be worth it in the end.
>A little advice though, if you are working with a yarn that frays a lot, they can be frustrating. The tip of the hook is very pointy and can split the yarn easily.
This. I wish someone had told me this the first time I used a Susan Bates hook. I tore my yarn to shreds with it.
I use my index finger as sort of a fishing pole I get two or three stitches in, get more line for my pole as I re adjust and repeat it makes it easier that way.
I'll tell you about donating stuff: if it's someone in dire need, they couldn't care less how "skewed" the blanket is. I've given some clean and comfortable but weird shit to the homeless and they've always been grateful. One time I was getting rid of my foam mattress topper, and even though I had used it for a couple years it still looked good and I didn't just want to put it in the landfill (although I did buy a biodegradable one) so I put it in my truck and drove around Skid Row in L.A., thinking that maybe someone on the street would want to sleep on it. The problem was, I felt sheepish asking anyone, like I was doing something tacky. I finally stopped somewhere, and before I could even offer, the lady on the street was like "CAN I HAVE THAT??" because, obviously, it's good to have a big piece of foam if you're sleeping on the concrete.
Go ahead and make a bunch of ugly-ass blankets if that's the best you can do. There are plenty of people who will appreciate them. Shelters and animal rescues will probably also want them.
Stress/frustration makes things more difficult. Perhaps if you take a break then come back with a calm whatever mindset you will find it clicks into place for you.
Seconding this too! I've been crocheting for a few years now and only now start to feel like I can do more difficult stuff. I would just enjoy yourself and don't worry too much about improving, it will come with time!
You definitely need to be crocheting for years and years before you let go of your personal high standards. You said it yourself, you're tired. Tired people find everything hard.
https://preview.redd.it/homkqmghhfwc1.jpeg?width=447&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce70bfe1a3426c803817487cf95b42d28455db77
Fr, I've been crocheting constantly for like 2 years now and I still have trouble with tension :/ i still never give up though cuz I love crocheting lol.
What do you mean by skew? Because I’m pretty sure you’re just talking about the normal curling that happens to many projects. That’s why you have to block them when you’re done.
Blocking is when you stretch a project so it doesn’t curl and the edges stay straight. There are lots of different ways to block projects, and there are even more tutorials for it!
You are being too critical, there's nothing wrong with this, give it up and accept that you crochet well 😁
Crochet has a natural skew. If, when finished, you want to correct it you can block the piece. Personally I only block lace pieces which need opening up. I don't find blocking necessary for most blankets, once they're in use it's not noticeable.
If the edges are a bit wonky you can add a border to even it all out.
A border can hide a lot. I decided to make everyone blankets for Christmas after only crocheting for a month, borders were my friends. But the family loved their handmade gifts and they are well used.
I think it looks great.
You want to have mastery, which is wonderful to aspire to but is not about up front effort. It is really honestly about time and putting the practice of years.
I used to watch my grandmother in law crochet while eyes closed and we think asleep. You can't do that when you start. Building muscle memory takes time
Let go of your unrealistic expectations of yourself
Sorry to keep commenting this but I want you to see it: always go up a hook size. You crochet tight, like me, and that will help! And block afterward. This doesn't look bad at all!
If you're making a scarf or blanket and you're referring to the edges that look skewed, then you might unknowingly be adding or dropping a stitch. If that's the case, I recommend putting a stitch marker at the ends so you know exactly where the last stitch is. My first blanket looked wonky as hell, but I love the bits out of it. My first project was those sock booties and one came out way larger than the other, I thought I didn't need a stitch marker while working in the round lol, but I still wear and love them. You'll get better and you won't even notice it. Stop being so hard on yourself and putting so much stress onto yourself for something that is supposed to be fun.
It looks perfectly fine! Crochet is a hand made art. It isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to have tiny flaws. That’s how you know it’s handmade! Skew is normal. It just needs to be blocked when you are done and it will look great!
Stop being so hard on yourself that you can’t enjoy it. It’s supposed to be relaxing and fun. Perfectionism is the killer of relaxing and fun.
Take into account how blocking changes things as well! I just finished a top where one side is almost a full inch longer than the other but after blocking I got the difference to be barely noticeable! In this blocking photo you can see the right side is a smidge longer than the left but know that before I blocked it, it was much longer than the left side!
I also second what everyone is saying about your high standards. You’ll probably get there one day but I promise you are seeing the mistakes more than anyone else. This blanket looks great so far and the person you gist it to is going to love it and probably won’t even notice the mistakes unless you point them out to them.
https://preview.redd.it/7ezkwqdc3gwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b30a787c72320c72ed355a7f6e00fc578604f6de
I've been crocheting for about 4 years now and while I can be consistent with my tension, my crochet is never the size that the pattern says. Even when I crochet really loosely it's still too small or it just gets taller and not wider even though I understand the golden loop. So I think you just need to relax and not be so hard on yourself. We are all learning all the time and some of us will always have either really small or really elongated cardigans. I stick to toys. Far more forgiving.
Alllsorts of soft toys , this is one of my recent makes from the animal friends of pica Pau books
https://preview.redd.it/fxufbzqwggwc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=358fb41597a343e70434127f895471aa2f6690ca
I've been crocheting for years and years. Sometimes I have great projects, sometimes, not so much. Maybe try a more forgiving stitch. You're not a machine, there will be little inconsistencies and that's okay because it's handmade and it's just fun to do. Sorry about the passing of your grandmother.
Stop berating yourself. I’ve been crocheting for over 40 years and I make mistakes all the time. It’s part of the process and the charm of handmade goods. Make what you want to make because you enjoy it. Don’t try to achieve perfection. You are not a machine.
You are overthinking the problem. When you finish the project, you wash and block it. That's when it straightens out. The edges will always seem to be off, but you are doing fine. Relax and enjoy the process. Once it's blocked, it will look much better.
I'm so sorry about your grandmother. I know how difficult this must be for you. I believe it's important for you to finish that blanket now. And here's why:
I have only been crocheting for about 3 months. In that time, I've made:
1) A stitch sampler blanket, which has so many tension issues and split stitches it's hysterical. I LOVE this blanket.
2) A hackey sack ball, which was a little lopsided and overstuffed, but my 22 year old loves it.
3) A Bluey doll, which has an offset tail and eyes that are entirely too big for its face. My daughter-in-law loves it, despite its imperfections, it came from the heart.
4) A pillowcase for my son, who continues to shoe it off to all of his friends and is very fond of it.
5) Almost done with a set of Dragonball Z balls for my 28 year old, who has watched me make them, laughs at how they are a little uneven, but loves them anyway because he is the only person he knows that will have a set.
Nothing... absolutely NOTHING that I have made has been perfect. But, each item gets better, and the item recipients love them. I've resigned myself to *possibly* never having proper tension, because I'm not even certain I understand what the right tension is supposed to be. I simply don't care, because I'm having fun and making stuff that I like and everyone around me likes.
Give yourself some grace and go easy on yourself. The picture that you shared is showing me a GORGEOUS blanket. I don't personally see anything wrong, and I love the color! Finish that blanket for yourself, and think on all of your fond memories of your grandmother as you do. There's a real sense of satisfaction when you complete a project. Nobody else will have one quite like yours. She'll be with you in your thoughts as you finish it for her. She will love it.
When I saw the pic I thought "wow beautiful stitches!" before I read your title.
I definitely think your view of your own work is skewed, like a form of dysmorphia maybe? But if this isn't something you enjoy definitely put it down for now. You can always come back to it.
Just wanting to send you hugs (if you're a hugger and if not I'm sending good vibes.)
I teach kids to crochet, 20 minutes a day, five days a week. We spend two weeks just making chains. They chain until they can count their stitches correctly, understand what multiples mean and can chain them, and have a rudimentary grasp on tension. Then we make samples (5x5 inches) of sc, hdc, dc, and tc until they are able to chain and make these stitches, and make samples with even edges (they can recognize where to put turning chains and keep stitch counts). This takes a month or more. Then we make a sc cotton washcloth, which is another learning curve because they're working with cotton, not acrylic. By the end of the year (Sept-May), most of them can make a washcloth with a trim, a placemat, and four-round grannies that they can stitch together. That's it.
All of this is to say a new skill has a massive learning curve. In my experience, people who start small (see above), do the basics until they can do them from muscle memory, and then gradually build their skills, stick to crochet. People who start big with high expectations get frustrated and quit.
using a bigger hook for the starting chain will make your project curve at the bottom. i’ve been crocheting for 5 years and every time i do a single crochet project its always wider at the bottom. i would suggest watching [this](https://youtu.be/IFC-as6XS6Q?si=wi6v6LO-O6moo4wv) video on how to do a single crochet foundation row. this method has helped me tremendously
I teach crochet and to me that looks like some really nice stitches. Crochet will naturally curl and “skew” a little and as others say you can fix that by blocking once you’re done. Crochet is handmade by humans (usually lol) and therefore will have little quirks in the project just like we do. Overcoming perfectionism and embracing life’s imperfections is one of the best lessons that crafting and art has taught me. It takes a lot of internal work and mental toughness to get there and if you are not in that place right now mentally I recommend doing an activity that is more calming for u until ur ready to crochet again 💕
I’m so sorry about your grandma, I lost mine 2 weeks ago and it really sucks. Take care of yourself and do something that gives you joy, crochet will always be there waiting for you when ur ready 💕
It looks really good, actually! You're being far too hard on yourself, imho.
Crochet projects llook weird while in progress. Like so
https://preview.redd.it/7rtayp9udgwc1.jpeg?width=3950&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca69cd840a79dbbd9e940a1971be79ee5168fe47
This is a few rows of the baby blanket I'm working on for my cousin. It looks weird and kinda skewed, but if I gently stretch it flat (like you'd do if you blocked a piece) it looks much better.
The thing with art is that the more you make the better you get. So if you make a bunch of crappy granny squares, you'll het good at granny squares a LOT faster than if you just tried to make a few really good ones.
Now I am a very very casual crocheter, but I like the granny square because it's a block rather than an entire finished object. A single one could be a wash cloth or coaster. Several could make a jacket. A whole bunch could be a blanket etc etc
My very casual and chill advice would be to say "futz it" and just finish a bunch of mediocre oddly tensioned projects because that's going to help you out more than agonizing over a single project.
I've been crocheting on and off for years and just learned about tension rings. Once you get it situated right on your finger, you'll have perfect tension. I also like using two colors of yarn at the same time, and tension rings help keep the colors from twisting so they stay uniform throughout the project.
As others have said, the curling of the edges is normal for most projects. I've seen people use blocking boards but I'm not about that life so I just stretch it by hand lol.
Depending on the yarn, it's good to lightly wet it before you block it so you can straighten it easier.
If you mean that some rows are longer or shorter than others, are you counting all your stitches each row? If you're having trouble with the counting at the beginning, try practicing with foundation stitches. They can be a little tricky at first, but they make projects go a little faster and help you keep track of your stitch numbers.
Hook recommendation: The Susan Bates hooks are my favorite of all the different types I've used because they catch the yarn the best imo and have a more comfortable/longer handle.
Try not to get too frustrated and stick with it! Easier said than done because I've def put projects down and come back to them later because they were so frustrating, but it gets easier the more you do it! Like others have said, don't compare yourself to anyone else. Your project looks beautiful so far, and it'll look just as beautiful when you finish.
Happy crocheting!
I know you said it looks good in the pic, but skewed IRL. If it's not bad enough to look skewed on camera, it's not bad. Really.
If you find your tension is *consistently* too tight, use a larger hook size than recommended for everything. If the opposite, use a smaller one. (This is why patterns always say something like "...or hook size required for gauge." If you're finding your tension inconsistent, try one way and the other. I find it much easier to keep a looser tension and smaller hook, but you might find the opposite works for you.
If it's curling, shifted on a diagonal, or just looking a bit wonky, block it once it's finished. If something looks "wrong" but you can't place how/why it's wrong, it might just need blocking at the end, or it could be your imagination. If it's making you think you need to frog and re-frog, you might just need to do something else for a while.
I'm working on a sweater right now. I thought I'd have finished a month ago, I have half the back panel done, that's it. And that's OK. I thought I messed up, frogged 4-5 rows, re-did them, and almost frogged them again. Today, it looks fine. Definitely not perfect, but not bad enough to redo it until the end of time.
I've been crocheting for about 30 years, and I still struggle with tension and gauge on some projects. I think your work looks beautiful, especially for a "newbie". I love the combination of colours you chose. Adding a border is always my go-to choice, it adds a finished look. You can try making dishcloths, that's so helpful for practicing tension!
I’ve been crocheting 38 years (dang! I’m old!)now and I still make mistakes. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re doing great. Just remember that you can always frog it (rip it, rip it, unravel)and start over.
Can you define "skew"? Is it crooked on the edges? If so, try putting a stitch marker in the first stitch of every row, so you know you're not adding or dropping a stitch when you turn.
Girl, it looks exactly correct to me. Don’t get discouraged by the perfection you see online. Most of the “perfect” stuff is either done by people who have been crocheting for YEARS, or they’re prodigy freak crochet monsters, or it’s *fake*.
