LC's Crochet Lab

Tag: crochet tutorial

  • Crochet Geometry

    Crochet Geometry

    Over the past few months, I’ve been messing around with a technique that allows me to crochet spiky versions of geometric shapes. I’ve found this really fun to work with, and wanted to share the technique so that others can also experiment with it!

    I’m not claiming to be the first person to make something like this- I found this Berocco pattern from this page on the MOMATH site after messing around with my own version for a bit. I just want to share my personal approach to this sort of thing in the chance others find it useful.

    The crochet stitches used to create this are all pretty basic, but the application of them could get tricky if you aren’t comfortable with freehanding your crochet projects or otherwise not working from a pattern. I do my best to spell out every step you need to take here, but this truly is meant to be a crochet technique tutorial and not a pattern. I’ll be explaining the process using an example in this tutorial, but that example only covers one possible application and approach!

    This is also a fairly mathematical technique! I’ve done my best to keep all the math as simple as possible for those of you who aren’t as into it as I am, but you will need some understanding of basic shapes and geometry terms here. I’ve split the math into two sections as well: the basic stuff you need to get started with this technique, and the more in depth math and other suggestions for those of you who want to really take this idea and run with it.

    There is also a video version of this technique available here on my YouTube channel, if you feel you learn better through video.

    If you’re sticking around with the post version of this tutorial, we’ll get started by talking about the stitches used for this technique!

    Part 1: The Stitches

    The stitches you need to know for this technique are single crochet (sc), foundation single crochet (fsc), and the invisible decrease (invdec). You can also do this technique using a traditional single crochet decrease, but seeing as we’re working in continuous rounds like we would with amigurumi, an invisible decrease is a little more useful here.

    You’re also going to want to know how to use a foundation single crochet to work from existing stitches, and technically how to do a standing single crochet as well. If you don’t know what that is, it’s essentially a single crochet into an existing project with a slip knot of new yarn on your hook.

    I’ve linked all the tutorials necessary below, in both right and left handed formats depending on your preference.

    Left Handed Tutorials

    Single crochet

    Invisible decrease

    Foundation single crochet

    FSC to extend

    Right Handed Tutorials

    Single crochet

    Invisible decrease

    Foundation single crochet

    FSC to extend

    Technique overview

    Before we get into the math, I want to do a quick overview of how this technique works so the next section makes a bit more sense. We’ll be creating a loop using fsc’s to make the perimeter of the faces of our shape. This serves as the first round of our spike, which we’ll work upwards towards the point. New spikes will be worked directly into the base of existing ones, and we’ll be using fsc’s to complete a ring going away and then back to this base, again tracing out the perimeter of the face.

    When you’re ready, join me on the next page to get into the math of this technique!

    Pages: 1 2 3 4

  • Layered Rounds – Left Handed

    Layered Rounds – Left Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to layer rounds in a crochet project to add a bit of depth to a project. This technique allows a layer to be added to a crochet item without modifying the underlying pattern!

    If you’re right handed, you can find that tutorial here, or if you prefer a video tutorial, you can check that out here.

    The setup

    First, make the piece to be overlapped. Make sure you work up through the round to be overlapped. In this example, I want round 9 to be overlapped, so I make what I’ll call my “existing piece” through round 9.

    You can cut the yarn for this piece. Don’t sew the end in though- leave it free. It’ll make it easier to work through the stitches in this piece later on.

    Making the Overlapping Ring

    First, we need to make the overlapping layer. This round will have the same stitch count as the round we’re looking to overlap. In this example, we’re overlapping a round of 24 stitches, so we need this overlapping layer to be 24 stitches as well.

    Make a chain the same length as the number of stitches in the round to be overlapped (chain 24, in this example).

    Now, making sure the chain isn’t twisted, slip stitch into the back bump of the first chain, closing the chain into a loop.

    Chain 1, and single crochet into the same bump you slip stitched into.

    Now crochet around the chain loop, placing a single crochet in the back bumps of each chain.

    For this example, you’ll end up with 24 total stitches in your round.

    If you’re struggling to crochet in the back bumps of your chain, or otherwise don’t want to do that, you can always crochet into the top of your chain. I just prefer the look of working into the back bumps.

    Connecting the Pieces

    In this round, we’ll be connecting both pieces together by crocheting through both of them at once.

    Start by finding the first stitch of your ring. Insert your hook into this stitch.

