How to Choose Crochet Patterns
Crocheting can be complex, right down to the selection of needles and yarn, so consider the best ways to avoid missteps when you look for a pattern.
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You Will Need
- Pattern selection
- Discrimination
- Time
- Internet access (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Review instructions
Review pattern instructions to ensure you understand them.
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Step 2
Think simple
Think simple when you start. Patterns are typically identified according to skill level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
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Step 3
Find an unstructured pattern
Find a pattern for a baby blanket or shawl. This will make hook selection easier. Because they are unstructured designs, little blankets, scarves, and shawls render the needle gauge less important.
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Step 4
Search for hook requirements
Search for patterns that use a large crochet hook. Large hooks are easy to maneuver and to pull through yarn. In America, a B/1 is small and an N/15 is large.
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Step 5
Avoid specialty yarns
Avoid patterns that call for specialty yarns, including eyelash, wispy, and chunky types, whose stitches might not be as easily counted and can lead to frustrating mistakes.
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Go online to select patterns on one of the many sites tailored to your skill level. Lots of free patterns exist all over the internet.
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Step 6
Look for Granny Squares
Look for patterns called "Granny Squares" -- easily finished smaller squares -- which allow you to go back and make corrections before stitching them all into a full, final piece.
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The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef -- an "environmental version of the AIDS quilt" -- is meant to draw attention to how rising temperatures and pollution are destroying the Great Barrier Reef.
