If you are here then you believe you could use some speed in how you crochet. Today i am going to give you some tips on how to crochet faster. Whether you’re planning on making your own blanket or creating a crocheted garment, it’s natural to want to pick up some speed as you’re crocheting. Luckily, there are several things you can do that will help you crochet faster. All it takes is a crochet hook, yarn, and a little bit of time. The more you practice, the faster you’ll be able to crochet!
Why do i crochet so slow?
Before you rule yourself out as a slow crochet, it is best to look at a few factors:
- Yarn used– If you are crocheting with thread yarn, fingering weight yarn or DK weight yarn then you cannot call yourself out for being slow.
- Size of the crochet project– You need to understand that some crochet projects take so much longer to make than do others. You are not slow, you just take on big crochet projects.
- Time spent to crochet– If you crochet for an hour or less in a day or week, then you cannot compare yourself to someone who crochets the whole day. You are spending way less time crocheting than they are.
Fastest Crochet Stitches
Personally i have come to find that these three are the fastest crochet stitches:
- Double Crochet
- Half double crochet
- Treble crochet
How To Crochet Faster
One thing i have come to learn about myself is: If the crochet project is taking too long, i will either leave it completely, add it to my WIP list or worse, frog it. All this happens because it is taking a bit longer than expected. And i personally believe this is why we always have WIPs. So to get rid of that, we will look at 15 tips on How to crochet faster not just for beginners
1. Be Patient
It will take a while to improve your crochet speed, especially if you are a beginner crocheter. You want to focus on mastering the basic stitches and get them on auto pilot before you can focus on speed.
If the only reason you want to crochet faster is because you see other people doing it, then cut yourself a break, comparison is the killer of all joy.
Crocheting is a skill, and like every other skill, it takes time to develop. Not everyone does it the same, so if you really give it the time, you will realise what really works for you and what does not.
2. Improve Your Technique
Personally, what i love to do before i start to crochet is to pull out several inches of yarn so that i a m not constantly pulling on my yarn ball. The idea is to reduce all obstacles because that could slow us down.
A challenge that i have noticed that comes with this tip is that when i pull too much yarn, it tends to get tangled up which then slows me down. An easier solution to this can be purchasing a yarn bowl. that way, you will just place you yarn in a bowl and there will be less pulling and de-tangling.
3. Hold The Hook Different
There are two main ways (not limited to) on how people hold the hook: Knife grip and pencil grip. Personally i do both. I find one is faster for certain stitches while the other is faster for other stitches.
The knife grip reduces tension for me and i crochet calmly without pulling on my muscles too much. Where as the pencil grip has me crocheting faster, however, i burn out faster. So you can have multiple ways of holding the crochet hooks as long as you are thinking about your health first before learning how to crochet faster.
4. Hold The Yarn Different
How you hold your yarn when crocheting can also tell you how long the crochet project will take you. Some methods take longer while other allow the yarn to flow and move freely.
Like i said earlier, crochet in the way that is best for you, but if speed is something you want to pick up on, then some methods might want to be left and new ones adopted.
Constantly wrapping yarn around the index finger compared to just letting it rest on your crochet finger can take so much time out of your crochet project as you have to do it every 3-4 stitches. If this comes naturally, then it might be hard to let go, but with practice, it is possible.
5. Place Your Yarn Where It Is Not Tangled Up
If you do not fancy purchasing yourself a yarn bow then this method will be easier and cheaper for you.
Pull up a few inches of the yarn you want to work with, not too much to avoid tangling, then work with that until you have to pull out some more inches again. I personally find this easier for me to work with as i am not constantly pulling on my yarn. and if you have pets (cats to be exact) they will constantly chase after the ball of yarn slowing you down in the progress.
6. Choose Faster Crochet Patterns
To be honest, you might not be slow at crocheting, you just pick big crochet projects that take time. I know i am guilty of that. I pick to crochet sweater and cardigans while using slow stitches then complain that it is taking too long.
Don’t be like me.
Pick easier and faster crochet projects that way, you will have more work done in less time.
However, if you are still like me and love making big crochet projects, then consider using the above tips to help you crochet faster.
7. Sit Comfortably
I do not know why this was not tip number one. I believe every crocheter that as been doing this for a while has that one chair that helps them crochet faster.
A very vital tip in learning how to crochet faster is to sit comfortably. If you put yourself in a position that has your back constantly hurting then you will find yourself constantly stopping to stretch your back and or feet.
Find a comfortable chair, this could even be on the floor, and crochet for long without body disturbances.
8. Crochet Often
Practice makes perfect. You may not be slow at crocheting but rather, you have not have enough time to master the craft.
If you have seen people crochet with their eyes closed or while watching a movie and you cannot imagine taking your eyes off the crochet project for just a second, then that is because you need more practice.
I do not trust myself to keep my eyes off my crochet work, but i do crochet while my mind drifts and do not miss or add a stitch.
Practice makes perfect.
9. Find Your Best Time
Crocheting while tired is a big NO!. I personally find that crocheting in the morning gives me more speed compared to crocheting at the end of a long day.
If you can, wake up 30 minutes earlier and try to crochet, see how that works for you.
10. Avoid Distractions
If you constantly have to get your dogs pr cats to stop playing with your yarn then that is a distraction. Learning how to crochet faster means getting rid of all distractions to create a less stressing crochet environment.
With that, i sign out.
I hope these 10 how to crochet faster tips have really helped you. I am a self taught crochet designer (with the help of YouTube) so over the years i have come to teach myself what works for me and what does not.
I did not cover all the tips on how to crochet faster, if you have something that works best for you, then i am going to ask you to share those tips in the comment section.
See these other crochet articles you might likes:
- 7 types of crochet hooks
- Beginner crochet granny square
- Best affordable crochet supplies
- Crochet Christmas sweaters
Great post.
thank you very much