Dear ELK Studio – A Crochet Column #12

It’s time for another edition of Dear ELK Studio – A Crochet Column! I hope you find some information that will help you become better in your crocheting endeavors! If you have questions, just scroll to the bottom of the page to see the comment section. I hope you enjoy!

Dear ELK Studio,
All those abbreviations in patterns are confusing me. I typed a list of those found but still ‘fall’ over new ones and cannot clarify. plus: one pattern comes in US-English, the next in UK-english – I guess, I need some more special language courses (my mother-tongue is German) Any suggestions?

Dear Language Barrier,
Here is an image of the basic crochet stitches. I hope this helps.

Also, Oombawaka Design is so fabulous because she’s taken the time to create charts that take U.S. terms and translate them into several different languages. You can check all of them out HERE.

 

Dear ELK Studio,
What is a turning chain and how do I use it?

Dear Turning Chain,
Using the turning chain can sometimes be confusing but are necessary because they help you reach the height of your next row. Here’s a tutorial from Oombawaka Designs that will help you!

 

Dear ELK Studio,
How does one figure out where my first stitch goes after turning?

Dear First Stitch,
I had problems with this when I first started too. Don’t worry because once you figure it out it will be so easy. One thing you need to remember though is that although these are the “standard” instructions, the designer can always override this to make the pattern come out right. Oombawaka Design has a tutorial showing you which chain to work in once you get started with your projects.

 

Dear ELK Studio,
Can you gives me some suggestions on joining my granny squares.

Dear Granny,
There are several great designers out there that have made tutorials. I’ll just give you their links below.

• Petals to Picots/Join as You Go Method
• Petals to Picots/Alternative Method
• Look What I Made/Flat Zipper Method
• Craft Passion/Back Loop Method

 

Dear ELK Studio,
How long should my tail be at the end of a project?

Dear Long Enough,
The length of the tail should be long enough to allow you to thread it on a yarn needle to weave in the ends. I tend to leave my yarn ends about 5-6″ in length because once I have weaved in the ends, I can always cut the excess.

If you do have a very short yarn end you need to weave in, one trick I use is to insert my yarn needle into the project where I intend to ‘weave’ my stitch before threading the yarn through the ‘eye’ of the needle. I do this in multiple directions and insert the needle and re-thread for each step of the weave.

 

I would like to thank Rhondda from Oombawaka for contributing to Dear ELK Studio – A Crochet Column!  She has great designs, tutorials, advice, tips and tricks for the avid crocheter.  Take a couple of minutes to go check out her site to see all the goodies!  Thank you Rhondda!

If you have questions, please leave your comment in the space provided below!
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