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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Learning to Crochet & Knit



I've gotten a lot of positive feedback recently on my new hobby! I'm really loving it and I'm so happy that I'm not only not losing interest, but my projects are inspiring others to want to learn! :)
I thought it might be a good idea to write a post that has all my favorite links/guides/tutorials so I can send anyone here and they can learn the same way I did. 

This lady is kind of odd ha but this is a good starting video :)


& one for the magic ring:


If you're using a pattern and it's all stuff like sc, dc, hdc and you have no clue what that means, here's a list of the abbreviations that explain everything. Then you can look those up on youtube to learn how to do it. 


Staying organized is pretty important when you are doing any craft. I try to keep my basket as clean as possible, but occasionally it gets pretty messy.. Also, I love using Evernote and Pinterest to collect all my inspiration, ideas, patterns and tutorials. These are both so great because I can access both from my computer and phone and they are always synced & ready to go. Although I find most of patterns & inspiration on pinterest, I have also used Ravelry quite a bit for patterns! It's probably the best site for knitters & crocheters in my opinion.



First project- Betsey's kitty.
I ended up letting Betsey keep the ball, since I made it before I learned about the magic ring, which really helped with my amigurumi. :) Honestly I should have started with some smaller projects before jumping right in, but I guess it was a good lesson! I really learned what I could do with this kitty.

  


Second project: Coaster found on pinterest! Here's the tutorial!


Third project: Octopus!
Google translate helped a lot with this one! I've found that many of the best tutorials aren't even in english ha.. Some on my pinned tutorials on seamless color switching also helped a lot!
 
Finally got to use my amigurumi safety eyes!



 Fourth project: kitty #2



As you can see, it doesn't take long to learn! My fourth project looks nothing like the first haha.. I'm kind of proud of it. :)
I used this awesome video to help learn how to attach the head, ears & skirt waaaay better this time.


My fifth project: Beverly's newborn beanie.
Here is the hat pattern I used for Beverly's newborn & 3 mo. beanie. :) It is suuuper fast and simple to make, once you know how to do the stuff mentioned in the pattern. (magic ring, dc..)

Here's an awesome video tutorial on how to double crochet. 


 
 This is the same pattern, I just didn't add the earflaps and added the bear ears. I'm going to add some wooden beads inside once I get a chance to stop at Michaels or Joanns..

Since I took this picture, I've added an adorable wooden button to the middle of the flower. :) I'd take a picture of it but Betsey's on my lap watching Mickey Mouse calmly, I don't really want to interrupt if she's being quiet & letting me do my thing on here!

 
I usually have a few projects going at once, like I think most crafters do ha.. so right now even though I have a crochet doll waiting to be finished, I am also working on a knit infinity scarf for myself, and a knit beanie for Jorge. Here are some tutorials for learning how to knit. It's not as fast or easy in my opinion as crochet, but it's still fun and you can make different things with each, so I think it's nice to know both. :)

 Probably one of the best videos out there for knitting basics.
 

A video tutorial for increasing and decreasing.



Here are some great websites:
Ravelry patterns, boards, knitting and crochet, it's awesome!
One Sheepish Girl I love this girl's blog! She's adorable.
Wool and the Gang great video tutorials for knitting.
Purl Bee beautiful pictures & free patterns!
Lion Brand Yarn has lots of tutorials for getting started on knitting and crocheting, plus tons of free patterns.


If I think of anything else, I'll add it later! This stuff should be more than enough to get you started. Good luck! :)

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