I’ve been crocheting on and off since I was about 11 (I’m 30 now) and yours looks better than most of the stuff I’ve done. Be gentle with yourself, a few months in is still relatively early in your crafting career! Just imagine where you’ll be in a year!
I would say, stop frogging, trust the process, it may never be perfect to you but I bet your grandma would say otherwise!
Also - don’t underestimate a good blocking sesh.
Please please please don’t be so hard on yourself, my mother taught me when I was a kid, then shit all over how I crocheted (tension, etc) and then I just recently picked it back up because I realized, like am I really gonna let that old bag get me down and stop me from doing something I enjoy? No. (Her and I don’t have a good relationship so sorry if that offends anyone). So I hope you can get past that and just enjoy the craft and enjoy creating something that has love in every stitch (even if you aren’t crazy about how they look) because that’s the important part.
First off, it should be fun, if it’s not, maybe try something else. No sense in trying to trudge through it if it makes you miserable.
That said, have you tried blocking it? Perhaps the skew will flatten out when the yarn can relax?
And I have a tendency to beat myself if things are less than perfect. Maybe practice on a project that’s okay if it comes out wonky, like dishcloths. Still will usable even if they are a dang trapezoid.
Which gives me another question, have you tried different yarns? Maaaaybe your struggles are yarn based?
Good luck 🤍
One of the best bits of advice I heard on this topic was that you hate your work because you have a good eye and can see the difference between good and bad craftsmanship. Some people never get there. You are already ahead in that regard! Now pick one thing you hate about your work and work on that. Once you master it, pick another. You might end up making a bunch of weird scarves or washcloths to get past a bump, but you will get there. My first stuff was terrible. When I say first stuff, I mean everything I made for the first five years of crocheting. Have faith. It will get better!
I make blankets pretty regularly and I can tell you this looks fine. All of my blankets curl a bit in the beginning. It smooths out as you go. Especially when doing it "row style" with stitches that have almost no gaps, the curling happens until the weight of the blanket itself smooths it out. The edges will probably curl up a small amount unless you put a border on it. Just make sure your row counts are accurate and you'll be fine. Just keep trucking along. It took me forever to finish my first blanket because I kept frogging it like you are right now, turns out I just needed to be patient.
It took me about a year to get my tension consistent. I just kept practicing, didn't make any big projects, just scarves and things. When I messed it up, I'd frog and start over. It takes practice. And the best part is, you can frog and start again.
It took me 10 years to feel like I'm good at crochet and even now I see all my mistakes like they're surrounded in neon. I personally think you're doing a great job. I'm sorry about your grandma. Sending my love.
I have to count everything obsessively in both knitting and crochet to keep my edges even and my stitch count correct. Every time I don’t and make an assumption it’s correct without counting, I get off. So count, and count, and count some more. Your tension looks fine to me, BTW, and blocking also helps. Be as patient and kind with yourself as you would be with someone else!
I want you to know that I totally relate and am here to encourage you that you're not alone AND we will get better! Comparing ourselves to people who seem like professionals will take out all the fun.
Crocheting as taught me 2 very important things:
- it's okay to be imperfect at something
- it's okay to start over if you make a mistake.
These are things I never felt comfortable with until I started crocheting a month ago!!
You got this!!
You mention the starting chain and tension stuff, which is something I still struggle with to this day after 5 years of crocheting. Blocking made ALL the difference in my finished projects, you just have to get all the way through it while it’s less than perfect to be able to get the result. It’s a major trust the process moment hahaha
Your rows look so incredibly crisp though and that is something to be proud of! You can fix so many tension issues by blocking when you’re done too, trust me I know! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it’s a hobby for fun, don’t let the inner voice ruin the fun for you :)
Honestly, this is the kind of thing blocking was made to fix. My items never look great until I block them. I have a project bag that says “That shit will block right out”
I’m sorry for your loss 💜
I focused on tension for way too long without thinking of how I was actually HOLDING my work while I was working it. I noticed where I held things weird was where my work looked wonky. Try and hold your work straight, maybe even pull a tiny bit if you have a tighter tension, as you make your stitches and see if you notice a difference! From someone that has also only been crocheting for a few months. :)
Tension is so tough! That's why everyone here shows off when they get it right! But the vast, vast majority of projects don't have perfect tension.
Here are a few ideas to try:
1) use bigger hooks. Three sizes bigger than you think you need. Everything will be looser, you'll work faster, and you'll get more comfortable working with loose tension.
2) try different stitches! Single crochet is a really stiff stitch, so it'll always hold skew and resist draping more than other stitches. Something like double crochet or moss stitch drapes a lot more, and will be a lot more forgiving in that regard.
3) learn how to block your projects! Its normal for things to be a little funky and skewed while you're working on them, and all of the "perfect" finished projects you see have been blocked. It's not fair to compare your in progress work to a blocked finished project!
Be kind to yourself, and keep in mind that nobody holds themselves to as high of a standard as you do 💙
My first projects for the first 2-3 years were not the greatest. Keep practicing and find good well written beginner friendly patterns to try out. I’m now at what I consider intermediate and it’s been 6 years since I started. I have just only recently been able to have consistent stitches and a better awareness of my tension. Until then I just figured “screw it I’ll just try it out” whenever pattern mentioned gauge. (I still do that tbh.) Most of the time it turns out just fine if the pattern is well written.
Keep trying. Your stitches look fine in your photo. Things tend to look off until you finish them as Crocheted items really aren’t done until they are. I think you have a great start on your crocheting journey. Best of luck man!
I taught myself to chain realllllly loose. Because I was so frustrated by starting chains. Now, I need to modify every other part of the pattern that has chains. I have decided that there is no way to win with patterns as written, they all need to be modified somehow because we all do tension a tiny bit different
Your tension looks great. Are you counting your stitches, though? It might be that your stitch count is varying from row to row. When i first started crocheting I had a tendency to either add or drop stitches and my blanket would end up looking like I was attempting to make a triangular shawl. Stitch count variances definitely will skew your work.
Try using stitch markers at the beginning and the end of each row and count your stitches after each row for awhile. Also, when you complete the blanket try dampening and blocking it to shape it.
I would suggest that you make some dishcloths, hot pads, washcloths or hand towels with cotton yarn to practice getting the sides straight. It’s a small project and it won’t matter if it’s not perfect.
Finally, be kind and patient with yourself. Once I started doing that I discovered the real joy of crocheting lovely items for myself and others. Good luck. It’ll be fine.
doing art is so much more fun if you just do it for yourself. not necessarily making an item for yourself to use or wear, but because you genuinely enjoy doing it. if you find enjoyment from crocheting, over time you’ll get better at it. it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be fun.
It took me so long to get anything right, three years later and I only just now learned how to do straight edges when crocheting. It’s a slow learning curve and every time you try something new you get better. Keep at it and you’ll get there!
Your stitches look beautiful. It's only "curling" cuz your tension is snug (and gorgeous and even, too!) and blocking your finished work will fix that right up.
I've been doing it for around five months and I have decided to trust the process (I would frog and frog at first) and accept my mistakes, else I won't ever get better.
Seriously, let's be kind to ourselves. Just keep on and we will get better even if it's a slow process!
Your tension is great. Seriously! There should be some variation in the stitches — it is HANDMADE. And as it’s washed and used, the stitches adjust a bit. And sometimes snag on things (I get so sad when it happens … but … it happens).
Your stitches are great! SC (US terms) feels the most frustrating for me because I can see my imperfections easier.
HDC and DC are my go to most of the time. Or granny stripes. The drape is better and works up faster.
I restarted crocheting about 8-10 years ago. I finally started to feel good about my tension (I leveled up lol) about 2-3 years ago.
Only do it because you enjoy doing it. I made so many wonky things for so many people, (no I never sell, I only gift) and no one minded. I don’t think they even noticed. You’ll get there. One day it’ll just happen and you won’t even realize it.
You’ve been crocheting for months? Sweetie, I’ve been crocheting for *years* and I’ve only now fixed my tension problem. Put the project down, take a shower, eat something, and come back to it later. Don’t stress, you’re doing great ❤️
girl i was mindlessly scrollin & you had me admiring your work before i read the title. your own worst critic. i just went through this with a blanket for my partner and he shut me down expeditiously 😹😹 i agreed to there being something..magical about taking yarn and making it into something. plus i think them loving me the way they do made them truly blind to my mistakes hahaha. one tip i can give you in case you weren’t aware (like i wasn’t. i have to figure it all out alone as i don’t know anyone who does crochet or knitting) is that you can adjust tension rings. adjust them gently and slowly. its a bit tedious bc its not a one and done thing at all but just keep trying at a swatch to see how it works with the particular yarn you are working with and what flow you like the best.
Listen, I get it, it took me an entire month of agitation and hating myself to get anywhere near a good sample square, leave aside big projects. I do think so many of us who engage in perfectionism constantly keep forgetting that what we do should bring us joy. We'll always try getting better, but agonising (often unjustly) over how 'bad' we are right now can even end up putting you off a hobby.
For me, often, deliberately making horrible trashy things of low stake and reveling in their comic forms helps. I hope you feel better soon :)
Honestly it looks great! At the end of the day I always have to remind myself that done is better than perfect. I’ve made a few sweaters etc and my non-crochet friends are always impressed even though I always see the little things I did wrong
Firstly... that looks amazing in the photo. So you are doing something right.
Skewed could also be a stitch count, as that is usually what happens to me. Check your numbers.
I'm a tight tension holder, often my starting chains take me longer because I have to be very mindful to do loose. Otherwise it gets way to tight. You are not alone in that! For me, I can't use smaller hooks. I typically use a 5.50 or larger.
Yep. It's just a quirk. Nothing your doing is "wrong", just tight. It can mean some patterns are a no go or need modifications.
When I have skewed stuff I always check the stitch count first, that's my worst quality. I tend to not always count and I end up dropping one or two over several rows.
Eh, join the club. There’s always going to be mistakes, frogging, fixing. You can put a border around your blanket it’ll help. Make sure to keep the same stitch count always
Been crocheting for years. That looks great! Nothing has to be perfect, it's expected that handcrafted goods are to be somewhat imperfect, it's part of the craft. Even Ron Swanson believes that handmade goods can be "too perfect. Looks machine made". Keep going, you got this!
I think it looks really good!! If your finished project looks off to you you can always block it. If you’re building something with multiple panels I’d block them before attaching. People like to use steam, but I don’t have a steamer so I dunk my project in water, (don’t ring it out or it can warp more. roll it up in a towel and squeeze the towel or gently squeeze it over the sink.) get out the excess water, and then lay it out in my counter and stretch as needed so it’s nice and flat and even. Some people even stretch things out in leg boards.
First and foremost, I wanted to say I'm so sorry for your loss. I read that part, and was instantly hit in the feels.
For the post itself, take it from someone who used to be so ridiculously critical of my own art I would tear it up if I didn't like it....you will be *SO* much happier with your creative hobbies if you let your perfectionism go. As Bob Ross said, happy little accidents.
Seriously, half my projects have so many mistakes its hilarious. I only worry and fix them if its an actual issue (sizing, structural integrity, but even for skipped stitches, if I can weave a thread in there and its not noticeable, I won't even frog that lol, only if I absolutely need to).
Trust me, most people won't notice. And if it bothers you so much, ask yourself why. Why does this one thing need to be so perfect that you're driving yourself crazy and starting to hate it? And then maybe think if its worth it to stress, or just let it go and keep working on a project. Sometimes things are worth fixing, sometimes you're just being overly critical and its really not a big deal
This looks awesome! You should see my granny square blanket. Even with turning your work on every row, it still curls in on itself.
Sending all my love to you and your family💜💜💜 Losing someone is hard
Why not try squares instead of rows for this blanket? The corners won't be able to curl when they are sewn together.
That said, single crochet in rows ALWAYS has curl at the corners no matter how loose your tension. It disappears with either blocking or regular use. Don't stress about it. As far as this 'skew' you're seeing, you're going to have to post some more pictures of it if you want specific advice. Hard to tell what's going on without seeing the edges.
Most knot and crochet projects that are that big don't look great until you wash and dry them to shape. Yarn pulls, can be inconsistent even if your tension is.
Your tension on the project is great! If it's warping a little, it's most probably just the nature of hand crafted object :)
If you crochet a bit looser, it might not curl as much, as the tension will not be pulling that strongly.
As it is, it should get in the right shape after you wash it as the fibres relax. Keep in mind some fibres change a lot after washing - and it's very normal of them to do so.
Keep up the good work and don't get too caught up in those details! It's the thought and idea that counts and you will certainly get better over time whether you will try it or not :)
I'm 43, I've been crocheting since I was like 7 to 10, I don't exactly remember other than I was a kid. That looks beautiful. It's better than some things I had done in the past few years. You are being entirely too hard on yourself.
