Don't Get It Twisted Crochet ~ Tuesday Tip ~ Reading Crochet Patterns

I learned how to crochet many years ago by watching my Great Aunt.  I was so fascinated how she could take a ball of yarn and turn it into beautiful blankest, shawls and scarves and was super excited when she gave me a hook and some scrap yarn one day and started showing me basic stitches.  From that day on I was hooked; well that is until I got to college and other things started to peak my interest like boys and parties books and studying.  When I did pick up my hook again it was very natural and easy so I was very excited to find out that there was this entire community of "hookers" out there and that crochet had advanced to the level it is today.  But this is also where the problem came in because I never seen my Great Aunt use a pattern. Crocheting for her although I am sure she found pleasure in it was more of a necessity.  The blankets scarves, hats,  etc were things she needed for her family that she could not afford to go to the store to buy.  Buying yarn was cheap in her day buying a blanket was not; so when she passed down her technique to me I am sure she wasn't thinking that I would just crochet because I love to do it; but that it may one day be a necessity.  She didn't know the technical name for stitches, or abbreviations she just knew to wrap the yarn around the hook also known as "yarn over" (yo) and get to hooking! 

So this Tuesday's Tip is for those "hookers" that are just learning crochet and how to read a crochet pattern.

If reading a crochet pattern seems like a foreign language (it kinda of is)  I found it much easier to write it out long hand.  For example:  Row 1of crochet scarf patternSc in 2nd ch from hook, *skip next 2 ch, shell in next ch, skip next 2 ch, sc in next ch; rep from * across, turn – 31 shells.

Row 1 (WS)

Long Hand version of same pattern: 
Row 1 (Wrong Side) Single Crochet in 2nd chain from hook, *skip next two chains, 4 double crochet chain two 4 double crochet all in the next chain this will make shell, skip next two chain stitches, Single Crochet in next chain and repeat from asterisks to end of row.  At end of row turn your work. You should have a total of 31 shells.

Do this on a few patterns and you will be reading patterns in no time.

If you are still having a hard time figuring out how to read patterns another good tip is to use Yahoo Answers.  Simple copy the pattern or the section of the pattern that you don't understand and you will be surprised at how many people will respond to help you out. 

Just another reason why I love being a "hooker" there is always another "hooker" willing to help.  Do you have good tips that helped when you first learned how to read patterns share them in the comments below.

Remember Don't Get It Twisted ~ Get It Crocheted!