    Maneuver the outer layer so that your hook is going through the middle of the ring. This makes it easier to go through the existing piece.

    Now, find the first stitch of your existing piece. Insert your hook into this stitch as well.

    Move your hook back through the middle of the outer ring. Your hook is now going through both the ring and the existing piece, with the yarn also going towards the middle of the ring. It should look like the image below. This ensures that nothing gets wrapped up incorrectly.

    Now, complete a single crochet through both of these rounds at once to connect them.

    The connecting layer

    The connecting layer that we’ve started will follow the next round in whatever pattern you’re working from. For example, in this post, the overlapping layer is round 9, so our connecting round is round 10. I’d follow the instructions for round 10 of the pattern I’m working from when connecting the two pieces together.

    If your connecting round is worked by just single crocheting around the piece, this step is really simple. Continue single crocheting through both layers at once, first inserting your hook through the outer layer, then through the existing piece.

    If your connecting layer

    Increasing in the connecting round

    If your connecting round has increases, simply do a single crochet through the same stitches as you just worked to increase. Make sure you still go through both the outer layer and the existing piece!

    Decreasing in the connecting round

    If your connecting round has decreases, what I suggest is to invisible decrease in both the outer layer and existing piece.

    To do this, first set up an invisible decrease for the outer layer (tutorial here) by putting your hook through the front loops of the next two stitches. Don’t actually stitch into this- just keep the loops on your hook!

    Now, set up an invisible decrease on the existing piece. This can be a little tricky.

    Your hook should be going through the front loops of 4 stitches at this point- first on the outer layer, then on the existing piece. Now, complete a single crochet through these loops.

    Continuing the pattern

    You can now continue your pattern as normal! In this example, my overlapping round was round 9, my connecting round was round 10, so I’ll pick my pattern back up starting from round 11.

    The fact that we’re able to follow the pattern exactly as written except for the addition of this outer round is something I think is really neat and useful for adding a little bit more detail and texture to patterns you might come across.

  • Layered Rounds – Right Handed

    Layered Rounds – Right Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to layer rounds in a crochet project to add a bit of depth to a project. This technique allows a layer to be added to a crochet item without modifying the underlying pattern!

    If you’re left handed, you can find that tutorial here, or if you prefer a video tutorial, you can check that out here.

    The setup

    First, make the piece to be overlapped. Make sure you work up through the round to be overlapped. In this example, I want round 9 to be overlapped, so I make what I’ll call my “existing piece” through round 9.

    You can cut the yarn for this piece. Don’t sew the end in though- leave it free. It’ll make it easier to work through the stitches in this piece later on.

    Making the Overlapping Ring

    First, we need to make the overlapping layer. This round will have the same stitch count as the round we’re looking to overlap. In this example, we’re overlapping a round of 24 stitches, so we need this overlapping layer to be 24 stitches as well.

    Make a chain the same length as the number of stitches in the round to be overlapped (chain 24, in this example).

    Now, making sure the chain isn’t twisted, slip stitch into the back bump of the first chain, closing the chain into a loop.

    Chain 1, and single crochet into the same bump you slip stitched into.

    Now crochet around the chain loop, placing a single crochet in the back bumps of each chain.

    For this example, you’ll end up with 24 total stitches in your round.

    If you’re struggling to crochet in the back bumps of your chain, or otherwise don’t want to do that, you can always crochet into the top of your chain. I just prefer the look of working into the back bumps.

    Connecting the Pieces

    In this round, we’ll be connecting both pieces together by crocheting through both of them at once.

    Start by finding the first stitch of your ring. Insert your hook into this stitch.

    Maneuver the outer layer so that your hook is going through the middle of the ring. This makes it easier to go through the existing piece.

    Now, find the first stitch of your existing piece. Insert your hook into this stitch as well.

    Move your hook back through the middle of the outer ring. Your hook is now going through both the ring and the existing piece, with the yarn also going towards the middle of the ring. It should look like the image below. This ensures that nothing gets wrapped up incorrectly.

    Now, complete a single crochet through both of these rounds at once to connect them.

    The connecting layer

    The connecting layer that we’ve started will follow the next round in whatever pattern you’re working from. For example, in this post, the overlapping layer is round 9, so our connecting round is round 10. I’d follow the instructions for round 10 of the pattern I’m working from when connecting the two pieces together.