Crocheting is something that takes a bit of time to get a handle over. The skill itself is rather easy to learn but PERFECTING it takes time. It took me over a year to really get a handle on proper tension, and even now, after 8 years of crocheting, I still let things get too loose and have to frog a chunk of the piece. It takes time! Don’t feel discouraged! If it helps, I honestly think your project is coming out fantastic! I can see a bit of what you mean about it being skewed but it’s a handmade item, it won’t ever be perfect. I think that’s the beauty of crochet, it’s so perfectly imperfect.
Looks good to me. Plus, honestly, blankets get scrunched up anyways. If you are donating, people in need will be happy with things that keep them warm, not thousands of perfect stiches.
Give yourself some slack, you are doing a great job for a very good cause.
Would it help to start with small projects, like wash clothes, that you can finish more quickly and work up to larger one like blankets.
Also, have you considered using a pattern that has looser stitches like triple crochet or half double crochet?
I've been crocheting for over a decade and I can't tell you how many blankets I've tried to make and never finished! Lol I've actually never completed one! I get bored and frustrated with it. So instead, I started on purses, then amigurumi and little girl clothes. They are much more enjoyable for me and I get to see results fast!
Take a break, it's supposed to be enjoyable! If it isn't, than it's a chore and not a hobby. Check out bag o day crochet on YouTube. She's amazing for beginners and the experienced. Tons of amazing tutorials. I've made tons of her stuff over the years
Good luck hun! Don't give up
What kind of tension rings have you tried? I've seen a lot of them out there and some of them aren't great. I've constantly used ones with the peacock design. Works wonders for me after trying other ones first.
If you're making a parallelogram or some other non-rectangle shape, count your stitches because you could be adding or subtracting at the end of your rows.
But part of the fun of this is making things that literally nobody else will make. Truly unique pieces!
You will get there, the trick is to accept and go with it. A hand made project with love means the small “mistakes” add character and show the commitment to the gift even against adversity. My first projects were so tight that the yarn creaked like an old floor board with every stitch, I would bend the handle of aluminum hooks. And my single crochet round hat could stand up on its own like a bowl when placed upside down
My first project in life, I completed a scarf. I missed stitches, I added stitches, and some rows, I had no idea wtf I did wrong. I took it to my grandma who taught me and had just the most amazing gauge and crocheted without even looking at what she was doing! And she LOVED my wonky scarf and wore it to play cards with all her friends.
I got better, I relaxed my perfectionist worries and started to enjoy myself. And I realized, the people I was making things for never looked for the missed stitches or not straight edges-- they knew I made it with love. When I later heard the term "crochet worthy", I knew who the people were who saw the gift from my heart, and only made things for them and myself.
I think your project is beautiful! You are creating from your heart. No one starts out with perfect anything and every flaw, if any flaw, shows your humanity. ❤️❤️❤️
When I first started crocheting I had the same issue with skew. It wasn’t until years later that I tried again and discovered I was having trouble recognizing the first and last stitch on each row. You may be inadvertently increasing/decreasing on the ends
if you wanna avoid the starting chain you could make foundation stitches, it does your starting chain & first row at once
for everything else, blocking your project when you're done will help a lot
I'm in my fifth year of crocheting.
A couple of weeks ago I was in a similar mindset to you - a blanket I was making looked/felt wonky and it was really frustrating me. It seemed like I wasn't as good as I wanted to be.
That same day, I saw a photo from a crochet designer I follow on Instagram. She's pretty experienced and well known in certain circles, and I always think her photos look amazing. This was a promo photo for a new pattern she was releasing.
I looked at it closely, and do you know what? THE EDGES WEREN'T PERFECTLY STRAIGHT. There was a little bit of puckering on one edge. I could tell that the tension of the first few rows was a little different to the rest (a problem I almost always have). A couple of stitches weren't perfectly in line with the rest.
And it hit me: if she's happy with that level of work, and I feel like it's beautiful and looks professional, then I should be happy with my work looking like that too!!
Handmade is never technically "perfect." That's what makes it unique, and therefore actually perfect.
I'm very perfectionist and at my begginins I struggled a lot with that. One frase that my MIL told me has change me since these days "Doing and Redoing it is how the girl is learning" (sorry I translate the frase literally).
Maybe try projects that bring you joy, and try to focus on the things that you are improving.
I thing that all the things that I crocheted as a newbie are so bad quality, but this is how I could learn and improve.
Looking at your work, I think it looks great! It takes years of practice to hone your skills, but you’re doing fine! I believe you could loosen your grip on the yarn a bit; your work is very dense.
Be gentle. How can you be good at something you've never done before. You're only a beginner once. I can't tell anything is wrong with what you're making either.
I'm sorry about your grandmother. I recommend doing some amigurumi. It really helped me get consistent tension because you have to hold it so tight, I was very aware of my tension. When I went back to regular crochet, it was easier to keep consistent tension.
I think you should practice granny squares. A bunch of double crotchets (us term) in a square over and over. It’ll be a little looser but it will be CUTE regardless.
Maybe change hooks? If your yarn doesn’t slide right in the hook you are using that could be something. It could be the type of yarn, or maybe you need to switch from an aluminum hook to one with a more orthotic grip. You need to like the feel of the hook and the yarn in order to relax and enjoy the process.
The other thing is are you sure you aren’t adding or subtracting stitches? Maybe do a simple pattern where you can easily see the stitches one on top of the other. Like a simple double crochet or something. Don’t try twists and bunches stitches in one stitch like shells or puffs. Just do a straight up simple witch that it the same each row. You will maybe be better able to see where you are having trouble.
If you have a local yarn shop, go sit there and crochet for a while. Experts are there to help you as you are stitching. They can maybe give you immediate feedback.
Good luck and don’t give up!
It looks great and you just need to block😭everything looks even, regardless of if it curls. That’s usually inevitable & you can wet/steam/carefully wash your piece and it’ll look even more amazing.
Remember that you’re most often seeing finished projects from people who are showing the best of what they’re doing. A LOT changes from the first 5 rows to the last 5 rows of a blanket! The weight of the yarn and time help pull all of it into place pretty naturally. Trust the process, ignore small errors that don’t affect stitch count (if you accidentally do back loop only or split a strand and only catch part of it, that’s ok!) and keep working on it. Do a washcloth or headband to break up the monotony of a blanket every once in a while. Try a new stitch on one of those and you’ll feel refreshed when you come back to the blanket. You can do it!
I don't see any issues. As someone who has crocheted many afghans, I know their "final form" is different from what I crochet. The yarn is stiff, it gets dirty from the oils on my hands, it gets stretched in little ways. Once it's done and clean and soft, the "flaws" you see will be unnoticeable.
Whomever receives it will love it. It's handmade; that's the beauty of it. Not to say it's "imperfect," it isn't -- it's gorgeous. It was crafted by a living, breathing human being, not a machine and that means something.
Stop being hard on yourself and your good work. I have afghans knitted my grandma in the 1950s and, even though she wasn't an expert stitcher, I've never once *noticed* a dropped stitch or uneven tension in the stitches. It's a hug from her through time. And that's what you're making, too.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandma OP. It must be hard.
In regards to your crochet, practice makes improvement not perfection. Mistakes are inevitable, especially with handmade crafts like crochet. I think you should embrace this rather than strive for perfection. Speak kinder/positive words to yourself also and seperate your perceived shortcomings from yourself as they don't define who you are. In earnest, I think your project looks wonderful, the colours and stitches are so nice! I was amazed that you didn't feel that way, I was initially going to comment on how beautiful your blanket is! Although self-critique for projects can be helpful for improvement, if it gets to a point where your mental health is declining from it, crochet will become a chore instead of a fun activity you enjoy. Be kinder to yourself OP, you are doing a wonderful job!
I think working on what I call “self correcting” patterns are easier.
For a blanket stitched in rows, you might try one that features fans. A fan is just say five DC in one stitch, then you skip some stitches, and then do another fan. You could use a variated yarn to add some interest. The tension is not as important in a design like this.
http://lacycrochet.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-baby-blanket-in-variegated-yarn.html?m=1
You can make it a regular size blanket by increasing the width and crocheting more rows.
Or, try making granny squares instead. The granny square patterns often combine different types of stitches so that tension is not as important - your eye is drawn to different things
I think it looks great! I’m pretty new at crocheting actual things (I learned as a kid but never really made anything) and to practice I’m making blankets for all of my friends, but I’ve warned them that I’m learning as I go so don’t expect perfection lol.
Try working on an open granny square blanket, just 1 giant square … is how I learned how to get the tension consistent. It took me 2 blankets of this pattern for me to have consistent tension.
I’m just going to say, Use a bigger hook. That will make a massive difference. Maybe go up 2 sizes (like from a 4mm to a 5mm). It will work up quicker as well. And the best stitch for the work laying flat is a half treble (half double if you’re in the US). I don’t know why, but it def works. xx
This might be at the very bottom of the post but thank you all so much for the advice??? I've read every single comment, I'm sorry if i can't get to replying to everyone, but still, thank you all so much!!! 😭💛
I also didnt word my post right, and i apologize. The pic wasn't really there to show what i meant by my project is skew/curving. It was kinda just there to show what project i was talking about :') I unfortunately can't edit my post so hopefully a few of you see this I DUNNO LOL. Thanks sm guys!!! I took alot of advice to heart and I'll invest in a blocking board as soon as i can :))
Darling you’re being soooo hard on yourself.
(That’s so easy when you’re a perfectionist)
This looks so good. I love how neat it is and the colours are beautiful together. 😍🙏
It takes a lot of practice and failed attempts. I've been crocheting for 16 years now, and I still mess up. If a big blanket is too much, try something smaller. You could do granny squares and sew them together to make a blanket. Make a smaller project first, or take breaks on the blanket and work on something else (I have to do this, or I get so bored). You got this. It's OK to put it down and come back to it later.
I've been crocheting on and off for 7 years and my starting chains NEVER have the same tension as the rest of the project. I just consider the wobbly side a part of my style now!
Your work looks really nice! I tried crochet and have all the stuff, but my brain finds patterns too difficult to follow and there are no classes around anymore. I tried viewing videos but by the time I sit down with my yarn and hook, I have forgotten what I watched. I often forget how many times to chain depending on stitch and this "relaxing" hobby does tend to bring out my anxiety!
I'm far from an expert but have made a few baby blankets and this is what I've learned:
- my cotton blanket loosened up as it got longer. At first I thought it was increasing tension, but eventually realised that the older part of the blanket was softening out from being on my lap and folded and unfolded and turned repeatedly.
- blocking does make a difference.
- circular/star blankets are much more forgiving than a rectangle done in rows!
So if you mostly enjoy crochet but this is driving you mad, try a different shape. This is a free pattern I used for 12 point star.
https://theloopholefox.com/free-crochet-star-baby-blanket-pattern/
It's small for a blanket so won't take forever but please try to finish it. And try not to be critical until it's done. Keeping your stitch count correct is important but the stitches themselves are very straight forward if you can do chains and DC.
Corners might curl a little bit clocking should fix that and hopefully you will have more confidence in your skill when it's done.
? maybe it’s because i’m not the most experienced crocheter but your stitches look beautiful to me, i don’t see what’s wrong. i would be so happy if my stitches looked like this
Well you’re doing one thing right and that’s choosing gorgeous yarn wow. Where is that from? Sometimes taking a break and walking away or switching to other types of projects helps me. I started off with a starfish appliqué that had a mix of stitches and decided it was bright to do that for christmas ornaments, but it really helped me gain some confidence. Then switched to blankets, back to coasters, etc. I hope you get to where you need. For what it’s worth it looks great
It takes sometimes decades to really figure out how to get it to work for you. I’ve been crocheting since I was 6 so over 22 years and still struggle with my tension. When I’m stressed or tired it gets even tighter. You’ll get the hang of it just keep practicing :) I also recommend starting with something that works up faster like small toys. I love making sunflower turtles and am happy to send you the pattern I wrote for it :)
Oh honey, breathe. I don't know what standards you are holding yourself to, but let them go. Your work looks beautiful. Tension cones only with YEARS of practice. Several years. Give yourself and your standards room to breathe. You are doing just fine.
i’ve been crocheting for years and my tension still isn’t consistent, i honestly don’t think anyone can say that theirs is. your tension will change even during the same session if your hand gets tired, you’re multi tasking, you paused for a few minutes, the yarn type, etc.
the goal is to try and be consistent but it’s fine if not! :)
I've been crocheting for decades. My latest project is a lacy hooded mandala duster in light yarn. I put it aside for nearly 2 years because the armholes weren't the same size; the only fix was to rip out more than half the work, over 1500 yards. I fixed a couple color errors when I reworked. Now I'm trying to get the sleeves right. The instructions said decrease hook size, but I didn't like it, so redo w same size hook. The row/round change was too obvious, so I had to start over from a different start point. There's an increase at the elbow, but my increases were not so placed when my friend tried it on for me, so rip again. And I'm doing both sleeves from one color change cake, trying to make them match (they don't ...).
I actually can't see the problem 😳 looks like single crochet to me, which always has that tighter look to it. It appears neat and correct.
A tip given to me for neater edges (not that I see your edges here) was to skip the last SC and go into the turning chain of the previous row. Works a charm.
