Giveaway + Everything’s Coming Up Crochet!

Last month, we focused on lace, sharing some of our favorite tips, tricks and tools for successful projects for lace enthusiasts; we even shared a photo tutorial starring our brand-new lace blocking wires! While lace designs can be created with both knitting and crocheting techniques, we'd like to put crochet in the spotlight this month by highlighting both traditional and Tunisian techniques which can be used to make a variety of projects. In today's post, we'll begin with a closer look at traditional crochet techniques; we hope you'll join us later this month when we delve into Tunisian crochet techniques (hint: we'll have a surprise from designer Rohn Strong!).

Most of our fans are familiar with traditional crochet, i.e. techniques which are created using a single-ended hook. There are lots of great tutorials to help you get started, such as these free video lessons over on the FreshStitches website. You can also find more advanced techniques such as this bobble stitch tutorial starring one of our Dreamz crochet hooks!

Stacey Trock, the designer behind FreshStitches, is best known for her adorable and cuddly crochet amigurumi designs. Amigurumi is a Japanese term for knitted or crocheted stuffed dolls which are traditionally smaller in size, although many crocheters have broadened the use of this term to describe any knitted or crocheted stuffed toy. Stacey's newest book, Modern Baby Crochet, features some great examples of amigurumi in addition to crocheted afghans, pillows, and other household decor which would look great in and out of the nursery!

Modern Baby Crochet by Stacey Trock

February Giveaway

This month, we're giving away one Japanese Bamboo single-ended crochet hook set! To enter our giveaway, simply leave a comment telling us what's currently on your hook, or what you'd like to make if you won this set! Be sure to also include your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you win. 

We will randomly select one lucky winner to announce on our next blog post on Friday, February 21. Good luck! 

Winner + Guest Post: Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches

Thanks to everyone who entered our Pin It To Win It giveaway this month, we saw some fantastic pins and comments. Random.org has decreed our winning entry to be Raveler Lindaturc, who is wishing for some Dreamz Interchangeable Needles - looks like Santa got her letter! We have sent a private message to Lindaturc to arrange delivery of her Dreamz Starter Set. Congratulations!

Guest Post: Stacey Trock of Fresh Stitches

We're pleased to offer you this photo tutorial (featuring our own Dreamz Crochet Hook!) courtesy of Stacey Trock at Fresh Stitches. We are proud sponsors of the Fresh Stitches Crochet Chat Podcast this month and are excited to share this post with our fans! 

"Sc in each ch" is an instruction you'll often see in a written pattern. But exactly how do you crochet into a chain? It's a great question, because there are actually two different options for crocheting into your chain stitches. I'll show you both options and compare the finished look!

Meet your chain

When you crochet your chain (also called a 'foundation chain'), it should look like this:


Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool, color #70

Hook: Knitter's Pride Dreamz, size H (5.0mm)
It should look like a bunch of 'V's, laying on their side.
Does your chain not look like this? Let's troubleshoot:

• Look at the back... you might just be looking at the wrong side!
• Is your chain forming a ringlet curl? That's normal! Mine is just flat because I'm pulling on it. The ringlet will come out once you continue crocheting.
• Is your chain zig-zag-y? This typically happens when you pause in between your chains, which allows the chain to twist slightly.

Okay... let's do our first row!

Option 1: Crochet through the back loop only

Remember how we talked about those 'V's? The first option is to crochet only through the top half of the 'V' (also called the 'back loop'):

When you've completed single crocheting, your piece will look like this:

Option 2: Crochet through both loops

The second option is to insert your hook under the entire 'V' (also called crocheting through 'both loops'):

When you've completed single crocheting, your piece will look like this:

Comparing the two methods

Let's look at the two options side by side:

As you can see, crocheting through both loops creates more of a 'bump', while crocheting through both loops is straighter along the bottom edge.
There's no right way! And once you know the two options, you'll be able to pick the one that best suits your project!