    If your connecting round is worked by just single crocheting around the piece, this step is really simple. Continue single crocheting through both layers at once, first inserting your hook through the outer layer, then through the existing piece.

    If your connecting layer

    Increasing in the connecting round

    If your connecting round has increases, simply do a single crochet through the same stitches as you just worked to increase. Make sure you still go through both the outer layer and the existing piece!

    Decreasing in the connecting round

    If your connecting round has decreases, what I suggest is to invisible decrease in both the outer layer and existing piece.

    To do this, first set up an invisible decrease for the outer layer (tutorial here) by putting your hook through the front loops of the next two stitches. Don’t actually stitch into this- just keep the loops on your hook!

    Now, set up an invisible decrease on the existing piece. This can be a little tricky.

    Your hook should be going through the front loops of 4 stitches at this point- first on the outer layer, then on the existing piece. Now, complete a single crochet through these loops.

    Continuing the pattern

    You can now continue your pattern as normal! In this example, my overlapping round was round 9, my connecting round was round 10, so I’ll pick my pattern back up starting from round 11.

    The fact that we’re able to follow the pattern exactly as written except for the addition of this outer round is something I think is really neat and useful for adding a little bit more detail and texture to patterns you might come across.

  • Mirrored Single Crochet – Left Handed

    Mirrored Single Crochet – Left Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to do a mirrored single crochet. This is a fairly niche technique that allows us to crochet as if we were using our non-dominant hand without learning to crochet right-handed. That said, this can be really awkward to do at first, but is incredibly useful when switching between working in continuous rounds and working in rows to mitigate the texture difference between the two.

    Comparison of normal sc and mirrored sc- on the right mirrored rows and normal rows alternate to keep the fronts of the single crochets on the same side.

    If you’re right handed, check that tutorial out here, and if you prefer a video tutorial, you can find that here.

    Single Crochet

    First I want to look at how a single crochet is worked in a little more depth so that we can ensure that our mirrored stitches are exactly matching how we’d work a normal single crochet.

    When we grab our yarn while working a single crochet, we turn the hook towards us, or towards the front of our work.

    This means that when we work a mirrored stitch, we want to turn the hook away from us.

    Mirroring the stitch

    Since we’re treating this as if it’s being worked with our other hand, we want to go into the next stitch through the back of our work. This will end up being the front of our mirrored stitch.

    We then lay the yarn over the hook, and grab it by turning the hook away from us.

    We pull that loop up to get two loops on our hook.

    We now do the same thing to complete the mirrored stitch. Lay the yarn over the hook, and grab it by turning the hook away. Pull this loop through both loops on your hook.

    That’s how we work a mirrored single crochet! This can be applied to other stitches as well. Pay close attention to how your hook moves while working as you normally would, and mirror it as we’ve done here. If you’re having trouble figuring out the mirrored version of a stitch, what I’ve done is taken a video from the back of my work to watch how the yarn and hook move on the back side. This allows me to see how the back of my work looks as I crochet it, and to copy that as I work facing the back in the mirrored version.

  • Mirrored Single Crochet – Right Handed

    Mirrored Single Crochet – Right Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to do a mirrored single crochet. This is a fairly niche technique that allows us to crochet as if we were using our non-dominant hand without learning to crochet left-handed. That said, this can be really awkward to do at first, but is incredibly useful when switching between working in continuous rounds and working in rows to mitigate the texture difference between the two.

    Comparison of mirrored sc and normal sc- on the left mirrored rows and normal rows alternate to keep the fronts of the single crochets on the same side.

    If you’re left handed, check that tutorial out here, and if you prefer a video tutorial, you can find that here.

    Single Crochet

    First I want to look at how a single crochet is worked in a little more depth so that we can ensure that our mirrored stitches are exactly matching how we’d work a normal single crochet.

    When we grab our yarn while working a single crochet, we turn the hook towards us, or towards the front of our work.

    This means that when we work a mirrored stitch, we want to turn the hook away from us.

    Mirroring the stitch

    Since we’re treating this as if it’s being worked with our other hand, we want to go into the next stitch through the back of our work. This will end up being the front of our mirrored stitch.

    We then lay the yarn over the hook, and grab it by turning the hook away from us.

    We pull that loop up to get two loops on our hook.

    We now do the same thing to complete the mirrored stitch. Lay the yarn over the hook, and grab it by turning the hook away. Pull this loop through both loops on your hook.