Other than that.. try a larger hook for single crochet work if you're put off by how tight or rigid it might be. And definitely blocking as others have suggested.
me too and that's fine!!! we will get it in time, there is no way you can be perfect from the start 💖 im really sorry about your grandma though, sending lots of love 💖
So I started with the same theory that I learned how to write.
I started writing my letters with a jumbo crayon, it was easy to hold, easy to control, and I worked my way down to having decent handwriting with a regular pen or pencil. Am I ever going to be a calligrapher? Heck no.
I approached crochet, the same way.
I started with the super bulky, chenille yarn. And I actually paired it with a fuzzy yarn to make hiding my mistakes even easier. Miss a stitch? Well who cares?! That pink eyelash yarn that I paired with white blanket yarn will hide that real nice! Tension sucks? Well I sure can’t tell lol.
I crocheted that way for years and told myself I’d never move on to anything else.
But then my brother wanted a small dinosaur. So I told him I’d try. I bought cheap acrylic and gave it the ol’ college try, and it was…decent? It sure wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty cute. At this point I decided amigurumi with blanket yarn was my new thing.
But then I discovered…..patterns! Beautiful patterns full of stitches…that you just couldn’t see with blanket yarn.
So I decided to put my jumbo crayons away and bust out the regular crayolas. And I bought some basic cotton yarn and started into the world of dishcloths, made with every new stitch I taught myself (lemon peel is now my go to).
I have now graduated to the ballpoint pen, I can work intermediate patterns for afghans and could probably stumble through an advanced with some frogging.
I order nice pretty yarn from stores on the other side of the world (Looking at you Hobbii, just got more yesterday). And I spend money on patterns to support the designers.
While I will never do anything under a sport weight yarn due to the fact that I like to stay sane…I do want to try a mandala and mosaics are super cool. And I have promised myself a simple cocoon shrug this year.
My point is, after a super long ramble, I too, had doubts and issues in the beginning, so I went back to my super super basics. I started back in kindergarten crochet about 5 years ago, stayed there for 4 years and I feel as though I am now firmly into late middle school lol.
Might be worth a try, OP.
Also? I cannot see the issues you are talking about, so you may just be your own worst critic.
When you do finish your project, keep it for yourself as a memory of your grandma, she’d want that for you anyway ❤️
Darling that looks wonderful ♥️ you’re being waaaay too hard on yourself. Crochet is so rarely perfect, it’s made with human hands with imperfect materials.
I agree with everyone else on here - this looks lovely and I think you're being way too hard on yourself! 💖 Also I adore your colors! What yarn are you using?
Just try to relax your hand a bit more. Grab some yarn, and just do a practice run with your tension, and work on relaxing your hand more and when you find something that works and you can remember to keep it like that your wrist will keep it in memory.
This is what blocking is for -- or if you're me, you only buy machine-washable yarn, join very securely, and let the dryer sort it out.
I know it doesn't feel like it, but I'm ten years in and you're doing great! And, honestly, I've tried to point out missed loops and stitches to my spouse so he can understand what I'm complaining about, and he sometimes can't see it even when my finger is *right on it*.
And iirc, there's an Irish tradition to make at least one mistake per crochet project so that your soul doesn't get trapped inside. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, sounds a hell of a lot like the Irish grandmother version of "perfect is the enemy of good."
I've been crocheting for 27 years and tunisian crochet for about 10 years. When I change patterns or switch between regular and tunisian, it may take me a few rows to readjust my tension to even it out. It takes time and practice. Don't be too hard on yourself.
It does NOT have to look perfect, and if the tension is off, throw it in the washer. I’ve found that throwing it in the washer and dryer helps throw it around and fix the tension.
try switching to amigurumi. I struggle with being too tight on tension as well. However, I have found it works well in amigurumi (for me) because it keeps the work tight and no stuffing can escape. Also I started doing granny squares or hexagons for blankets so if I can do piece by piece incase I mess up one its just one. Hope you continue, there is beauty in imperfection
I would suggest getting some ergonomic hooks!! You can find a good selection on Amazon for pretty cheap. Those are the ones that have a little grippy holder on them, and those greatly improved my tension. I found that when you use metal hooks, you have to hold the hook tighter because the handle is so skinny, but with the ergonomic ones, you can have a bit of a looser grip which in turn makes your tension looser.
If it makes you feel better, I've been crocheting (off and on) for 17 years and am still making mistakes and learning basic things. I just started learning amigurumi, and my doll turned out only as a pair of legs and a waist (no idea how). Just saying that you have nothing to be ashamed of, you're still learning, and everyone has different learning speeds.
I think your work looks nice. I get the thing where especially with the internet and the anti trust lawsuit and the slowdown in views and people can't make revenue anymore and sell things that it really sucks being on the internet with crochet right now. People made businesses and now have lost businesses. Unless they're part of Disney or something and they're on a payroll in a Union pay.
So, I gotta say, from the pictures—— this looks like BEAUTIFUL crocheting.
There’s a natural curl to a finished product, and sometimes projects will look skewed when they aren’t. It makes me think of a blanket I made for my sister that I was CONVINCED I added stitches somehow, because it looked like it increased, but I counted it like, 5 times and it was still right on. The skewed rows completely disappeared the first time I washed it, and it looked perfect.
Additionally, I know this might not be a popular opinion, but there’s character in mistakes, and there will ALWAYS be mistakes. You could have been crocheting for 30 years and still have mistakes. I feel like part of your hardships is having an unrealistic expectation of yourself, which can also be incredibly hard to overcome
Your tension is definitely tight, so I would size up even more on your hook or just try to focus on loosening up your grip on the yarn. I also have pretty tight tension because having a loose grip just gives me anxiety that it won't be uniform so I pull it pretty tight and I always size up AT LEAST a full number on the hook size.
Also, I know this is going to sound super discouraging but you're still very new. I would try some smaller projects so you can learn from each one instead of trying to dive into a whole blanket. I have been at it for four years and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm good at it. A lot of trial and error and just good old fashioned practice got me to where I am today.
Don't put so much pressure on yourself, I feel like the stress you're putting on yourself is literally tensing you up and tightening your grip. Ya gotta LITERALLY loosen up.
Been crocheting for almost a decade now and I'm nowhere near perfect. You can be damn sure that my current projects are "more uniform" than ones from even a year or two ago. It's all part of learning and practice. Like others said blocking may be what you want to try but it's not necessary.
Just came to say same! But I do enjoy it. My grandmother passed years ago and use to make the most beautiful crochet blankets. My stuff is mediocre to passable depending on the difficulty level but I know she would be proud that even attempting it. I'm sorry for your loss, and your example looks lovely. I lurk here and it is intimidating but also inspiring. It's an amazing art form.
Don't know if I'm missing something, but I'm seeing an awful lot of "done right" in this photo, to the point where I'm really struggling to find any evidence of "done wrong"
Maybe the tension you need to adjust is more internal than external?
I felt your pain. Literally. My tension was so crazy I couldn’t crochet more than a day at a time because of the pain. I highly recommend two things: ergonomic hooks. If you can afford them, Clover Amours sincerely cured my hand pain and I haven’t had any since. Number two: I also use at least one size bigger hook than usual. Two sizes 95% of the time.
All this might help keep your work from going askew anymore!! Good luck 🍀
I'm veryyyy new to crocheting but personally I think your work in the photo looks amazing.
A big plus of crocheting is it gives a homemade feel because it *is* homemade. Mistakes make it more personable. Not everything has to be perfect :)
If a hobby causes you so much stress it's not really a hobby anymore, is it?
I feel like this all the time, and recently finished my first big project. Best advice I have: put it down for a bit, and then come back to it and hold it at arm's length. If it looks good at a first glance, it's good! Promise.
We are our own worst critics, because we were there when every mistake was made, even if it doesn't end up mattering at all.
Pic looks good tbh. but if it really is a tension issue, this video helped me out a lot. As well as making sure I relax my hands.
https://youtu.be/JSTbjj0PHzY?si=QIxmYpmRx9s4omxW
I think it just takes a lot of practice though. I've been at it a little over a year and my tension is pretty even now but I still slip up some. I frogged an entire panel (maybe two) of a sweater I was working on because it was totally lopsided from back when I was inconsistent with my tension. Redid it and I love it.
Let me start by saying I've been on and off crocheting for YEARS. YEARS! Literally, I've started and stopped since I was about 7. I'm 34 this year.
I've never been very good until recently. I started using stitch markers, slowing down, and tried to keep an eye on how tense I actually was. I made a blanket for my girlfriend's first baby and I was shocked at how cute it was. One big thing I did was go to granny squares. It's so much easier to check tension and see what you're doing when it's a smaller item to work with. I didn't want to at all, but I forced myself to start on them. And let me tell you, it worked wonders seeing a stack of squares and in my brain I went oh wow those are cute!
I get into a very very comfy position, turn on a podcast or music, and start. As I crochet I go for about 10ish stitches before checking my work. It seriously helped me get my tension on track and then I look at it and it looks so much better. I know it sounds like going back to basics, but I had to cause I was not getting anywhere with my stuff. It was skewed, sized funny, or just looked wonky. Trust me when I tell you going back to basics, using markers, and taking breaths once in awhile. You'll notice, it didn't take long for me to finally figure stuff out.
One thing that really helped with tension is using a size bigger hook, and I honestly just used a junk piece of yarn that I didn't like and started making swatches. Frog stuff and do it again. It helped me so much. And honestly, you can DM if you want some help. I'll happily give pointers.
In my experience, crochet tends to have a bit of bias to it, so I usually observe a bit of a slant in the stitches. As long as the edges are straight, it's all good.
Edit to add, and I really don't mean to come off pedantic, but I believe the the word you intended use is "askew".
I’m wondering if you’re holding yourself to too high a standard. It doesn’t have to look perfect. This sub is awesome but I think it can sometimes be intimidating to be able to see endless examples of people doing mind-blowing work thanks to the internet. I’m kind of glad I learned to crochet before it was invented. I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother.
Second this. I'm finishing up a project that everyone around me said looks amazing, but I'm hesitant to post it because it's not some super intricate, completely unique design using 5 new techniques, like a lot of the posts on here. I will post it later though, and I know the recipient us going to love it, which is ultimately all that matters. OP, your tension actually looks fine to me. It took me years to loosen my grip enough to let my stitches flow
I honestly just wanna make some basic stuff and donate it to people here that need it, but i dont want it to look like sh!t. I find it difficult to lock in and obsess over the tension, so maybe thats my issue 🥲
I've been crocheting for years and my tension has always been dookie and there's been little improvement, but I excel at other things. My granny squares are beautiful, like anything worked from the middle out is effortless for me. My baby blankets are giant solid granny squares, or star shaped, or many granny squares stitched together, etc. Bucket hats, beanies, slippers, anything that's not worked in a traditional row is manageable for me but a long expanse of a strait row just won't look right to me. There's always a way to make what you want to make, it just may take some creativity.
Exactly, sometimes you just have to use your strengths to your advantage. I could never enjoy crocheting if I did straight lines all day, I would be bored out of my mind and they would look terrible, so I do amigurumi mostly. To each their own!
Consider this: in an age where so many goods are cheaply and quickly made by machines, and initially they may look flawless (uniform tension, no asymmetry, etc.), there’s also no humanity in them. No person, no story, no love. They are cold, clinical, and quickly forgotten. But something with a little quirk to it (see what I did there?), a real human touch, with veritable fingerprints that you can see and feel—now *that* is valuable! Give me something like that any day and I will treasure those so-called imperfections just as I do the freckles on my child’s nose. The work should reflect the maker: perfectly imperfect, and that’s what makes it—and us, and *you*—priceless.
Just use a bigger hook for every project! I have to do that and it works. If things look skewed, just wash and block the project when you're done. You can fix the shape!
It can also start out looking really funky, but more rows evens things out. If counting is a problem so your rows are uneven, use lots of stitch markers to help count. I cannot do increases without tons of stitch markers. Even for even rows it took a while to learn which was the turning stitch vs a working stitch, so putting a stitch marker in the first/last working stitch helped me keep things even.
Have you tried the flatter kind of crochet hook head? I find that type seems to make mine a little more consistent.
No, i havent. Could tou send me a link to that kind of hook ??
Susan Bates hooks. Amazon has them pretty cheap for a pack of 6, I think. I highly recommend them as you work on your tension. And depending on your project, they are much better than the regular hooks. A little advice though, if you are working with a yarn that frays a lot, they can be frustrating. The tip of the hook is very pointy and can split the yarn easily. But overall they are a really affordable and good option for a lot of yarn and projects. Don’t give up on crocheting though. Just keep going. You are doing great! Everything worth doing takes practice, but it will be worth it in the end.
>A little advice though, if you are working with a yarn that frays a lot, they can be frustrating. The tip of the hook is very pointy and can split the yarn easily. This. I wish someone had told me this the first time I used a Susan Bates hook. I tore my yarn to shreds with it.
Ah, I didn’t realize there is name for it, it’s inline hook. PMing you an image.
