Turning chains have a nasty habit of making the edges of project look bad, and the taller the stitch, the worse it gets. Fortunately, we can crochet without them using the technique in this tutorial. This double treble saves the trouble of starting chains and blends in better.

You can hold your cursor over the images to get a left-handed view.

To start, draw up the starting loop to the height of a dtr.

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This stitch replaces your traditional dc2tog when you want something that blends in more with the rest of your project. The invisible double crochet decrease gives your dc2tog the look of a dc and is less bulky than its traditional counterpart.

You can hover over the pictures for a left-handed view.

Yarn over as you normally would for a dc. Then insert your hook into the front loop only of each of the next two stitches.

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While I have never been to a formal beginner’s crochet class, I have been around a group of people who sat together and worked on their crochet projects. However, there was one person who instructed the others. She was obviously very skilled at what she did and the others in the group hung on to her every word as she gave them the basics of crochet.

When we see the word “class” we tend to think of the desk and chairs, perhaps a large table or desk the teacher sits behind, and everyone sitting around frightened, hoping they will not be called on to come to the blackboard.

One of the things I will share is that a crochet class does not have to be anything formal. If you wish to teach a class on crochet, do not be discouraged by what you would consider to be a ‘lack of knowledge’. More than likely, you’ve been crocheting for a long time and you do have a great amount of knowledge to share with beginners of this craft. You don’t have to possess a degree in order to share the basics of a craft that is near and dear to your heart.

All you have to do is have passion, a desire to share, and a desire to learn as well. Yes! You can learn something while you teach. Actually, teaching is one of the best ways to master something. Teaching offers you the opportunity to remember all that you have learned and along the way you may think about what you’re sharing in a different light.

Meanwhile, here are a few tips to help you get started on your teaching journey.
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If you come across a nice jewelry pattern in your search for things to crochet, it can be off-putting to realize you need more supplies if you happen to not have findings for jewelry already in your craft supply stash. But there’s no need to rush out and buy clasps or hold off on starting a project until you get some if you make clasps of your own.
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The Y stitch, as you can imagine is shaped like the letter Y. It is basically a treble with an extra double crochet wrapped around it. This is a fun stitch that you can use when crocheting blankets, clothes, bags, and just about anything you can imagine.

To see a left-handed view, mouse over the pictures.

To start your Y stitch, first work a treble crochet stitch

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Right off the bat, I must say, I am not talking about carry-on luggage here. I want to share some crochet ideas for the items we carry around with us all the time. What we carry around with us all day can be too heavy at times or simply not fashionable. How great would it be to create some things that will help us to carry the items we love and have a stylish look to them as well?

Here are a few ideas for carry-on crochet projects:
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Decreasing in filet crochet is incredibly simple. You either simply make the row shorter or start the row with slip stitches, and this works whether you’re decreasing on top of solid blocks or spaces.

To decrease at the beginning of the row, simply slip stitch in the number of stitches necessary. In a 4-dc mesh, you would be making a multiple of 3 + 1 sl sts. The last stitch you sl st in should be a dc (one of the outer stitches of a block). It will also be the st you make your turning chain in (counts as 1 dc)

7 slip stitches were used to decrease by 2 blocks.

Bruges lace is a technique that originated in Belgium that uses structure that consists of a ribbon/tape and chains on either side of the tape that create the lacy effect. This method of creating lace is actually quite simple, but can yield gorgeous results both alone and when mixed with other crochet techniques.

Here you can see a basic Bruges lace tape. If you look at it carefully, you can see that in its most basic form, it is a thin crocheted strip with extra long turning chains.

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I love to write. Writing has always been a fun thing for me to do ever since I was a child. It can also be quite cathartic as well. There are many different types of journals one can keep. The possibilities are endless – dream journal, cooking journal, self-help journal, and the list could go on and on.

However, I’d like to suggest that you start keeping a crochet journal.
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One manner of increasing and decreasing in filet crochet is be adding and subtraction blocks and the beginning or end of a row. It creates a step-like effect.

To increase at the beginning of a row, chain the appropriate number of stitches at the end of the previous row, make your starting chain, and then work into the chains you have added and the rest of the stitches across the row.
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