    That’s how we work a mirrored single crochet! This can be applied to other stitches as well. Pay close attention to how your hook moves while working as you normally would, and mirror it as we’ve done here. If you’re having trouble figuring out the mirrored version of a stitch, what I’ve done is taken a video from the back of my work to watch how the yarn and hook move on the back side. This allows me to see how the back of my work looks as I crochet it, and to copy that as I work facing the back in the mirrored version.

  • Invisible Decrease – Left Handed

    Invisible Decrease – Left Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to do an invisible decrease. This stitch is often used in amigurumi or other patterns worked in continuous rounds because it creates a stitch that is less visible than a traditional single crochet decrease.

    If you’re left handed, you can find that tutorial here, or if you prefer a video tutorial you can find that here.

    Working the invisible decrease

    This stitch really only works in continuous rounds due to the way the stitches overlap. We’re working into the front stitches of the two stitches we want to decrease into, marked in the image below.

    Put your hook through the front loop of the first stitch.

    Now put your hook through the front loop of the second stitch.

    Your hook is now through the front loops of the two stitches we want to decrease through. We do this by working a single crochet through them both. Yarn over and pull a loop through both of these front loops.

    Now, yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook.

    And that’s all there is to an invisible decrease! You can also do this with more than just 2 stitches if you need to- I tend to use 3 stitch decreases when I’m making a cube shape.

  • Invisible Decrease – Right Handed

    Invisible Decrease – Right Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to do an invisible decrease. This stitch is often used in amigurumi or other patterns worked in continuous rounds because it creates a stitch that is less visible than a traditional single crochet decrease.

    If you’re left handed, you can find that tutorial here, or if you prefer a video tutorial you can find that here.

    Working the invisible decrease

    This stitch really only works in continuous rounds due to the way the stitches overlap. We’re working into the front stitches of the two stitches we want to decrease into, marked in the image below.

    Put your hook through the front loop of the first stitch.

    Now put your hook through the front loop of the second stitch.

    Your hook is now through the front loops of the two stitches we want to decrease through. We do this by working a single crochet through them both. Yarn over and pull a loop through both of these front loops.

    Now, yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook.

    And that’s all there is to an invisible decrease! You can also do this with more than just 2 stitches if you need to- I tend to use 3 stitch decreases when I’m making a cube shape.

  • Foundation Single Crochet – Left Handed

    Foundation Single Crochet – Left Handed

    Foundation stitches allow you to make the first row of your crochet work without a starting chain, as well as extend an existing piece (more on that here!). They don’t always work for everything, and they don’t have as clean of an edge as if you were to work in the back bumps of a starting chain, but they’re a great tool to have in your crochet toolbelt.

    This post focuses on a foundation single crochet, but at the end we’ll also cover using this technique to do the foundation version of other stitches.

    If you prefer a video tutorial, you can find that here, and if you’re right handed you can find that tutorial here.

    Working the First Stitch

    Start with a slip knot on your hook and chain 2.

    Insert your hook into the second chain from your hook, and pull up a loop.

    Yarn over, and pull through the first loop on your hook. This step is what allows us to extend our single crochets into a foundation stitch- it sort of turns the loop we pulled up into a chain.

    Now, yarn over, and pull through both loops on your hook.

    That’s the start of our foundation single crochet!

    Working the Next Stitches

    The process for working a foundation single crochet is the same as for the first stitch, but we’re going to be working in the bottom of the previous foundation stitch.

    Insert your hook into the bottom of the previous foundation single crochet. This is the loop that I mentioned acted as a chain in our first stitch, and is indicated in the image below.

    From here on, the steps to work a foundation single crochet are the same as the first stitch. Pull up a loop.

    Yarn over, and pull through one loop on your hook.

    Yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook.

    For Other Stitches

    The process for working other stitches in a foundation-like way is the same as for single crochet. Start with a chain of length turning chain + 1, as if you’re working a row of 1 stitch. For double crochet, since it requires a turning chain of 3, this means chaining 4.

    You’ll then go into the first chain as if you’re making a row of one stitch. For double crochet, this means yarning over, inserting your hook into that first chain, and pulling up a loop.

    You’re then going to yarn over and pull a loop through one loop on your hook. Again, this is creating the “chain” for our foundation stitches. From there you complete your stitch as normal.