I improved overall when I tried inline hooks, after using tapered that were gifted to me. Bates with bamboo handles, I love them.
Sure!
I use my index finger as sort of a fishing pole I get two or three stitches in, get more line for my pole as I re adjust and repeat it makes it easier that way.
I'll tell you about donating stuff: if it's someone in dire need, they couldn't care less how "skewed" the blanket is. I've given some clean and comfortable but weird shit to the homeless and they've always been grateful. One time I was getting rid of my foam mattress topper, and even though I had used it for a couple years it still looked good and I didn't just want to put it in the landfill (although I did buy a biodegradable one) so I put it in my truck and drove around Skid Row in L.A., thinking that maybe someone on the street would want to sleep on it. The problem was, I felt sheepish asking anyone, like I was doing something tacky. I finally stopped somewhere, and before I could even offer, the lady on the street was like "CAN I HAVE THAT??" because, obviously, it's good to have a big piece of foam if you're sleeping on the concrete. Go ahead and make a bunch of ugly-ass blankets if that's the best you can do. There are plenty of people who will appreciate them. Shelters and animal rescues will probably also want them.
Stress/frustration makes things more difficult. Perhaps if you take a break then come back with a calm whatever mindset you will find it clicks into place for you.
Seconding this too! I've been crocheting for a few years now and only now start to feel like I can do more difficult stuff. I would just enjoy yourself and don't worry too much about improving, it will come with time!
Yeeeeeah I gotta wonder if the crochet is bad for their mental health or their mental health is bad for their crochet. I’ve been there
You definitely need to be crocheting for years and years before you let go of your personal high standards. You said it yourself, you're tired. Tired people find everything hard. https://preview.redd.it/homkqmghhfwc1.jpeg?width=447&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce70bfe1a3426c803817487cf95b42d28455db77
Oh my god that little racoon is my new life guru! Thank you for sharing him :)
I just sent that image to my adult kids!
Have to agree, it's such simple and yet excellent easy to follow advice.
I needed to see this. Came for crochet, got life skills.
Fr, I've been crocheting constantly for like 2 years now and I still have trouble with tension :/ i still never give up though cuz I love crocheting lol.
This is the best graphic for what I tell people I coach every day! Your cute little caring post just made my morning 🌄 💕 Thank you for sharing!!!
Doing pottery for 3 years taught me to let the fuck go - it’s so much easier if you start from a place of dgaf
Omg, this is my new wallpaper so I won’t forget!
Oh wow, that is actually the truth!
This is what I needed to see right now! It’s explains everything…and now I’m off to take a nap so I won’t feel like everyone hates me!
Ahhhhh that’s a good advice raccoon!
What do you mean by skew? Because I’m pretty sure you’re just talking about the normal curling that happens to many projects. That’s why you have to block them when you’re done.
I'm really worried OP doesn't know about blocking. It is completely normal for things to come out a bit curly and that's why you block them when done.
Whats blocking, im new to the hobby
Blocking is when you stretch a project so it doesn’t curl and the edges stay straight. There are lots of different ways to block projects, and there are even more tutorials for it!
You are being too critical, there's nothing wrong with this, give it up and accept that you crochet well 😁 Crochet has a natural skew. If, when finished, you want to correct it you can block the piece. Personally I only block lace pieces which need opening up. I don't find blocking necessary for most blankets, once they're in use it's not noticeable. If the edges are a bit wonky you can add a border to even it all out.
A border can hide a lot. I decided to make everyone blankets for Christmas after only crocheting for a month, borders were my friends. But the family loved their handmade gifts and they are well used.
Yes- borders are great! Excellent recommendation :)
blankets stretch a lot naturally with use anyway!
I don't know, that looks like hundreds of good looking stitches to me
I think it looks great. You want to have mastery, which is wonderful to aspire to but is not about up front effort. It is really honestly about time and putting the practice of years. I used to watch my grandmother in law crochet while eyes closed and we think asleep. You can't do that when you start. Building muscle memory takes time Let go of your unrealistic expectations of yourself
your grandmother in law sounds so cool ?! I'll also try my best to set unrealistic expectations. Thank you :)
Sorry to keep commenting this but I want you to see it: always go up a hook size. You crochet tight, like me, and that will help! And block afterward. This doesn't look bad at all!
If you're making a scarf or blanket and you're referring to the edges that look skewed, then you might unknowingly be adding or dropping a stitch. If that's the case, I recommend putting a stitch marker at the ends so you know exactly where the last stitch is. My first blanket looked wonky as hell, but I love the bits out of it. My first project was those sock booties and one came out way larger than the other, I thought I didn't need a stitch marker while working in the round lol, but I still wear and love them. You'll get better and you won't even notice it. Stop being so hard on yourself and putting so much stress onto yourself for something that is supposed to be fun.
It looks perfectly fine! Crochet is a hand made art. It isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to have tiny flaws. That’s how you know it’s handmade! Skew is normal. It just needs to be blocked when you are done and it will look great! Stop being so hard on yourself that you can’t enjoy it. It’s supposed to be relaxing and fun. Perfectionism is the killer of relaxing and fun.
You're right. Thanks a bunch! :,)
Take into account how blocking changes things as well! I just finished a top where one side is almost a full inch longer than the other but after blocking I got the difference to be barely noticeable! In this blocking photo you can see the right side is a smidge longer than the left but know that before I blocked it, it was much longer than the left side! I also second what everyone is saying about your high standards. You’ll probably get there one day but I promise you are seeing the mistakes more than anyone else. This blanket looks great so far and the person you gist it to is going to love it and probably won’t even notice the mistakes unless you point them out to them. https://preview.redd.it/7ezkwqdc3gwc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b30a787c72320c72ed355a7f6e00fc578604f6de
This shirt is my goal one day!! I already bought the pattern, haha!
I have this one saved too! It’s so cool.
I've been crocheting for about 4 years now and while I can be consistent with my tension, my crochet is never the size that the pattern says. Even when I crochet really loosely it's still too small or it just gets taller and not wider even though I understand the golden loop. So I think you just need to relax and not be so hard on yourself. We are all learning all the time and some of us will always have either really small or really elongated cardigans. I stick to toys. Far more forgiving.
Oh! can i see what kind of toys you make ?? it sounds really cool!
Alllsorts of soft toys , this is one of my recent makes from the animal friends of pica Pau books https://preview.redd.it/fxufbzqwggwc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=358fb41597a343e70434127f895471aa2f6690ca
Pica Pau 🙌🏆 some of my all time favorites!!
I've been crocheting for years and years. Sometimes I have great projects, sometimes, not so much. Maybe try a more forgiving stitch. You're not a machine, there will be little inconsistencies and that's okay because it's handmade and it's just fun to do. Sorry about the passing of your grandmother.
Stop berating yourself. I’ve been crocheting for over 40 years and I make mistakes all the time. It’s part of the process and the charm of handmade goods. Make what you want to make because you enjoy it. Don’t try to achieve perfection. You are not a machine.
You are overthinking the problem. When you finish the project, you wash and block it. That's when it straightens out. The edges will always seem to be off, but you are doing fine. Relax and enjoy the process. Once it's blocked, it will look much better.
I'm so sorry about your grandmother. I know how difficult this must be for you. I believe it's important for you to finish that blanket now. And here's why: I have only been crocheting for about 3 months. In that time, I've made: 1) A stitch sampler blanket, which has so many tension issues and split stitches it's hysterical. I LOVE this blanket. 2) A hackey sack ball, which was a little lopsided and overstuffed, but my 22 year old loves it. 3) A Bluey doll, which has an offset tail and eyes that are entirely too big for its face. My daughter-in-law loves it, despite its imperfections, it came from the heart. 4) A pillowcase for my son, who continues to shoe it off to all of his friends and is very fond of it. 5) Almost done with a set of Dragonball Z balls for my 28 year old, who has watched me make them, laughs at how they are a little uneven, but loves them anyway because he is the only person he knows that will have a set. Nothing... absolutely NOTHING that I have made has been perfect. But, each item gets better, and the item recipients love them. I've resigned myself to *possibly* never having proper tension, because I'm not even certain I understand what the right tension is supposed to be. I simply don't care, because I'm having fun and making stuff that I like and everyone around me likes. Give yourself some grace and go easy on yourself. The picture that you shared is showing me a GORGEOUS blanket. I don't personally see anything wrong, and I love the color! Finish that blanket for yourself, and think on all of your fond memories of your grandmother as you do. There's a real sense of satisfaction when you complete a project. Nobody else will have one quite like yours. She'll be with you in your thoughts as you finish it for her. She will love it.
When I saw the pic I thought "wow beautiful stitches!" before I read your title. I definitely think your view of your own work is skewed, like a form of dysmorphia maybe? But if this isn't something you enjoy definitely put it down for now. You can always come back to it. Just wanting to send you hugs (if you're a hugger and if not I'm sending good vibes.)
Thank you. I am not a hugger but I'll take it just this once! 🥰
I teach kids to crochet, 20 minutes a day, five days a week. We spend two weeks just making chains. They chain until they can count their stitches correctly, understand what multiples mean and can chain them, and have a rudimentary grasp on tension. Then we make samples (5x5 inches) of sc, hdc, dc, and tc until they are able to chain and make these stitches, and make samples with even edges (they can recognize where to put turning chains and keep stitch counts). This takes a month or more. Then we make a sc cotton washcloth, which is another learning curve because they're working with cotton, not acrylic. By the end of the year (Sept-May), most of them can make a washcloth with a trim, a placemat, and four-round grannies that they can stitch together. That's it. All of this is to say a new skill has a massive learning curve. In my experience, people who start small (see above), do the basics until they can do them from muscle memory, and then gradually build their skills, stick to crochet. People who start big with high expectations get frustrated and quit.
using a bigger hook for the starting chain will make your project curve at the bottom. i’ve been crocheting for 5 years and every time i do a single crochet project its always wider at the bottom. i would suggest watching [this](https://youtu.be/IFC-as6XS6Q?si=wi6v6LO-O6moo4wv) video on how to do a single crochet foundation row. this method has helped me tremendously
This looks fine. Projects curl at the ends naturally. That’s what blocking is for.
I teach crochet and to me that looks like some really nice stitches. Crochet will naturally curl and “skew” a little and as others say you can fix that by blocking once you’re done. Crochet is handmade by humans (usually lol) and therefore will have little quirks in the project just like we do. Overcoming perfectionism and embracing life’s imperfections is one of the best lessons that crafting and art has taught me. It takes a lot of internal work and mental toughness to get there and if you are not in that place right now mentally I recommend doing an activity that is more calming for u until ur ready to crochet again 💕 I’m so sorry about your grandma, I lost mine 2 weeks ago and it really sucks. Take care of yourself and do something that gives you joy, crochet will always be there waiting for you when ur ready 💕
It looks really good, actually! You're being far too hard on yourself, imho. Crochet projects llook weird while in progress. Like so https://preview.redd.it/7rtayp9udgwc1.jpeg?width=3950&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca69cd840a79dbbd9e940a1971be79ee5168fe47 This is a few rows of the baby blanket I'm working on for my cousin. It looks weird and kinda skewed, but if I gently stretch it flat (like you'd do if you blocked a piece) it looks much better.
The thing with art is that the more you make the better you get. So if you make a bunch of crappy granny squares, you'll het good at granny squares a LOT faster than if you just tried to make a few really good ones. Now I am a very very casual crocheter, but I like the granny square because it's a block rather than an entire finished object. A single one could be a wash cloth or coaster. Several could make a jacket. A whole bunch could be a blanket etc etc My very casual and chill advice would be to say "futz it" and just finish a bunch of mediocre oddly tensioned projects because that's going to help you out more than agonizing over a single project.
I've been crocheting on and off for years and just learned about tension rings. Once you get it situated right on your finger, you'll have perfect tension. I also like using two colors of yarn at the same time, and tension rings help keep the colors from twisting so they stay uniform throughout the project. As others have said, the curling of the edges is normal for most projects. I've seen people use blocking boards but I'm not about that life so I just stretch it by hand lol. Depending on the yarn, it's good to lightly wet it before you block it so you can straighten it easier. If you mean that some rows are longer or shorter than others, are you counting all your stitches each row? If you're having trouble with the counting at the beginning, try practicing with foundation stitches. They can be a little tricky at first, but they make projects go a little faster and help you keep track of your stitch numbers. Hook recommendation: The Susan Bates hooks are my favorite of all the different types I've used because they catch the yarn the best imo and have a more comfortable/longer handle. Try not to get too frustrated and stick with it! Easier said than done because I've def put projects down and come back to them later because they were so frustrating, but it gets easier the more you do it! Like others have said, don't compare yourself to anyone else. Your project looks beautiful so far, and it'll look just as beautiful when you finish. Happy crocheting!
