Help! I'm Stuck!
How to Solve Problems in Crochet
Are you stuck on a project or pattern? Join the club! Seriously, every crocheter I know has at some point found themselves with a mess of a project and no ideas on how to get back on track. We’ve all been there! Here are 5 simple ways to help you solve issues in crochet, and how we can help you get back to hookin’!
“Don’t get impatient. Even if things are so tangled up you can’t do anything, don’t get desperate or blow a fuse and start yanking on one particular thread before it’s ready to come undone. You have to realize it’s going to be a long process and that you’ll work on things slowly, one at a time.”
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
1. Don’t be afraid to take a break from the problem.
Give the issue your full attention for a few minutes, and then walk away. Some problems in life can be solved by grinding through (hello, college) but that’s not usually the best option for crochet. If you start yanking yarn or ripping out rows due to frustration, you’re more likely to make the problem worse than actually figure out what’s happening, and how to fix it.
2. When you’re REALLY confused, go back a step.
If you can’t find a solution to your problem, there’s a large chance that the issue isn’t exactly what you’re experiencing–it’s a missed step or stitch from a previous row or chain. Pull out a few stitches or rounds and try (slowly) redoing the stitches and keeping track of each step of the pattern. If your pattern has a video tutorial (like all of ours do) then try watching through that section of the pattern a few times too. You might find that the reason your projects are coming out lumpy is as simple as you accidentally adding an extra stitch to each row!
3. Ask for help from our community.
When all else fails, consult a friend or someone in the crochet community to help. Having a pair of fresh eyes can make all the difference when trying to untangle a project. Check out our Facebook Group or Discord! We’ve got special channels in the discord specifically for help, and the Facebook group is always there for advice too:
If no one is able to help you out, we’ll do our best to find a solution! Just keep in mind that it may take us 7-14 days to ‘unravel’ your problem, and we don’t want you to have to wait that long. Keep hookin’, and remember that perseverance trumps talent every time.
4. Review foundational skills.
If you find that you’re having a lot of issues when crocheting, it’s could be a sign that your foundation is a bit shaky and you need to review the basics. It’s incredible how many problems can be solved just by changing the grip on your hook, or by making sure you’re starting and ending your stitches in the correct place.
If you’re finding that you aren’t happy with your finished products, or that you’re getting frustrated with projects, check out Crocheting 101 as a refresher course for basic stitches and projects. Crochet should be fun, and if you’re finding that isn’t the case, don’t be afraid to go back to the basics for a while.
5. Persevere!
Anything worth doing takes time, and that definitely includes crochet. Try to resist the urge to abandon difficult projects and see them through to the end even if they come out a little lumpy. This ensures that your repertoire of stitches and patterns will constantly be growing, and with it, your muscle memory and fundamental understanding of how crochet works.
It may take some time until you can seamlessly follow patterns and create something you’re proud of, but time will pass anyway. At least this way, you’ll have an amigurumi friend at the end to celebrate with!
I hope these tips help to make a frustrating situation a little more manageable. Getting stuck in crochet is all part of the process, and if you can keep your cool and untangle your problem you’ll just be that much more thready for the next problem around the corner.
Thanks for reading and happy hookin!
-Louie
Yarning for something new?
Try these beginner friendly patterns with video tutorials so you never miss a stitch! Oh and they’re all totally free!
