By Allison Metschke
Learning to crochet takes time and patience.
“Getting started is the most difficult thing. When you’re first trying to get the hand motions right it’s a little bit awkward,” says Karina Scott, a 3-year member of the Ames High Fiber Club. She’s talking about the learning process of crocheting. For the average beginner, the most difficult part is when you start learning. Many people find themselves struggling with the hook and yarn, and give up. Don’t be discouraged! The key to learning how to crochet is to practice as much as you can. She advises that you need to “get into it” and work past that learning curve, and adds that “Once you get it down it’s the same thing over and over.”
Scott shares that the ability to crochet is well worth the steep learning curve. There are a lot of things to learn, and a big thing that many beginners struggle with is the tension of the yarn.“A lot of time when beginners first start they’ll have a lot of really tight stitches and a lot of really loose stitches, and then that’ll make their end result really uneven.” says Scott. Learning to have even tension is vital to crocheting. It comes down to practice, and how much of it you get. Remember to focus on tension while practicing. She recommends beginners start with granny squares because they are versatile and simple to make.
Once you get past the initial learning stage, crocheting can be very rewarding. Many benefits can be found from crocheting. “If you ever need to de-stress, this can really help,” says Scott. “It’s really easy to do once you get the hang of it. You don’t even have to look at it.” “It makes me feel more productive rather than just sitting there,” Scott adds that crocheting can provide mental health benefits, and enjoys that she can see the product of her work. “You can be like I made that, that’s cool,” she says.
Not only can crochet boost your mood, but it won’t empty your wallet either. The only supplies you need are yarn and a crochet hook, and anyone learning how to crochet doesn’t need lessons or professional classes. Scott herself is mostly self-taught. She learned the basics from a friend and used YouTube and Pinterest to teach herself the rest. “Mainly Pinterest. Pinterest has a lot of good stuff.”, says Scott. The internet is a fantastic place to find many patterns and resources.
Scott finishes with one final piece of advice. “Don’t jump into something super complicated as soon as you start.” “You’re going to get frustrated and give up. Start with simple things.” A beginner’s first project should not be a massive blanket or a complicated sweater. Start with a realistic project and work your way up from there. Crocheting can become a fun and productive hobby to do in your downtime. Don’t be discouraged if your project doesn’t turn out the way you hoped. Developing new skills takes time and practice.