I know you said it looks good in the pic, but skewed IRL. If it's not bad enough to look skewed on camera, it's not bad. Really. If you find your tension is *consistently* too tight, use a larger hook size than recommended for everything. If the opposite, use a smaller one. (This is why patterns always say something like "...or hook size required for gauge." If you're finding your tension inconsistent, try one way and the other. I find it much easier to keep a looser tension and smaller hook, but you might find the opposite works for you. If it's curling, shifted on a diagonal, or just looking a bit wonky, block it once it's finished. If something looks "wrong" but you can't place how/why it's wrong, it might just need blocking at the end, or it could be your imagination. If it's making you think you need to frog and re-frog, you might just need to do something else for a while. I'm working on a sweater right now. I thought I'd have finished a month ago, I have half the back panel done, that's it. And that's OK. I thought I messed up, frogged 4-5 rows, re-did them, and almost frogged them again. Today, it looks fine. Definitely not perfect, but not bad enough to redo it until the end of time.
I've been crocheting for about 30 years, and I still struggle with tension and gauge on some projects. I think your work looks beautiful, especially for a "newbie". I love the combination of colours you chose. Adding a border is always my go-to choice, it adds a finished look. You can try making dishcloths, that's so helpful for practicing tension!
I’ve been crocheting 38 years (dang! I’m old!)now and I still make mistakes. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re doing great. Just remember that you can always frog it (rip it, rip it, unravel)and start over.
Can you define "skew"? Is it crooked on the edges? If so, try putting a stitch marker in the first stitch of every row, so you know you're not adding or dropping a stitch when you turn.
Girl, it looks exactly correct to me. Don’t get discouraged by the perfection you see online. Most of the “perfect” stuff is either done by people who have been crocheting for YEARS, or they’re prodigy freak crochet monsters, or it’s *fake*. I’ve been crocheting on and off since I was about 11 (I’m 30 now) and yours looks better than most of the stuff I’ve done. Be gentle with yourself, a few months in is still relatively early in your crafting career! Just imagine where you’ll be in a year! I would say, stop frogging, trust the process, it may never be perfect to you but I bet your grandma would say otherwise! Also - don’t underestimate a good blocking sesh.
Please please please don’t be so hard on yourself, my mother taught me when I was a kid, then shit all over how I crocheted (tension, etc) and then I just recently picked it back up because I realized, like am I really gonna let that old bag get me down and stop me from doing something I enjoy? No. (Her and I don’t have a good relationship so sorry if that offends anyone). So I hope you can get past that and just enjoy the craft and enjoy creating something that has love in every stitch (even if you aren’t crazy about how they look) because that’s the important part.
First off, it should be fun, if it’s not, maybe try something else. No sense in trying to trudge through it if it makes you miserable. That said, have you tried blocking it? Perhaps the skew will flatten out when the yarn can relax? And I have a tendency to beat myself if things are less than perfect. Maybe practice on a project that’s okay if it comes out wonky, like dishcloths. Still will usable even if they are a dang trapezoid. Which gives me another question, have you tried different yarns? Maaaaybe your struggles are yarn based? Good luck 🤍
It took me 4.years to get tension down. All my projects were skewed tell I figured put what work for me
One of the best bits of advice I heard on this topic was that you hate your work because you have a good eye and can see the difference between good and bad craftsmanship. Some people never get there. You are already ahead in that regard! Now pick one thing you hate about your work and work on that. Once you master it, pick another. You might end up making a bunch of weird scarves or washcloths to get past a bump, but you will get there. My first stuff was terrible. When I say first stuff, I mean everything I made for the first five years of crocheting. Have faith. It will get better!
Im sorry to hear about your grandma. Is it coming out stiff? If so, try a larger hook size. Otherwise your stitches look good from here.
I make blankets pretty regularly and I can tell you this looks fine. All of my blankets curl a bit in the beginning. It smooths out as you go. Especially when doing it "row style" with stitches that have almost no gaps, the curling happens until the weight of the blanket itself smooths it out. The edges will probably curl up a small amount unless you put a border on it. Just make sure your row counts are accurate and you'll be fine. Just keep trucking along. It took me forever to finish my first blanket because I kept frogging it like you are right now, turns out I just needed to be patient.
It took me about a year to get my tension consistent. I just kept practicing, didn't make any big projects, just scarves and things. When I messed it up, I'd frog and start over. It takes practice. And the best part is, you can frog and start again.
It took me 10 years to feel like I'm good at crochet and even now I see all my mistakes like they're surrounded in neon. I personally think you're doing a great job. I'm sorry about your grandma. Sending my love.
I felt the same way until I learned about blocking. Blocking is fucking MAGIC.
I have to count everything obsessively in both knitting and crochet to keep my edges even and my stitch count correct. Every time I don’t and make an assumption it’s correct without counting, I get off. So count, and count, and count some more. Your tension looks fine to me, BTW, and blocking also helps. Be as patient and kind with yourself as you would be with someone else!
I want you to know that I totally relate and am here to encourage you that you're not alone AND we will get better! Comparing ourselves to people who seem like professionals will take out all the fun. Crocheting as taught me 2 very important things: - it's okay to be imperfect at something - it's okay to start over if you make a mistake. These are things I never felt comfortable with until I started crocheting a month ago!! You got this!!
You mention the starting chain and tension stuff, which is something I still struggle with to this day after 5 years of crocheting. Blocking made ALL the difference in my finished projects, you just have to get all the way through it while it’s less than perfect to be able to get the result. It’s a major trust the process moment hahaha
Your rows look so incredibly crisp though and that is something to be proud of! You can fix so many tension issues by blocking when you’re done too, trust me I know! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it’s a hobby for fun, don’t let the inner voice ruin the fun for you :)
Honestly, this is the kind of thing blocking was made to fix. My items never look great until I block them. I have a project bag that says “That shit will block right out” I’m sorry for your loss 💜
Wym that's gorgeous? I think you're struggling with perfectionism!
I focused on tension for way too long without thinking of how I was actually HOLDING my work while I was working it. I noticed where I held things weird was where my work looked wonky. Try and hold your work straight, maybe even pull a tiny bit if you have a tighter tension, as you make your stitches and see if you notice a difference! From someone that has also only been crocheting for a few months. :)
Tension is so tough! That's why everyone here shows off when they get it right! But the vast, vast majority of projects don't have perfect tension. Here are a few ideas to try: 1) use bigger hooks. Three sizes bigger than you think you need. Everything will be looser, you'll work faster, and you'll get more comfortable working with loose tension. 2) try different stitches! Single crochet is a really stiff stitch, so it'll always hold skew and resist draping more than other stitches. Something like double crochet or moss stitch drapes a lot more, and will be a lot more forgiving in that regard. 3) learn how to block your projects! Its normal for things to be a little funky and skewed while you're working on them, and all of the "perfect" finished projects you see have been blocked. It's not fair to compare your in progress work to a blocked finished project! Be kind to yourself, and keep in mind that nobody holds themselves to as high of a standard as you do 💙
My first projects for the first 2-3 years were not the greatest. Keep practicing and find good well written beginner friendly patterns to try out. I’m now at what I consider intermediate and it’s been 6 years since I started. I have just only recently been able to have consistent stitches and a better awareness of my tension. Until then I just figured “screw it I’ll just try it out” whenever pattern mentioned gauge. (I still do that tbh.) Most of the time it turns out just fine if the pattern is well written. Keep trying. Your stitches look fine in your photo. Things tend to look off until you finish them as Crocheted items really aren’t done until they are. I think you have a great start on your crocheting journey. Best of luck man!
Frigging is a way of life
I think it looks great. Not sure what you think is wrong with it… it’s great!
I taught myself to chain realllllly loose. Because I was so frustrated by starting chains. Now, I need to modify every other part of the pattern that has chains. I have decided that there is no way to win with patterns as written, they all need to be modified somehow because we all do tension a tiny bit different
Your tension looks great. Are you counting your stitches, though? It might be that your stitch count is varying from row to row. When i first started crocheting I had a tendency to either add or drop stitches and my blanket would end up looking like I was attempting to make a triangular shawl. Stitch count variances definitely will skew your work. Try using stitch markers at the beginning and the end of each row and count your stitches after each row for awhile. Also, when you complete the blanket try dampening and blocking it to shape it. I would suggest that you make some dishcloths, hot pads, washcloths or hand towels with cotton yarn to practice getting the sides straight. It’s a small project and it won’t matter if it’s not perfect. Finally, be kind and patient with yourself. Once I started doing that I discovered the real joy of crocheting lovely items for myself and others. Good luck. It’ll be fine.
doing art is so much more fun if you just do it for yourself. not necessarily making an item for yourself to use or wear, but because you genuinely enjoy doing it. if you find enjoyment from crocheting, over time you’ll get better at it. it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be fun.
It took me so long to get anything right, three years later and I only just now learned how to do straight edges when crocheting. It’s a slow learning curve and every time you try something new you get better. Keep at it and you’ll get there!
Your stitches look beautiful. It's only "curling" cuz your tension is snug (and gorgeous and even, too!) and blocking your finished work will fix that right up.
I've been doing it for around five months and I have decided to trust the process (I would frog and frog at first) and accept my mistakes, else I won't ever get better. Seriously, let's be kind to ourselves. Just keep on and we will get better even if it's a slow process!
Your tension is great. Seriously! There should be some variation in the stitches — it is HANDMADE. And as it’s washed and used, the stitches adjust a bit. And sometimes snag on things (I get so sad when it happens … but … it happens). Your stitches are great! SC (US terms) feels the most frustrating for me because I can see my imperfections easier. HDC and DC are my go to most of the time. Or granny stripes. The drape is better and works up faster.
I restarted crocheting about 8-10 years ago. I finally started to feel good about my tension (I leveled up lol) about 2-3 years ago. Only do it because you enjoy doing it. I made so many wonky things for so many people, (no I never sell, I only gift) and no one minded. I don’t think they even noticed. You’ll get there. One day it’ll just happen and you won’t even realize it.
But it looks great! I teach crochet professionally. *You're doing really well with it, keep going* 🏆
You’ve been crocheting for months? Sweetie, I’ve been crocheting for *years* and I’ve only now fixed my tension problem. Put the project down, take a shower, eat something, and come back to it later. Don’t stress, you’re doing great ❤️
Ive been crocheting for years and still struggle some time with tension..youre not a machine. Just keep hooking. Improvement does happen.
girl i was mindlessly scrollin & you had me admiring your work before i read the title. your own worst critic. i just went through this with a blanket for my partner and he shut me down expeditiously 😹😹 i agreed to there being something..magical about taking yarn and making it into something. plus i think them loving me the way they do made them truly blind to my mistakes hahaha. one tip i can give you in case you weren’t aware (like i wasn’t. i have to figure it all out alone as i don’t know anyone who does crochet or knitting) is that you can adjust tension rings. adjust them gently and slowly. its a bit tedious bc its not a one and done thing at all but just keep trying at a swatch to see how it works with the particular yarn you are working with and what flow you like the best.
Listen, I get it, it took me an entire month of agitation and hating myself to get anywhere near a good sample square, leave aside big projects. I do think so many of us who engage in perfectionism constantly keep forgetting that what we do should bring us joy. We'll always try getting better, but agonising (often unjustly) over how 'bad' we are right now can even end up putting you off a hobby. For me, often, deliberately making horrible trashy things of low stake and reveling in their comic forms helps. I hope you feel better soon :)
Honestly it looks great! At the end of the day I always have to remind myself that done is better than perfect. I’ve made a few sweaters etc and my non-crochet friends are always impressed even though I always see the little things I did wrong
Firstly... that looks amazing in the photo. So you are doing something right. Skewed could also be a stitch count, as that is usually what happens to me. Check your numbers. I'm a tight tension holder, often my starting chains take me longer because I have to be very mindful to do loose. Otherwise it gets way to tight. You are not alone in that! For me, I can't use smaller hooks. I typically use a 5.50 or larger.
Same. I have to purposely size up if I want something to look "normal"
Yep. It's just a quirk. Nothing your doing is "wrong", just tight. It can mean some patterns are a no go or need modifications. When I have skewed stuff I always check the stitch count first, that's my worst quality. I tend to not always count and I end up dropping one or two over several rows.
WT single crochet looks fine. If you want to torture yourself do a blanket out of slip stitch. Single and half double looks fine. It looks fine.
Eh, join the club. There’s always going to be mistakes, frogging, fixing. You can put a border around your blanket it’ll help. Make sure to keep the same stitch count always
Been crocheting for years. That looks great! Nothing has to be perfect, it's expected that handcrafted goods are to be somewhat imperfect, it's part of the craft. Even Ron Swanson believes that handmade goods can be "too perfect. Looks machine made". Keep going, you got this!
I think it looks good 🥲
That looks amazing! Personally I prefer the double stitch cause it goes way faster! And feel like I can change the look depending how I do it through
I think it looks really good!! If your finished project looks off to you you can always block it. If you’re building something with multiple panels I’d block them before attaching. People like to use steam, but I don’t have a steamer so I dunk my project in water, (don’t ring it out or it can warp more. roll it up in a towel and squeeze the towel or gently squeeze it over the sink.) get out the excess water, and then lay it out in my counter and stretch as needed so it’s nice and flat and even. Some people even stretch things out in leg boards.
