Friday, November 21, 2008

Crochet Frustration

I'm having some issues. After making my first scarf, I decided that I felt confident enough to try following a pattern to make a cute scarf as part of a Christmas gift for a friend. In the first scarf I made, the rows were horizontal...they just ran the width of the scarf, so there were LOTS of short rows. In this second scarf, though, the rows are vertical...the rows run the length of the scarf, so there are only about 7 really long rows. Keep this in mind.

When I first began making the scarf, I got 3 long rows finished before I realized that I had made this scarf too short. There was no way I was going to give a friend a scarf that was too short, so I ripped out what I had done so far and started over, making it much longer. This time, though, I began to second guess my stitches. About half-way through my 2nd row, I decided that I had done the first row incorrectly. So I ripped it out again and started over again. When I finished the scarf, I noticed that it didn't look right. I asked Shawn to look at it, and he agreed. One side (the side I started with) was much tighter than the other, so the entire scarf had a sort of rainbow effect.

After thinking about it...I decided I couldn't give that one to my friend. So I started over. I thought I knew what I had done incorrectly in the other one, so I was more careful with the first real row of stitches. After finishing about 2 and a half rows, I realized that the scarf was beginning to look just like the one I'd finished...and the first row was really tight. So...you guessed it. I ripped it out and started over. Again. After looking up some things online, I decided that the problem was with my foundation chain. I'd made it too tight, which meant my first row of stitches was too tight. To solve this problem, I used a bigger hook to make the foundation chain and then switched to the smaller hook for the stitches. Now I have 2 rows finished, and I'm cautiously optimistic. I think it's looking better than the other ones I've been working on.

But I have to admit...I'm really getting sick of this particular color of yarn. :-)

3 comments:

J said...

Great job for sticking with it!! I can't wait to see the finished product!!

Bearess said...

I did the same thing with a project I was knitting. I must have ripped that thing out 5 times before I was satisfied with it. I'm always tense when I start a new project, and my cast-on row is tighter than my cast-off row, so I get the same tension on one side. I'm glad you thought to use the bigger needle! Good luck on this one! :)

KellieBelle said...

CONGRATS!! You figured it out!!
I have the same problem!! I usually end up ripping a project out several times to get it 'right'. Usually what works for me is to go up a hook size or two on the foundation chain and then switch to the correct hook. Not sure what we do different than other crocheters, but I'm not alone, YIPPEE!!