In this article, I'll cover 10 common knitting and crochet mistakes that we all make, whether we're experienced crocheters or not.
This is not a list of technical errors, but rather errors that can be easily avoided by paying a little attention.
10 Common Knitting and Crochet Mistakes
1. First mistake: not blocking your knitting
As many of you know, I learned to knit from my grandmother and to crochet from my mom.
So I experienced the Bergère de France era with the famous yarn catalog that we received once a year. I regularly leafed through this catalog and read the pattern instructions.
Never once have I seen it mentioned in the instructions that you should block your knitting.
It was only when I became interested in the world of knitting on the internet that I discovered this technique.
And it was a revelation! Since then, I never forget to give the final touch to my projects by blocking either using the "wet" method or with an iron and a damp cloth.
Why is this so important?
As you all know, no matter how experienced we are, there are always small irregularities in our projects, so blocking will help unify the stitches, distribute the tension, smooth out small irregularities and shape, for example, a sweater, a hat or a pair of gloves.
It goes even further for lace. Without blocking, there's no magic! Lace only expresses itself through good blocking.
Try it, you'll see how your project will take on a whole new dimension! And how it reveals all the beauty and technicality of lace knits.
If you want to know a little more about blocking, you will find a video on my YouTube channel, a video where I explain how to block with a wet pat.
2. Second mistake: not caring for your knits properly
We're knitters, aren't we? And we particularly appreciate wool, animal and plant fibers for what they bring us: warmth in winter, coolness in summer.
These fibers have the advantage of being durable and long-lasting. So how can we give them the longest possible life?
By refreshing them between uses for example, by cleaning stains immediately by washing them sparingly and if you wash them, by using the most suitable products, by storing them correctly away from light and possible parasites (moths and silverfish)...
I detailed all this for you in an article published a year and a half ago: How to care for your woolens?
3. Third mistake: not making a sample!
Making a swatch is one of the most important things to do when you start a large-scale knitting project or a project where measurements are really important, such as a sweater, socks, or a hat.
This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the wool used, to know how it behaves when blocking, to know if it corresponds well to what is expected in the pattern that you are going to use, it also allows you to know if the result obtained pleases you or corresponds to what can be expected for a sweater or any other knitted piece.
This will save you a lot of hassle and wasted hours unraveling a sweater that ultimately doesn't suit you because the measurements aren't correct or simply because the result doesn't match what you had hoped for!
Do you need any more convincing to make samples? Yes? Take a look at the article: Why make a sample?t important !
4. Fourth mistake: not taking enough time to choose the right wool
Sheep wool, alpaca, cotton, silk all have different qualities and are suitable or not depending on the project you want to do.
For example, silk has little tone and has a fluidity that you will not find in a yarn made from sheep's wool and twisted with 8 strands.
Cotton will not have the flame retardant and hydrophobic qualities of sheep's wool.
Mohair and alpaca will have a halo that sheep's wool will not have.
Not only is it important to choose the wool for your project based on its composition but also on its color!
Speckles are currently very fashionable on wools from independent dyers. The result is splendid; it gives an intensity and depth to the wool that a solid color would not have.
However, depending on the colours used and the intensity of the speckles, this wool may not be absolutely suitable for knitting a large piece or lace, whereas on the contrary, it will express all its beauty on jersey or simple garter stitch.
As you can see, it is important to take the time to make a wise choice when you buy wool, plan what you will use it for, think about its drape, its use or simply its resistance.
(small aside: I admit that I bought (and still buy sometimes) on a whim and I found myself with an indecent stock of unique skeins that I no longer know what to do with. I even sold some of them).
5. Fifth mistake: not using good light when knitting
It's tempting when you're an avid knitter to knit anywhere, anytime.
You've probably knitted on the tram, in the subway, in the car, in front of the television. Day and night! And sometimes with the lights turned down very low so as not to disturb your neighbor (especially when they're watching television!)
What happens the next day? In most cases, you realize that you made mistakes, that you didn't insert the stitch properly, that you separated the strands of yarn, and you can start again one, two, ten, or twenty rows!
Therefore, it seems very clear that it is really important to invest in good light to be able to knit in all circumstances.
Personally, I invested in this reading light:
6. Sixth mistake: not knowing when to stop
You've probably already said this: Wait, I'm finishing my row! Wait, I have three rows left!
Big mistake!
Often, it's one row too many! Because it's often very late, much later than our usual bedtime. We often lack concentration at that time, we're distracted, tired, but at the same time in a hurry to finish.
But the next day, we realize that those few dozen minutes, that extra hour were lost because we made mistakes!
I speak from experience: when I made my first shawl, I was in such a hurry to finish it that I finished it at more than 2 a.m. and cast off quickly!
To realize the next day that this cast-off could be started again (and I assure you that I won't be caught out twice because unraveling a cast-off is far from being a piece of cake!)
7. Seventh mistake: not tucking in your wires!
I'm sure you have a piece of knitting lying around, buried deep in your basket, with the threads untucked. Or a sweater where you're subtly hiding the threads so no one knows it's not quite finished!
Because yes, it's not quite finished because weaving in the ends is part of the knitting process! It's what gives the final touch to the knitting!
Personally, I admit that I sometimes delay weaving in the ends of knits, but I often do it after blocking the piece in question and before taking the photos.
It must be recognized that there are still some pieces where you can refrain from weaving in the ends: for example, the jacquard tubes that you are going to graft, there is no need to weave in the ends, just cross them and make a knot and voilà! (this is what the knitters of the Shetland Islands do for jacquard pieces where there are a multitude of ends to weave in).
8. Eighth mistake: not taking a break while knitting!
Be careful, your hands are your working tool!
As hands are the working tools of information, of the cleaning lady, of the surgeon.
So you have to take care of it.
Remember to take regular breaks when knitting, every half hour, every hour, to get up, stretch your legs and why not? not doing physiotherapy for knitters?
9. Ninth mistake: not daring to unravel your current projects
I know, nothing worse than unraveling hours of work!
But as my grandmother used to say, doing and undoing is still work.
So don't hesitate to unravel a piece you don't wear, a sweater that's too small. Or the beginning of that shawl you started but don't like after all!
Wool is a noble and sometimes expensive material, so it's worth devoting it to something else!
And then, you will see, nothing is more liberating!
10. Tenth mistake: not taking enough time to think about your knitting
Take your measurements! Try it on while knitting! Lay your knitting down and look at it!
To make sure you haven't dropped a stitch, for example. To see if the sweater fits you and is the right size. To check if you haven't made a mistake. Because if you hate doing the previous stitch, taking a break and stepping back will save you the hassle of unraveling!
So here are a few brief mistakes that every knitter or crocheter has made at least once in their creative life!
Tell me in the comments what mistakes you have already made and if you want to know more, you can find this topic on my YouTube channel.
If you feel like sharing any comments and feedback, please feel free to do so below.
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See you soon,
Christelle