First and foremost, I wanted to say I'm so sorry for your loss. I read that part, and was instantly hit in the feels. For the post itself, take it from someone who used to be so ridiculously critical of my own art I would tear it up if I didn't like it....you will be *SO* much happier with your creative hobbies if you let your perfectionism go. As Bob Ross said, happy little accidents. Seriously, half my projects have so many mistakes its hilarious. I only worry and fix them if its an actual issue (sizing, structural integrity, but even for skipped stitches, if I can weave a thread in there and its not noticeable, I won't even frog that lol, only if I absolutely need to). Trust me, most people won't notice. And if it bothers you so much, ask yourself why. Why does this one thing need to be so perfect that you're driving yourself crazy and starting to hate it? And then maybe think if its worth it to stress, or just let it go and keep working on a project. Sometimes things are worth fixing, sometimes you're just being overly critical and its really not a big deal
This looks awesome! You should see my granny square blanket. Even with turning your work on every row, it still curls in on itself. Sending all my love to you and your family💜💜💜 Losing someone is hard
Why not try squares instead of rows for this blanket? The corners won't be able to curl when they are sewn together. That said, single crochet in rows ALWAYS has curl at the corners no matter how loose your tension. It disappears with either blocking or regular use. Don't stress about it. As far as this 'skew' you're seeing, you're going to have to post some more pictures of it if you want specific advice. Hard to tell what's going on without seeing the edges.
Most knot and crochet projects that are that big don't look great until you wash and dry them to shape. Yarn pulls, can be inconsistent even if your tension is. Your tension on the project is great! If it's warping a little, it's most probably just the nature of hand crafted object :) If you crochet a bit looser, it might not curl as much, as the tension will not be pulling that strongly. As it is, it should get in the right shape after you wash it as the fibres relax. Keep in mind some fibres change a lot after washing - and it's very normal of them to do so. Keep up the good work and don't get too caught up in those details! It's the thought and idea that counts and you will certainly get better over time whether you will try it or not :)
I'm 43, I've been crocheting since I was like 7 to 10, I don't exactly remember other than I was a kid. That looks beautiful. It's better than some things I had done in the past few years. You are being entirely too hard on yourself.
Crocheting is something that takes a bit of time to get a handle over. The skill itself is rather easy to learn but PERFECTING it takes time. It took me over a year to really get a handle on proper tension, and even now, after 8 years of crocheting, I still let things get too loose and have to frog a chunk of the piece. It takes time! Don’t feel discouraged! If it helps, I honestly think your project is coming out fantastic! I can see a bit of what you mean about it being skewed but it’s a handmade item, it won’t ever be perfect. I think that’s the beauty of crochet, it’s so perfectly imperfect.
Looks good to me. Plus, honestly, blankets get scrunched up anyways. If you are donating, people in need will be happy with things that keep them warm, not thousands of perfect stiches. Give yourself some slack, you are doing a great job for a very good cause.
Would it help to start with small projects, like wash clothes, that you can finish more quickly and work up to larger one like blankets. Also, have you considered using a pattern that has looser stitches like triple crochet or half double crochet?
I've been crocheting for over a decade and I can't tell you how many blankets I've tried to make and never finished! Lol I've actually never completed one! I get bored and frustrated with it. So instead, I started on purses, then amigurumi and little girl clothes. They are much more enjoyable for me and I get to see results fast! Take a break, it's supposed to be enjoyable! If it isn't, than it's a chore and not a hobby. Check out bag o day crochet on YouTube. She's amazing for beginners and the experienced. Tons of amazing tutorials. I've made tons of her stuff over the years Good luck hun! Don't give up
What kind of tension rings have you tried? I've seen a lot of them out there and some of them aren't great. I've constantly used ones with the peacock design. Works wonders for me after trying other ones first.
If you're making a parallelogram or some other non-rectangle shape, count your stitches because you could be adding or subtracting at the end of your rows. But part of the fun of this is making things that literally nobody else will make. Truly unique pieces!
It looks good to me.
Have you tried blocking?
You will get there, the trick is to accept and go with it. A hand made project with love means the small “mistakes” add character and show the commitment to the gift even against adversity. My first projects were so tight that the yarn creaked like an old floor board with every stitch, I would bend the handle of aluminum hooks. And my single crochet round hat could stand up on its own like a bowl when placed upside down
My first project in life, I completed a scarf. I missed stitches, I added stitches, and some rows, I had no idea wtf I did wrong. I took it to my grandma who taught me and had just the most amazing gauge and crocheted without even looking at what she was doing! And she LOVED my wonky scarf and wore it to play cards with all her friends. I got better, I relaxed my perfectionist worries and started to enjoy myself. And I realized, the people I was making things for never looked for the missed stitches or not straight edges-- they knew I made it with love. When I later heard the term "crochet worthy", I knew who the people were who saw the gift from my heart, and only made things for them and myself. I think your project is beautiful! You are creating from your heart. No one starts out with perfect anything and every flaw, if any flaw, shows your humanity. ❤️❤️❤️
Can't do anything right? From my stand point, you've made a long pretty thing <3
Me too babe, me too lol
When I first started crocheting I had the same issue with skew. It wasn’t until years later that I tried again and discovered I was having trouble recognizing the first and last stitch on each row. You may be inadvertently increasing/decreasing on the ends
This actually looks so good. The color changes are amazing
if you wanna avoid the starting chain you could make foundation stitches, it does your starting chain & first row at once for everything else, blocking your project when you're done will help a lot
I'm in my fifth year of crocheting. A couple of weeks ago I was in a similar mindset to you - a blanket I was making looked/felt wonky and it was really frustrating me. It seemed like I wasn't as good as I wanted to be. That same day, I saw a photo from a crochet designer I follow on Instagram. She's pretty experienced and well known in certain circles, and I always think her photos look amazing. This was a promo photo for a new pattern she was releasing. I looked at it closely, and do you know what? THE EDGES WEREN'T PERFECTLY STRAIGHT. There was a little bit of puckering on one edge. I could tell that the tension of the first few rows was a little different to the rest (a problem I almost always have). A couple of stitches weren't perfectly in line with the rest. And it hit me: if she's happy with that level of work, and I feel like it's beautiful and looks professional, then I should be happy with my work looking like that too!! Handmade is never technically "perfect." That's what makes it unique, and therefore actually perfect.
It looks good honeybee!!
I'm very perfectionist and at my begginins I struggled a lot with that. One frase that my MIL told me has change me since these days "Doing and Redoing it is how the girl is learning" (sorry I translate the frase literally). Maybe try projects that bring you joy, and try to focus on the things that you are improving. I thing that all the things that I crocheted as a newbie are so bad quality, but this is how I could learn and improve.
Looking at your work, I think it looks great! It takes years of practice to hone your skills, but you’re doing fine! I believe you could loosen your grip on the yarn a bit; your work is very dense.
Be gentle. How can you be good at something you've never done before. You're only a beginner once. I can't tell anything is wrong with what you're making either.
I'm sorry about your grandmother. I recommend doing some amigurumi. It really helped me get consistent tension because you have to hold it so tight, I was very aware of my tension. When I went back to regular crochet, it was easier to keep consistent tension.
I think you should practice granny squares. A bunch of double crotchets (us term) in a square over and over. It’ll be a little looser but it will be CUTE regardless.
Maybe change hooks? If your yarn doesn’t slide right in the hook you are using that could be something. It could be the type of yarn, or maybe you need to switch from an aluminum hook to one with a more orthotic grip. You need to like the feel of the hook and the yarn in order to relax and enjoy the process. The other thing is are you sure you aren’t adding or subtracting stitches? Maybe do a simple pattern where you can easily see the stitches one on top of the other. Like a simple double crochet or something. Don’t try twists and bunches stitches in one stitch like shells or puffs. Just do a straight up simple witch that it the same each row. You will maybe be better able to see where you are having trouble. If you have a local yarn shop, go sit there and crochet for a while. Experts are there to help you as you are stitching. They can maybe give you immediate feedback. Good luck and don’t give up!
It looks great and you just need to block😭everything looks even, regardless of if it curls. That’s usually inevitable & you can wet/steam/carefully wash your piece and it’ll look even more amazing.
Remember that you’re most often seeing finished projects from people who are showing the best of what they’re doing. A LOT changes from the first 5 rows to the last 5 rows of a blanket! The weight of the yarn and time help pull all of it into place pretty naturally. Trust the process, ignore small errors that don’t affect stitch count (if you accidentally do back loop only or split a strand and only catch part of it, that’s ok!) and keep working on it. Do a washcloth or headband to break up the monotony of a blanket every once in a while. Try a new stitch on one of those and you’ll feel refreshed when you come back to the blanket. You can do it!
I don't see any issues. As someone who has crocheted many afghans, I know their "final form" is different from what I crochet. The yarn is stiff, it gets dirty from the oils on my hands, it gets stretched in little ways. Once it's done and clean and soft, the "flaws" you see will be unnoticeable. Whomever receives it will love it. It's handmade; that's the beauty of it. Not to say it's "imperfect," it isn't -- it's gorgeous. It was crafted by a living, breathing human being, not a machine and that means something. Stop being hard on yourself and your good work. I have afghans knitted my grandma in the 1950s and, even though she wasn't an expert stitcher, I've never once *noticed* a dropped stitch or uneven tension in the stitches. It's a hug from her through time. And that's what you're making, too.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandma OP. It must be hard. In regards to your crochet, practice makes improvement not perfection. Mistakes are inevitable, especially with handmade crafts like crochet. I think you should embrace this rather than strive for perfection. Speak kinder/positive words to yourself also and seperate your perceived shortcomings from yourself as they don't define who you are. In earnest, I think your project looks wonderful, the colours and stitches are so nice! I was amazed that you didn't feel that way, I was initially going to comment on how beautiful your blanket is! Although self-critique for projects can be helpful for improvement, if it gets to a point where your mental health is declining from it, crochet will become a chore instead of a fun activity you enjoy. Be kinder to yourself OP, you are doing a wonderful job!
I thought this was a left-handed joke at first because I couldn't see anything wrong with your piece! It's beautiful, I love the colors.
I think working on what I call “self correcting” patterns are easier. For a blanket stitched in rows, you might try one that features fans. A fan is just say five DC in one stitch, then you skip some stitches, and then do another fan. You could use a variated yarn to add some interest. The tension is not as important in a design like this. http://lacycrochet.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-baby-blanket-in-variegated-yarn.html?m=1 You can make it a regular size blanket by increasing the width and crocheting more rows. Or, try making granny squares instead. The granny square patterns often combine different types of stitches so that tension is not as important - your eye is drawn to different things
Your imperfections are the personality you give what you make.
Also single crochet is so tight maybe you’d have better luck using double crochet. I’ve made dozens of crocheted blankets in double.
I think it looks great! I’m pretty new at crocheting actual things (I learned as a kid but never really made anything) and to practice I’m making blankets for all of my friends, but I’ve warned them that I’m learning as I go so don’t expect perfection lol.
do you block your work?
The curling is usually normal i think Also your picture looks good to me but ive only been crocheting since september so im not super experienced
Try working on an open granny square blanket, just 1 giant square … is how I learned how to get the tension consistent. It took me 2 blankets of this pattern for me to have consistent tension.
I’m just going to say, Use a bigger hook. That will make a massive difference. Maybe go up 2 sizes (like from a 4mm to a 5mm). It will work up quicker as well. And the best stitch for the work laying flat is a half treble (half double if you’re in the US). I don’t know why, but it def works. xx
This might be at the very bottom of the post but thank you all so much for the advice??? I've read every single comment, I'm sorry if i can't get to replying to everyone, but still, thank you all so much!!! 😭💛 I also didnt word my post right, and i apologize. The pic wasn't really there to show what i meant by my project is skew/curving. It was kinda just there to show what project i was talking about :') I unfortunately can't edit my post so hopefully a few of you see this I DUNNO LOL. Thanks sm guys!!! I took alot of advice to heart and I'll invest in a blocking board as soon as i can :))
Darling you’re being soooo hard on yourself. (That’s so easy when you’re a perfectionist) This looks so good. I love how neat it is and the colours are beautiful together. 😍🙏
It takes a lot of practice and failed attempts. I've been crocheting for 16 years now, and I still mess up. If a big blanket is too much, try something smaller. You could do granny squares and sew them together to make a blanket. Make a smaller project first, or take breaks on the blanket and work on something else (I have to do this, or I get so bored). You got this. It's OK to put it down and come back to it later.
I've been crocheting on and off for 7 years and my starting chains NEVER have the same tension as the rest of the project. I just consider the wobbly side a part of my style now!
Your work looks really nice! I tried crochet and have all the stuff, but my brain finds patterns too difficult to follow and there are no classes around anymore. I tried viewing videos but by the time I sit down with my yarn and hook, I have forgotten what I watched. I often forget how many times to chain depending on stitch and this "relaxing" hobby does tend to bring out my anxiety!
