A Guest Post by Stacey Trock.

When making amigurumi and other crocheted toys, one thing you’re going to have to do is sew pieces together, such as attach a leg to a body. Here’s how I do it, step-by-step.

First, you will crochet the pieces according to the instructions in the pattern. I’ve crocheted a little blue head and a yellow beak. As instructed, I left a long tail when I fastened off the beak, and I’m going to use this yarn to attach the beak to the head. To attach pieces, you’re also going to need a tapestry needle, also known as a yarn needle.

Thread the tapestry needle with the long tail of the piece that you want to attach. The first thing I do is I pull the tail through the next stitch on the beak, as pictured below. Doing this isn’t necessary, but it helps to hide the little knot that you get from fastening off.

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Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’m sure you want to spend more time outside rather than being cooped up in your house. Crocheting is known way too much for being the hobby that’s done on your couch in front of the TV, but it doesn’t have to be. Why not take your crochet with you wherever you go? Carry it along in a convenient bag or container and find an enjoyable place to crochet outside. Here are ideas of places to go to crochet and enjoy the beautiful nature of the outdoors.

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A Guest Post by Ivory Herman.

Do you remember the days when you just learned how to read a crochet pattern? For me it was exciting to be able to do something besides a scarf or blanket. I had to teach myself because there were no family members or friends of mine who knew how to read a pattern! It was a whole new world; however, it had many roads leading to frustration and fits of rage because my project wasn’t turning out right or I couldn’t understand the author of the pattern.

Here are a few tips that I would like to pass on in order to help you better read your crochet patterns.
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A Guest Post by Sarah Maccarelli. It’s upsetting to hear people say, “It’s cute, but what is it?” when referring to something you spent a lot of time and effort to make. I’m writing this article today to inform you that all those adorable, crocheted items really can be functional. All it takes is a little creative thinking.

I enjoy making all sorts of crocheted items, including obviously functional scarves, handbags, and jewelry. On the flip side, amigurumi animals and other cute items are so much faster and easier to make, but they can do more than just sit on a shelf and look cute.
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A Guest Post by Renske de Busschere.

You just finished crocheting all parts of your amigurumi. So now you are ready to stuff them. This is a very important part of your work, because it determines what your finished doll will look like. I want to share some tips to help you get the best result.

First of all, stuffing actually begins before you even start with your amigurumi, by choosing the right crochet hook. You want to crochet as tight as possible, so the chance your filling will be showing through your crochet work is minimum. The tighter you crochet, the bigger hook you can use. For example, I am a very loose crocheter so I always choose a very small crochet hook.

Now back to your finished amigurumi parts. You have to use the right filling. Of course you can buy doll materials like fiberfill in your local shop but I like to use a more budget friendly version, filling from old cushions. I think it works great.

Try to stuff your amigurumi with one piece of filling, instead of adding a piece after piece. If you would add little pieces, your amigurumi would become very lumpy.

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Need help teaching a friend to crochet? Great! You’ve come to the right place. In this post I’ll share with you 8 tips to help you teach someone to crochet. From my own experiences, I’ve learned quite a bit, from situations that went horrible wrong to those that went right. Hopefully, these tips will give you more confidence in teaching others to crochet. There can never be enough crocheters in the world!

1. Demonstrate first. If someone has no clue how to crochet, it may be a good idea to just show them before he/she even picks up the hook. Do a few rows, just so your student can get a visual of what crocheting looks like. He/she will be able to see how your hands and yarn move.
2. Skip the technicalities, work on the basics. Don’t get caught up with the technical aspects of crochet. The chances that a newbie would actually remember are slim. Plus, too much information can be mind boggling! Just stick to the basics stitches and once your student gets the hand of it you can move on.
3. Go slow. Everyone learns at their on speed. Start off slow so that your student can see exactly what you are doing. If need be, you can even work in slow motion. Once your student starts to get the hang of crochet, you can start to work faster.
4. Give step by step instructions. Remember to give all the instructions. As an avid crocheter, you may overlook even the smallest steps because you’re so used to doing it.
5. Use proper terms. It will be easier for the student later, if you use proper terms now. Try to avoid describing steps by saying “that thingy”. When your student is familiar with crochet terms, it will be easier to learn more techniques and read crochet patterns in the future.
6. Don’t be boring. The fastest way to make your student run away is to make crocheting seem boring! Just about anything can be crocheted, from toys, bags, clothing, and blankets. With so many options crocheting is definitely not boring. You may want to start with a small project that your student wants to crochet.
7. Use tutorials. You don’t have to be an encyclopedia of crochet instructions! You can use tutorials such as the ones on Crochet Spot to assist you in teaching. Here are some great tutorials that you can use for beginners (both left and right handed): Learning to Crochet.
8. Be patient. I’m sure there will be moments of frustration, especially if you are teaching someone who is brand new to crocheting. Just be patient and you and your student will have a good time!

