2017 is ending on a really exciting note for me! I discovered places to market and sell my little creations that is slowly invading my tiny apt (so I can make more stuff to fill my tiny apt with lol) and I held a workshop to share my passion with others. I made some amazing custom orders I didn't really think I could pull off and made some progress in being a regular checker of my Etsy shop instead of ignoring its existence (or just forgetting).
During the workshops I held and whenever I teach people crochet there is just never enough time to share some easy hacks , the excitement of learning new craft AND dis-spell myths of needing expensive tools to be able create great things; they are certainly nice to have and in cases of art, it CAN enhance the final outcome but isn't a requirement to create great pieces.
Today I want share with you my absolute fave tips that cost me nothing but made quite an impact in my hookin' life - I practice creating without breaking the bank (it’s more enjoyable that way too!) which is why I also created the Amigurumi starter kit in my shop - it's probably the only things you will need for at least first 2 years of this hobby (I still use the same stuff).
I started to include the materials required for these hacks in my kits as well, so that you have everything you need to make your journey more enjoyable.
So first thing is the
binder clip hack.
These little guys are so awesome in keeping your yarn
in check, and from tangling if you end up
using multiple colours.
All you have
to do is get a bowl – glass works best as it has enough weight to stay still –
and clip it on. Thread the yarn through the metallic parts and voila! It will
keep your yarn untangled and the ball of yarn from running around , falling off
and irritating the cat and you. If you FORGET to thread it before you start,
not to worry; the metal holder comes out when you squeeze the wider side and
you can always thread the yarn through.
I find this hack to be much better than
a yarn bowl as the size of my yarn ball CAN change whereas the yarn bowl size
cannot. Also I just don’t carry my yarn
bowl around but there is always a plastic container or cup available to clip
to.
I also like to use
the Lysol or Purrell wipe containers for larger spools of yarn or multiple
little balls of yarn. Just cut out the circle where the wipes come out and
voila! You can get really creative with
this and it will save you so much hassle and even some money.
The next hack is for the hook itself.
This is an important hack – your hands will tire and
cramp up as you crochet like a madman…. Your hand will be stressed trying to
keep up with your excitement and also because hooks are just not designed
ergonomically. There are many ergonomic hooks available out there that you can
purchase but it IS an investment that you may not be willing to make ,as they
can be pretty pricy.
I have personally lived off this hack for the longest
time before wrapping my hook with some clay – and though I now own a couple of ergonomic hooks( you can read my thoughts on it
here ), I still use my clay
covered ones most (you can read about how to make it
here ).
All you do is, wrap the elastic band at the center of
the hook a couple of times (where the size
is indicated). Write down the size somewhere because you will need to know it
to put on the pencil grip. The point of the elastic grip is to provide support/grip so that the pencil grip stays in place; the whole elastic doesn’t need to be used
but it does need to be as flat and tight as possible.
Slide the pencil grip to the center of the hook and
write down the size of the hook on the grip with a black pen/sharpie.
That’s it! This little trick will pride you with a
comfortable grip for much longer period of time and let you enjoy your craft in
comfort.
Lastly hand exercises!
This is important to be able to enjoy your hobby for a
long time to come and for general hand health – we use and abuse our hands all
the time, we should reward them :D
This is my fave exercise set I try to do after every
crochet session. It is from We are Knitters and says it’s for knitters but
crochet’s like a cousin of knitting so I think it’s still applicable. XD
And that’s all!
I hope this was helpful and happy hookin’!
I am HORRID at coming up with names so she will just be Blushin' Hippie for now....this pattern is a simple mod from Heart & Sew's Happy Hippo which looks like the little standing one to the left. IT is adorable just as it is and the pattern is SO EASY to follow ! the only tip I would say is to print out the darn thing, it will make life so much easier.