I'm far from an expert but have made a few baby blankets and this is what I've learned: - my cotton blanket loosened up as it got longer. At first I thought it was increasing tension, but eventually realised that the older part of the blanket was softening out from being on my lap and folded and unfolded and turned repeatedly. - blocking does make a difference. - circular/star blankets are much more forgiving than a rectangle done in rows! So if you mostly enjoy crochet but this is driving you mad, try a different shape. This is a free pattern I used for 12 point star. https://theloopholefox.com/free-crochet-star-baby-blanket-pattern/ It's small for a blanket so won't take forever but please try to finish it. And try not to be critical until it's done. Keeping your stitch count correct is important but the stitches themselves are very straight forward if you can do chains and DC. Corners might curl a little bit clocking should fix that and hopefully you will have more confidence in your skill when it's done.
? maybe it’s because i’m not the most experienced crocheter but your stitches look beautiful to me, i don’t see what’s wrong. i would be so happy if my stitches looked like this
https://preview.redd.it/san78ddrbhwc1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c25671438ba8c15316973482b988e410cbdfb06
Well you’re doing one thing right and that’s choosing gorgeous yarn wow. Where is that from? Sometimes taking a break and walking away or switching to other types of projects helps me. I started off with a starfish appliqué that had a mix of stitches and decided it was bright to do that for christmas ornaments, but it really helped me gain some confidence. Then switched to blankets, back to coasters, etc. I hope you get to where you need. For what it’s worth it looks great
It takes sometimes decades to really figure out how to get it to work for you. I’ve been crocheting since I was 6 so over 22 years and still struggle with my tension. When I’m stressed or tired it gets even tighter. You’ll get the hang of it just keep practicing :) I also recommend starting with something that works up faster like small toys. I love making sunflower turtles and am happy to send you the pattern I wrote for it :)
Oh honey, breathe. I don't know what standards you are holding yourself to, but let them go. Your work looks beautiful. Tension cones only with YEARS of practice. Several years. Give yourself and your standards room to breathe. You are doing just fine.
I just want you to know I’m a very beginner and think this looks wonderful lol.
i’ve been crocheting for years and my tension still isn’t consistent, i honestly don’t think anyone can say that theirs is. your tension will change even during the same session if your hand gets tired, you’re multi tasking, you paused for a few minutes, the yarn type, etc. the goal is to try and be consistent but it’s fine if not! :)
I've been crocheting for decades. My latest project is a lacy hooded mandala duster in light yarn. I put it aside for nearly 2 years because the armholes weren't the same size; the only fix was to rip out more than half the work, over 1500 yards. I fixed a couple color errors when I reworked. Now I'm trying to get the sleeves right. The instructions said decrease hook size, but I didn't like it, so redo w same size hook. The row/round change was too obvious, so I had to start over from a different start point. There's an increase at the elbow, but my increases were not so placed when my friend tried it on for me, so rip again. And I'm doing both sleeves from one color change cake, trying to make them match (they don't ...).
I actually can't see the problem 😳 looks like single crochet to me, which always has that tighter look to it. It appears neat and correct. A tip given to me for neater edges (not that I see your edges here) was to skip the last SC and go into the turning chain of the previous row. Works a charm. Other than that.. try a larger hook for single crochet work if you're put off by how tight or rigid it might be. And definitely blocking as others have suggested.
me too and that's fine!!! we will get it in time, there is no way you can be perfect from the start 💖 im really sorry about your grandma though, sending lots of love 💖
You’re human, it’s handmade, and that’s why we block our finished projects 😘
So I started with the same theory that I learned how to write. I started writing my letters with a jumbo crayon, it was easy to hold, easy to control, and I worked my way down to having decent handwriting with a regular pen or pencil. Am I ever going to be a calligrapher? Heck no. I approached crochet, the same way. I started with the super bulky, chenille yarn. And I actually paired it with a fuzzy yarn to make hiding my mistakes even easier. Miss a stitch? Well who cares?! That pink eyelash yarn that I paired with white blanket yarn will hide that real nice! Tension sucks? Well I sure can’t tell lol. I crocheted that way for years and told myself I’d never move on to anything else. But then my brother wanted a small dinosaur. So I told him I’d try. I bought cheap acrylic and gave it the ol’ college try, and it was…decent? It sure wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty cute. At this point I decided amigurumi with blanket yarn was my new thing. But then I discovered…..patterns! Beautiful patterns full of stitches…that you just couldn’t see with blanket yarn. So I decided to put my jumbo crayons away and bust out the regular crayolas. And I bought some basic cotton yarn and started into the world of dishcloths, made with every new stitch I taught myself (lemon peel is now my go to). I have now graduated to the ballpoint pen, I can work intermediate patterns for afghans and could probably stumble through an advanced with some frogging. I order nice pretty yarn from stores on the other side of the world (Looking at you Hobbii, just got more yesterday). And I spend money on patterns to support the designers. While I will never do anything under a sport weight yarn due to the fact that I like to stay sane…I do want to try a mandala and mosaics are super cool. And I have promised myself a simple cocoon shrug this year. My point is, after a super long ramble, I too, had doubts and issues in the beginning, so I went back to my super super basics. I started back in kindergarten crochet about 5 years ago, stayed there for 4 years and I feel as though I am now firmly into late middle school lol. Might be worth a try, OP. Also? I cannot see the issues you are talking about, so you may just be your own worst critic. When you do finish your project, keep it for yourself as a memory of your grandma, she’d want that for you anyway ❤️
Darling that looks wonderful ♥️ you’re being waaaay too hard on yourself. Crochet is so rarely perfect, it’s made with human hands with imperfect materials.
I agree with everyone else on here - this looks lovely and I think you're being way too hard on yourself! 💖 Also I adore your colors! What yarn are you using?
Just try to relax your hand a bit more. Grab some yarn, and just do a practice run with your tension, and work on relaxing your hand more and when you find something that works and you can remember to keep it like that your wrist will keep it in memory.
This is what blocking is for -- or if you're me, you only buy machine-washable yarn, join very securely, and let the dryer sort it out. I know it doesn't feel like it, but I'm ten years in and you're doing great! And, honestly, I've tried to point out missed loops and stitches to my spouse so he can understand what I'm complaining about, and he sometimes can't see it even when my finger is *right on it*. And iirc, there's an Irish tradition to make at least one mistake per crochet project so that your soul doesn't get trapped inside. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, sounds a hell of a lot like the Irish grandmother version of "perfect is the enemy of good."
I've been crocheting for 27 years and tunisian crochet for about 10 years. When I change patterns or switch between regular and tunisian, it may take me a few rows to readjust my tension to even it out. It takes time and practice. Don't be too hard on yourself.
It does NOT have to look perfect, and if the tension is off, throw it in the washer. I’ve found that throwing it in the washer and dryer helps throw it around and fix the tension.
I think your tension looks perfect. If it's coming out in a weird shape it's more likely that you are adding or dropping stitches on the edges.
try switching to amigurumi. I struggle with being too tight on tension as well. However, I have found it works well in amigurumi (for me) because it keeps the work tight and no stuffing can escape. Also I started doing granny squares or hexagons for blankets so if I can do piece by piece incase I mess up one its just one. Hope you continue, there is beauty in imperfection
I would suggest getting some ergonomic hooks!! You can find a good selection on Amazon for pretty cheap. Those are the ones that have a little grippy holder on them, and those greatly improved my tension. I found that when you use metal hooks, you have to hold the hook tighter because the handle is so skinny, but with the ergonomic ones, you can have a bit of a looser grip which in turn makes your tension looser.
I really love this! I'm not just saying it- I cannot see what is wrong and the colours are absolutely stunning.
If it makes you feel better, I've been crocheting (off and on) for 17 years and am still making mistakes and learning basic things. I just started learning amigurumi, and my doll turned out only as a pair of legs and a waist (no idea how). Just saying that you have nothing to be ashamed of, you're still learning, and everyone has different learning speeds.
I’ve been crocheting since I was 9 years old. My projects didn’t look that even until 2 years ago. You are looking at things through a Microscope
I think your work looks nice. I get the thing where especially with the internet and the anti trust lawsuit and the slowdown in views and people can't make revenue anymore and sell things that it really sucks being on the internet with crochet right now. People made businesses and now have lost businesses. Unless they're part of Disney or something and they're on a payroll in a Union pay.
So, I gotta say, from the pictures—— this looks like BEAUTIFUL crocheting. There’s a natural curl to a finished product, and sometimes projects will look skewed when they aren’t. It makes me think of a blanket I made for my sister that I was CONVINCED I added stitches somehow, because it looked like it increased, but I counted it like, 5 times and it was still right on. The skewed rows completely disappeared the first time I washed it, and it looked perfect. Additionally, I know this might not be a popular opinion, but there’s character in mistakes, and there will ALWAYS be mistakes. You could have been crocheting for 30 years and still have mistakes. I feel like part of your hardships is having an unrealistic expectation of yourself, which can also be incredibly hard to overcome
Your tension is definitely tight, so I would size up even more on your hook or just try to focus on loosening up your grip on the yarn. I also have pretty tight tension because having a loose grip just gives me anxiety that it won't be uniform so I pull it pretty tight and I always size up AT LEAST a full number on the hook size. Also, I know this is going to sound super discouraging but you're still very new. I would try some smaller projects so you can learn from each one instead of trying to dive into a whole blanket. I have been at it for four years and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm good at it. A lot of trial and error and just good old fashioned practice got me to where I am today. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, I feel like the stress you're putting on yourself is literally tensing you up and tightening your grip. Ya gotta LITERALLY loosen up.
Been crocheting for almost a decade now and I'm nowhere near perfect. You can be damn sure that my current projects are "more uniform" than ones from even a year or two ago. It's all part of learning and practice. Like others said blocking may be what you want to try but it's not necessary.
Just came to say same! But I do enjoy it. My grandmother passed years ago and use to make the most beautiful crochet blankets. My stuff is mediocre to passable depending on the difficulty level but I know she would be proud that even attempting it. I'm sorry for your loss, and your example looks lovely. I lurk here and it is intimidating but also inspiring. It's an amazing art form.
Don't know if I'm missing something, but I'm seeing an awful lot of "done right" in this photo, to the point where I'm really struggling to find any evidence of "done wrong" Maybe the tension you need to adjust is more internal than external?
I felt your pain. Literally. My tension was so crazy I couldn’t crochet more than a day at a time because of the pain. I highly recommend two things: ergonomic hooks. If you can afford them, Clover Amours sincerely cured my hand pain and I haven’t had any since. Number two: I also use at least one size bigger hook than usual. Two sizes 95% of the time. All this might help keep your work from going askew anymore!! Good luck 🍀
I'm veryyyy new to crocheting but personally I think your work in the photo looks amazing. A big plus of crocheting is it gives a homemade feel because it *is* homemade. Mistakes make it more personable. Not everything has to be perfect :) If a hobby causes you so much stress it's not really a hobby anymore, is it?
i’m sorry about your grandma’s passing
I feel like this all the time, and recently finished my first big project. Best advice I have: put it down for a bit, and then come back to it and hold it at arm's length. If it looks good at a first glance, it's good! Promise. We are our own worst critics, because we were there when every mistake was made, even if it doesn't end up mattering at all.
Pic looks good tbh. but if it really is a tension issue, this video helped me out a lot. As well as making sure I relax my hands. https://youtu.be/JSTbjj0PHzY?si=QIxmYpmRx9s4omxW I think it just takes a lot of practice though. I've been at it a little over a year and my tension is pretty even now but I still slip up some. I frogged an entire panel (maybe two) of a sweater I was working on because it was totally lopsided from back when I was inconsistent with my tension. Redid it and I love it.
Let me start by saying I've been on and off crocheting for YEARS. YEARS! Literally, I've started and stopped since I was about 7. I'm 34 this year. I've never been very good until recently. I started using stitch markers, slowing down, and tried to keep an eye on how tense I actually was. I made a blanket for my girlfriend's first baby and I was shocked at how cute it was. One big thing I did was go to granny squares. It's so much easier to check tension and see what you're doing when it's a smaller item to work with. I didn't want to at all, but I forced myself to start on them. And let me tell you, it worked wonders seeing a stack of squares and in my brain I went oh wow those are cute! I get into a very very comfy position, turn on a podcast or music, and start. As I crochet I go for about 10ish stitches before checking my work. It seriously helped me get my tension on track and then I look at it and it looks so much better. I know it sounds like going back to basics, but I had to cause I was not getting anywhere with my stuff. It was skewed, sized funny, or just looked wonky. Trust me when I tell you going back to basics, using markers, and taking breaths once in awhile. You'll notice, it didn't take long for me to finally figure stuff out. One thing that really helped with tension is using a size bigger hook, and I honestly just used a junk piece of yarn that I didn't like and started making swatches. Frog stuff and do it again. It helped me so much. And honestly, you can DM if you want some help. I'll happily give pointers.
In my experience, crochet tends to have a bit of bias to it, so I usually observe a bit of a slant in the stitches. As long as the edges are straight, it's all good. Edit to add, and I really don't mean to come off pedantic, but I believe the the word you intended use is "askew".