Wet blocking is an easy way to work with natural fibers, but for acrylic, it often isn’t enough. Blocking acrylic with heat is commonly referred to as “killing” acrylic. It’s a handy thing to know how to do, and it’s important to do properly because once it’s done, it can’t go back to its original shape. Blocking is great for getting the edges or shaping you want on a project, and stretching the acrylic while blocking can actually give a finished project more drape.

Killing acrylic with heat works with the fact that acrylic is plastic and it melts and deforms when heat is applied to it. You are manipulating the fibers while they are in a more manageable state. It’s much different from wet blocking or heat blocking wool and other natural fibers, which is more akin to wet setting or heat styling hair.
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We spend a lot of time working, playing, surfing the Internet, and networking. But I’ve found there’s one other thing we do a lot of and that’s eating good food. Who doesn’t love a good meal, whether alone, with co-workers, or family and friends?

While there are tons of kitchen items we can crochet, we have plenty of patterns available to us for the ambience surrounding our mealtimes throughout the day. Particularly, we should consider crochet items that add a bit of style and beauty to our breakfast, lunch, or dinner time.
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Treble crochet stitches are great because they add height to a piece quickly, but their airiness makes them more suited for lace than projects that need a more solid fabric. Linking the stitches lets you add height quickly while producing a solid, warm project. The swatches below have a row of traditional treble crochet stitches on top of a row of linked treble crochet stitches.

If you need to see a left-handed view, hover your cursor over the pictures.

The linked treble crochet stitch is made using the horizontal loops in the treble crochet stitch.

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Crochet and yoga is not such an unlikely pair. I have realized throughout my time as a crocheter and as a yogini that there are many fun crochet projects that can be enjoyed by a yoga practitioner.

Yoga is about meditation. Crochet as an activity is very meditative. So in that way particular the two come together nicely. Just the act of allowing yourself to be in the moment of your crochet projects is like yoga. You learn how to surrender to the process of creating the project from an idea or pattern to a tangible item.
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Starting chains can be pretty annoying when you want a straight edge. They can really take away from the look of a scarf or blanket that doesn’t have any edging around it. Luckily, you can get rid of them with this variation of a double crochet stitch. Now you can get the height and the first stitch all in one.

You can hover over the images to get a left-handed view.

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

Holding the loop still with your finger, yarn over with the loop. You now have three loops on the hook.

Yarn over, pull through two loops. You now have two loops on the hook.

Yarn over, pull through remaining two loops.

Now you can skip the first dc (you already made it) and continue normally unless the chain counts as a dc in your pattern.

If you need any help, feel free to ask questions in the comment section.

There are mothers and grandmothers who are affectionately and intently crocheting as we speak. They are trying out new hooks, yarns, patterns, and they are blessing us with their creations.

In addition, the crocheting mothers and grandmothers of the world are passing down this wonderful craft to us, whether directly or indirectly. They are giving us something to remember them by, even if we don’t recognize it at first.
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If you crochet, at some point, I’m sure you’ve heard of prayer shawls. The first time I ever heard of them was at the Unity Church I attended years ago.

Instantly, I was in love with this particular crochet creation. I realized right away that it wasn’t about religion; it was about spending time with an activity I love to share something nice with someone else. It was all about giving.
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Shaping is a very important concept in crochet, especially when it comes to wearables. Knowing how to manipulate shape comes in handy for designing and altering patterns to get the best fit. This guide is a handy reference for anyone who needs to add a little extra or take anything away.

Increasing and decreasing are common ways of adding shape to projects. Patterns such as chevrons and ripple afghans take advantage of the properties of these techniques to create points and undulating curves. Decreases make downward points, while increases create upward points.

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Sometimes you just don’t want to use regular joining methods to add another ball of yarn to your project. That’s where the Russian Join comes in. It is practically invisible and there’s no worrying about how to work the stitches in transition from one ball to another.

Thread a yarn needle with your current color. Weave the needle through the yarn.

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As we all know, crochet is a wonderful way to relax, make new friends, and create all kinds of practical items. As I started thinking about this, I thought about traditions. While we live in a world that is rapidly changing and we’re all learning how to embrace new ways of thinking and doing things there are still a few things we can honor along the way…through the art of crocheting.
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