Hello crocheters! First, I want to wish you a Happy National Crochet Month! I hope you've been enjoying the happenings so far, and here's a great rundown of all the ways to celebrate: http://blog.redheart.com/mark-your-calendars-for-natcromo-2019/
I'll be one of the designers participating in the CGOA 2019 International Crochet Month Designer Showcase on March 23rd, so please come back here to see a special post with some special surprises!
But, to whet your appetite, here's my new Jumprope instructional video on how to cleverly start a double crochet row to make a smooth side with no "holes."
How to Cleverly Start Your Double Crochet Rows by manycreativegifts on Jumprope.
It's amazing how many variations of the basic stitches there are in crochet, and how a small change in the order of steps can make a stitch look so different.
I'm specifically thinking about the herringbone double crochet stitch. By making a few slight changes in the regular double crochet stitch, you get a new stitch that creates the illusion of herringbone.
It's hard to explain in words, but here goes:
1) yarn over and insert hook into next st (same as usual)
2) yarn over and pull up a loop through the stitch AND THE FIRST LOOP ON YOUR HOOK. This step is different than the regular dc; you should have 2 loops on your hook
3) yarn over and pull up a loop through THE FIRST LOOP ON YOUR HOOK. This step is also different than the regular dc; you still have 2 loops on your hook
4) yarn over, and pull up a loop through the last 2 loops on your hook to finish the stitch (same as usual).
I hope this short video also is helpful to you in giving this fun variation on the regular dc stitch a try!
One of the biggest challenges for me when I'm starting a new crochet design project is figuring out the proper gauge and really how many chain stitches I'm going to need in order for that first row to be the right width. Well, yesterday, I had an insight and wanted to share -- use the chainless foundation technique to figure this all out! Chain 2 and make a single crochet stitch in the second chain from the hook. Then, insert your hook into the loop at the BOTTOM of the stitch you just made. Yarn over and pull through a loop, then yarn over and pull a loop through the first loop on your hook, yarn over and pull a loop through both loops on your hook.* Repeat until you have the desired number of stitches, then measure to see the width and adjust accordingly. If you don't like the way the bottom of the work looks, then at least you'll know how many chains to make in order to make the number of stitches you need to get that width again! Hope this helps!
*The chainless foundation can be performed with the double crochet stitch as well -- yarn over before inserting your hook into the loop under the last stitch made. Yarn over and pull through a loop. Yarn over and pull a loop through the first loop on your hook (you should have three loops on your hook), then yarn over and pull a loop through the first two loops on your hook, then finish by a yarn over and pull a loop through the remaining two loops on your hook.