Do you have a tip for teaching crochet you would like to share? Leave it as a comment for others to read!

For those who have asked so kindly for detailed step by step photos of the Peace Sign Crochet Pattern, here it is! To see all the pattern specifications see the original pattern. This tutorial still requires you to know how to crochet the stitches and will not go into detail about every single stitch. If you need need help with the stitches or crochet language, check out the crochet abbreviations chart, since it has links to the stitch tutorials.

This tutorial is for both right and left handed people. For left handed pictures, roll your mouse over the image and it will change for you.

Round 1: ch 13

tr in first ch made

Since I’ve been blogging, designing and selling crochet patterns for a while, I’ve had the opportunity to help lots of people with crochet questions. I love helping people if they need it, but I have come across many people who do not know exactly how to ask for help. Here are some tips that I think will be helpful if you would like to ask me or any other crochet designer for crochet help:

Ask the right person. Every crochet pattern is written by a designer or owned by a person or company. If your pattern is written by me (Rachel Choi) then obviously you should ask me for help. Whoever designed or owns the pattern is the person who you should ask for help, being that he/she would know the most about it.

Indicate exactly what you need help with. The key word here is exactly. Don’t just say you need help, or that you’re confused. Tell the person exactly what section of a row you do not understand. You can even place the instructions that you need help with in quotation marks so the person knows exactly where to help you.

Be quick and to the point. Do not ramble on about who knows what. Be concise. Your message with your question should be 4 sentences or less. If you cannot write it that short, then you’re probably rambling.

Remember to ask the question. Too many times someone would say they need help, but forgets to ask the question. A question, if you remember from grade school has a question mark at the end. It is not a statement telling me how confused you are. If you’re going to ask for help, remember to ask the question.

Crocheting is suppose to be fun, not a pull your hair out experience! If you need help, just ask. Simple as that.

If you are looking to go green, crocheting can be a fun way to do so! There are all sorts of things you can crochet while helping the environment. You can crochet reusable items to replace things you would normally toss out. Also, try turning everyday items into yarn, such as plastic bags, old T-shirts or VHS tapes. By recycling materials and reusing your crocheted items, not only can you help the environment, you will be save money along the way! Here are some ideas to get started! Feel free to add you own ideas, by leaving them as a comment.

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Addictions have a reputation for being bad. Well, if it’s drugs or something like that, maybe it is. But who ever said that being addicted to crochet is a bad thing? I certainly don’t thing so. But if you do, we can make a “Crochet Addicts Anonymous” group just for you. To determine if you are a crochet addict, simply read the symptoms below.

Symptoms of a Crochet Addict

• You’re proud to be called a “hooker”.
• You have a room for your yarn, not a shelf or a draw, you have an entire room.
• When someone greets you they start off by say, “What are you knitting?”
• You have more crochet hooks and patterns than you can count or will ever use.
• You have a designated crochet bag that you carry projects in, and the bag isn’t small.
• You always keep a crochet project in your car or at work, just in case you have some down time.
• Your hands get fidgety when you go a day without crocheting (as if you would ever do that).
• You have a play list of music or movies that’s called, “Play While Crocheting”.
• You memorized when the major yarn stores have discounts and coupons.
• You crochet with things other than yarn, such as plastic bags, cassette tape, duck tape, t-shirts, etc.
• You’ve learned to die yarn with Kool-aid and spin yarn out of your pet’s hair.
• You wear one of those necklace medallions that cuts your yarn for you.
• Your number of WIPs (works in progress) and UFOs (unfinished objects) keeps multiplying, and you blame it on your cat/dog/spouse.
• You are crocheting while reading this post.

Are you a crochet addict?
Do you have a symptom to add to the list?