Best and Worst Crochet Projects
By Rachel Choi – 11 CommentsRecently I got an email from a reader who suggested this topic as a fun ramble, so here it is! We all have encountered some fun crochet projects and probably some not so great ones. So the question is, what is your best and worst crochet projects?
Personally, my best crochet project was my crochet hamburger coasters, because I was able to have a blast crocheting them, while still stretching my creativity and being simple at the same time. My worst crochet project was probably my crochet egg. It wasn’t really hard to crochet, but it was hard for me to design at the time. Feel free to read The Making of an Egg ramble.
What about you? What would you say is your best crochet project and your worst crochet project? If you would like to share a picture, feel free to add it to the Crochet Spot Facebook page and label it “Best and Worst Crochet Projects”.
Well, my worst crochet project to date is actually a poorly written but simple pattern for a flowered Cloche from Lion Brand. When I asked them for clarification on their pattern (it was really vague and being a newbie to crochet I was not used to how people who write patterns just assume you know what’s going on and leave things out like turning, joining or repeating rounds). When I wrote emailed Lion Brand about it they were really rude, elitist jerks. I was so turned off by their customer service and pattern that I now refuse to use their products. =/
My favorite project was actually making my hook case. It was all around a great experience and it came out very cute/pretty. :3 ( http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Delacya/crochet-hook-case ) I plan on making a couple more of my own design soon.
I’m not really a fan of lion brand patterns either. I was crocheting one of their bags and it just didn’t turn out right and they wouldn’t help me when I tried to ask for help. On the other hand, my best project was actually one of Rachel’s patterns here on Crochet Spot. It was the piano scarf which I made for my daughter. Rachel was great with helping me with all my silly questions. What a blessing!
I think the worst thing I have made is a sweater. I had crocheted/knitted one of the front sides. Then I started on the next side. I think I had to pull it out 10 times. It was always longer than my other side… But I finally got it done and just in time for Easter too!
My best project would have to be a wedding dress I croccheted for my sister’s American Girl Doll. That was a lot of fun!
I tried making the elephant from the Lion Brand free Amigurumi patterns. It came out soooooo sad. I also did not exactly get the eyes correct. I think it is my worst project to date. lol
My worst crochet project is probably my baby blanket that i am making. I started that thing about two years ago and I have still yet to finish it because I’m just to busy and get distracted by making much smaller things.
The best crochet project I have ever worked on is probably my original designed fox hat for a character cosplay from the TV show Naruto. It took me only two days and came out very cute. pic at: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j2klBojm7as/S_nTpbCyagI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/6FHO1IaxYoM/s1600/P1000843.JPG
(:
One of my worst projects was making slippers, when I was quite new to crocheting. When I used to knit things like that, I would knit the two at once to make sure they were the same size. The first one was a breeze, the second one got pulled out more than once.!
I love making Rachels Roses. So easy to do and can look really spectacular.
I have never used Lion Brand patterns, but it seems that a lot of you have had problems with them?
My worst was a pair of slippers made with craft yarn. They did not stretch at all! My most frustrating was an afghan pattern called Virginia Reel from Red Heart leaflet J27-0005 Home Style. I paid $6.00 for the leaflet and the pattern was useless. I emailed them asking for corrections, and the corrections were still wrong! Anyone who knows basic math could see the mistakes. I scrapped the whole thing.
I cannot choose a favorite! There are so many that I love. My most recent best was a throw called Enchanted Lace. It came out beautifully! The pattern is in the book by Leisure Arts called Afghans by the Alphabet. It’s on my Ravelry page.
Keep up the good work Rachel!
My best crochet project to date is a cute ” bear afghan” with @ 20 little 3-D bear heads(you stuff the heads with fiberfill) each wearing a blue bow tie. It took me @ 3 yrs. to complete this project ( you know how you pick up and put down a project while also working on other projects)
I made it for my 3 yr. old daughter, who said, “It’s nice mom, but it’s not pink (her favorite color).” She’s almost 7 yrs. old now and still waiting on her “pink” afghan.
(pattern from Leisure Arts Color-Bright Creatures 8 Awesome Animal Afghans)
My worst project was my first attempt ever at crocheting clothing. Vanna’s Elegant Evenings Tunic, turned out less “elegant” and more “Cousin It like” (Addams Family), due to the fact that I used the wrong weight yarn(it stretched) and I didn’t bother to check the guage before beginning.
The openwork design actually was beautiful and it would have looked great on someone with extremely long arms and a very short wide torso. 🙂 Anyway, not wanting to waist such beautiful
raspberry colored yarn, I ripped it out and made a shawl.
I think the most fun thing/s I ever crocheted were 3 bears from the “Itty Bitty Animals” book. Were supposed to use #10 thread, but I used #5, so they weren’t as itty bitty as they would have been, but just the right size for my purposes. They were about 5-6 inches tall. One was a ballerina, another a chef, and the third was a Yankee Doodle Dandy! They turned out so cute and were so fast to make. I made them as a gift for a bear collecting friend, and she adored them! The worst is a coat I’m STILL trying to make…was supposed to be a Christmas present for my almost sister last year. I was doing great guns…did the back just fine. Then started on one of the front pieces, and no matter what I did, it didn’t come out right. I plugged along till I got 6 or 7 inches done, but it just doesn’t look right. It is a ripple pattern, and the front edges are just funky. I ripped and redid, ripped and redid, etc, etc, till I just sat down and studied the pattern and did the math…and voila! there is no way that it would work! Hmm. I can’t remember where I got the pattern….wonder if it is Lion Brand? Anyway, I have sworn to get it back out and have another go at it for this Christmas. I’ll figure out something, and try to make it look the same on both sides!
My best and worst was a red, white and blue afghan that you weaved chains together to make it look like stars. Now that is done it is so pretty. But seriously it took at least 5 yrs because I kept leaving and going back. I found out at the end I should have weaved as I went because it had these 2 to 4 hdc w/ 15chains in between it looked like some weird skirt and was impossible to work with. Once I started weaving it was much better just alot of safety pins holding it all together!
My worst project actually ended up being my best! Several years ago I learned how to make “plarn” plasic bag yarn. I remember how people that made the bread wrapper rugs back in the day, so I thought I could crochet a rug with the plarn. I started with a chain of about 20 stitches and I crocheted down one side and back up the other. I was going to make me an oval rug! But it had been years since I crocheted and I forgot the importance of increasing on the ends to make the piece lay flat. So after several rows, I noticed that the “rug” was looking more like a elongated basket. I stopped and thought, I really don’t want to tear this apart, what can I do with it? I decided to keep going and after the skinny basket was about 6 inches tall, I finished it off and I made 2 chains of about 50 stitches and attached them on either side of the “tall basket” and made a purse! Since then I have learned to make the chain stitch handle on the last row so I don’t have to attach them later. Now I make purses all the time. I make them in all sizes from barbie size to large totes. So that is how my worst project turned into by best.