  • Foundation Single Crochet – Right Handed

    Foundation Single Crochet – Right Handed

    Foundation stitches allow you to make the first row of your crochet work without a starting chain, as well as extend an existing piece (more on that here!). They don’t always work for everything, and they don’t have as clean of an edge as if you were to work in the back bumps of a starting chain, but they’re a great tool to have in your crochet toolbelt.

    This post focuses on a foundation single crochet, but at the end we’ll also cover using this technique to do the foundation version of other stitches.

    If you prefer a video tutorial, you can find that here, and if you’re left handed you can find that tutorial here.

    Working the First Stitch

    Start with a slip knot on your hook and chain 2.

    Insert your hook into the second chain from your hook, and pull up a loop.

    Yarn over, and pull through the first loop on your hook. This step is what allows us to extend our single crochets into a foundation stitch- it sort of turns the loop we pulled up into a chain.

    Now, yarn over, and pull through both loops on your hook.

    That’s the start of our foundation single crochet!

    Working the Next Stitches

    The process for working a foundation single crochet is the same as for the first stitch, but we’re going to be working in the bottom of the previous foundation stitch.

    Insert your hook into the bottom of the previous foundation single crochet. This is the loop that I mentioned acted as a chain in our first stitch, and is indicated in the image below.

    From here on, the steps to work a foundation single crochet are the same as the first stitch. Pull up a loop.

    Yarn over, and pull through one loop on your hook.

    Yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook.

    For Other Stitches

    The process for working other stitches in a foundation-like way is the same as for single crochet. Start with a chain of length turning chain + 1, as if you’re working a row of 1 stitch. For double crochet, since it requires a turning chain of 3, this means chaining 4.

    You’ll then go into the first chain as if you’re making a row of one stitch. For double crochet, this means yarning over, inserting your hook into that first chain, and pulling up a loop.

    You’re then going to yarn over and pull a loop through one loop on your hook. Again, this is creating the “chain” for our foundation stitches. From there you complete your stitch as normal.

  • How to Make a Magic Circle – Left Handed

    How to Make a Magic Circle – Left Handed

    In this post, we’ll cover how to make a magic circle. If you prefer a video tutorial, you can find that here, and if you’re right handed you can find that tutorial here.

    Magic circles are most often used in amigurumi because they eliminate the gap at the center of the starting circle, but they can also be used for anything worked in the round where you want to mitigate gapping.

    Making the Magic Circle

    There are a few different ways to start your magic circle, but I prefer wrapping the yarn around my fingers since it helps to keep the yarn strands in place.

    Start by placing the yarn tail over the palm of your right hand.

    Now, wrap the yarn around the back of your hand and under your index and middle finger.

    Cross the yarn over, angling it towards your wrist. Catch this yarn under your index and ring fingers again.

    The yarn strands should be parallel on the back of your hand.

    Now, using your hook, go under the strand closest to your fingertips, and over the strand closest to your wrist.

    Grab this second strand, and pull it under the first.

    Turning the mouth of your hook towards you, twist this strand around your hook so it loops on itself.

    You’re now going to grab and chain one with your working yarn. This strand is indicated on the image above- it’s the part of the second strand towards the top of your hand.

    Using your hook, go under this working yarn to grab it, and pull it through the twisted loop on your hook.

    That chain one secures our magic loop, and we can now take it off our fingers.

    Working into the Magic Circle

    We’ll use single crochet in this example. You’ll already have a chain one from making the circle, so we don’t have to chain more to get to stitch height.

    Start by opening the circle with your fingers. You’re going to be working both into the loop and around the yarn tail. Working around the yarn tail is what lets us close the loop at the end.

    Again, you’re working into the loop and around the yarn tail, so make sure your hook goes under both of these strands.

    You can now work your single crochets around these two strands.

    If you’re working other stitches into the magic circle, just make sure you chain the correct number, keeping in mind that we already have a chain one to start. If you’re working double crochets in the magic circle, you’re going to want to chain two more to get up to a turning chain of 3 before working into the magic circle.

    If your yarn tail is starting to get too short to work around, just pull on it a little bit. This will lengthen the tail, but also begin to close the loop, so don’t pull on it too much.

    Closing the magic circle

    Once you’ve worked the number of stitches you need into the magic circle, grab the yarn tail, and pull it tight.

    And that’s it!

    As you can see above, there’s no gap in the center of this round of stitches.