I am very excited about our new Stitch Swatch Sampler project! I have been busily crocheting swatches and writing out instructions. It is my hope that this project will build crochet skills, not only in beginner crocheters, but in intermediate and advanced ones, as well. I intend to include some "Pro Tips" in the instructions that even advanced crocheters may find interesting.
A friend was asking if I thought she could use the swatches to teach her grandchildren to crochet. I think this would work well for teaching someone who has never crocheted before. To that end, I will try to include instructions for the basic stitches from a booklet I wrote years ago, entitled
Crochet Basics.
I would recommend spending additional time on the first swatch that utilizes each of the basic stitches (sc, dc, hdc, tr) to make sure the beginner can work them evenly and achieve gauge, before moving on to the more advanced swatches. It would probably be a good idea to make several swatches of each basic stitch, to become comfortable with working that stitch.
Here is the information you need to do this project.
GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION
**Please note that we will be using American terminology and American hook sizes for this project!
Materials: Worsted Weight Yarn, Size 4, 6 oz. for a 12 by 12-inch pillow
30 oz. for size 3 ft by 4 ft throw
50 oz. for size 4 ft by 5 ft throw
Size I hook (but you may need to use a larger or smaller hook to achieve gauge for some of the swatches)
I have had such fun playing around with stitch patterns for the swatches, and I have been learning new things, too. The "Pro Tips" for the Single Crochet Swatch are things I have discovered recently...I hope you will find them useful. So now, without further ado, here are the instructions for the first swatch!
SWATCH 1: SINGLE CROCHET
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| Single Crochet Swatch |
See information below on how to do the chain and the single crochet stitch, if you are new to crochet.
Ch 14. (Multiple of 1 + 2 turning chains)
Row 1:
Sc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn work.
12 sts.
Row 2:
Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn
work. Rep Row 2 until you have 15 rows
or 4 inches.
Abbreviations: Ch
Chain sc single crochet st
stitch Rep repeat
Single Crochet Pro Tips:
- ·
Always use a starting chain that is 2 stitches
more than the number of stitches you need for your project, and work your first
sc into the 3rd stitch from the hook, for the neatest corner. This is different than the way I was taught, and the way I describe in Crochet Basics, but it works better.
- ·
When you reach the last stitch of the row,
instead of working into this stitch, work into the starting chain of the
previous row, for a nice, straight edge.
- ·
When turning your work at the end of a row, try
turning the piece to the back, then to the left, rather than forward as if you
were turning the page in a book…I have found that this produces a nicer edge (note that the instructions below say differently...I have learned some new tricks since I wrote those instructions!).
Note:
Be sure to check your gauge when you complete this piece. It should measure 4 inches by 4 inches.
If your piece is bigger, try using a smaller hook. If it is smaller, switch to a larger
one. Gauge is very important in crochet…it
will help you make the finished product the size you want it to be. I have designed each square to be 4 inches, but
only if you get the same gauge I do, and that may not happen on your first try.
If you
cannot get the same gauge by using a different hook, you could try working a
little tighter or looser. Or you could
alter the number of stitches and rows in your square. This gets more complicated with taller or
more intricate stitch patterns, but it may be possible. I will try to post the stitch multiples for
each stitch, to make it easier to figure out how many starting chains you
need. For sc, you can chain any number
to start, plus two turning chains.
Feel free to
make as many of each swatch as you want!
If you want to stop with single crochet, you could make all the squares
for your blanket using just that one stitch.
But I really hope you will be inspired to try more of the stitches, and
develop your skills while having fun with us.
The first
dozen or so of these stitches were adapted from the Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework, which has a section
of stitch patterns. But we will be
drawing from other sources, too.
Excerpted from Crochet Basics by Rebecca Harmon
Crochet is a
method of making fabric from yarn, which is made into a series of interlocking
loops using a hook. Here are the most
common crochet stitches.
Chain
With the tail of
the yarn hanging down from the little finger, wrap the yarn around the fingers
of the left hand as shown in Fig. C-1.
 |
| Fig. C-1 |
Pick up the crochet hook and hold it as
you would a pencil. Insert the hook
through the loop on your thumb with the point of the hook pointing towards the
tip of the thumb. See Fig. C-2.
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| Fig. C-2 |
Rotate the tip of
the hook counter-clockwise so the yarn between the thumb and the index finger
is caught on the hook (see Fig. C-3).
 |
| Fig. C-3 |
Carefully pull the
tip of the hook back through the thumb loop; slip the thumb from the loop and
pull the ends of the yarn until the loop is snugged up just under the
hook. Do not pull the loop too tight,
because you will need to insert the hook into it later. You have just made the first stitch of your
chain.
Now, holding the first stitch
between the thumb and middle finger of your left hand, catch the yarn on the
hook again (Fig. C-4), and draw through the loop on the hook (the old loop will
slide off the hook and the new loop will be in its place).
 |
| Fig. C-4 |
Continue catching
the yarn and drawing it through the loop on the hook until the chain is the
desired length.
Single Crochet
Now we are ready to start
forming the fabric. We will begin with
the single crochet stitch (abbreviated sc).
Pull the chain out so that it stretches away to the left of the loop on
the hook. Insert the tip of the hook
into the 2nd chain from the hook (see Fig. SC-1).
 |
| Fig. SC-1 |
Catch the yarn on
the hook, and draw through the chain stitch; there are now 2 loops on the hook
(Fig. SC-2).
 |
| Fig. SC-2 |
Catch the yarn again, and
draw through both loops on the hook (one single crochet stitch completed). Insert the hook into the next chain stitch to
the left, catch the yarn, draw through the chain, catch the yarn again, and
draw through both loops on the hook.
Continue working a single crochet (sc) into each chain across.
Second Row:
Make 1 chain stitch at end of
Row 1, then turn the piece of crochet as if it were a page in a book. Insert the hook under the top two loops of
the first single crochet stitch (the one at the right end of your work). Catch the yarn and draw through the stitch;
catch the yarn again and draw through both loops on the hook. Continue to work one single crochet into the
top two loops of each stitch across the row.
The rest of the rows should be worked in the same manner as Row 2.
At the end of the last row of
single crochet, cut the yarn about 8 inches from the last stitch. Pull the hook up so the tail end pops through
the top of the last stitch, and pull snugly to secure it and keep your work
from unraveling. This is called ending
off or breaking off, and can be done with any stitch.
