Just another update!

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I'm in the hard core Christmas crafting where it's all still SUPER SECRET....  so I can't really divulge much, but let's just say I'm up to my eyeballs in crafts and LOVING it!!  I've got about 10-15 gifts more that I need to finish, and once Christmas passes, I'll be sharing tons!  I've got a lovely little pattern coming up for an earflap hat, one that has been done in many different ways.  I will be sharing it for free just because it's so easy that anyone can do it!  I also plan on trying to do my 30 days of hats (the one that I tried to do last year but life just got in the way) and will be doing those posts in january or February.... so keep your eyes out for those as well!

Also be on the look out for our typical holiday crafting tutorials, this year we'll be making soap, bath salts, cookie and soup mixes in jars and raspberry jelly with raspberries that we saved from our garden this summer!  We also plan on making some custom wrapping paper this year! :)
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Whew! Busy Times!

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Never did I really think that I would be this busy in October and November!!!  I just shot a wedding a little over a week ago and am still working on editing that and then have two weddings coming up next month!  Not to mention all the halloween crafting!  (There's gonna be a separate post on how I made my daughters costume coming within the next couple of days!)

Christmas Crafting will be our next focus, over the next two months.  Expect to see lots of fun craft tutorials (lots of stuff to do with your kids!) and many fun gifts to be posted!

Is there anything special that you would like to see from LiLu Studios this Christmas season?
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How To Crochet Series: Episode 7, Advanced Stitches

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Now after you've mastered the Intermediate techniques, the world is really your oyster.  You are ready for almost anything that can be thrown at you and I'm sure that many good things are to come!  Take advantage of the following resources to learn about and discover more interesting crochet techniques!

Here is a list of a ton of stitches for your reference

After trying some intermediate patterns, you might be ready to attempt arigurami, complex afghans, gloves and clothing!

www.crochetpatterncentral.com
www.mypicot.com
www.lionbrand.com
www.redheart.com
www.bernat.com
www.ravelry.com


I hope that this tutorial series has helped you get a better grasp for what to do and where to look for more information.  Also, don't be afraid to use your google skills and look up videos on youtube or more help.  It's available out there and you no longer need your mom to teach you how!!!

Enjoy the art of crocheting! :)



Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
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How To Crochet Series: Episode 6, Intermediate Stitches and Projects

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Once you feel like you've mastered the simple stitches, joining, finishing off and working in rows, you might ask yourself what is next?  There's much much more- and some things may seem like they belong in the beginner section... but remember, a beginner in crochet needs to learn how to work flat first, how to do the simple most basic things before moving on to things with dimension, difficult stitches and more confusing patterns.

Crocheting in the Round

The first thing I want to talk about is crocheting in the round.  This essentially means you work in a circular fashion, not usually turning your work at the end of the row, just building up from it.  This is the most common way to make a hat.  Granny squares work in the round, even though they look like they are working in straight lines.
My favorite way to begin working in the round is with the magic ring method.  Here is another link on a different way to do the magic ring.
Here is another way to work in the round:
The Joined Rows Method

Increasing and Decreasing
Some patterns may not make a simple shape and may call for you to add or remove stitches from a row.  You can't just drop it, or make one appear, so what do you do?
How to Increase and Decrease

Intermediate Stitches

Stitching on the Post (otherwise known as Front Post (FP) or Back Post (BP))
Puff Stitch
Popcorn Stitch

you should now be ready to attempt projects such as hats, mittens, pot holders, and granny square or regular intermediate level afghans.


Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
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How To Crochet Series: Episode 5, Finishing off and Joining Together

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Now that you've completed your pattern and it tells you to Finish (or Fasten) off, what do you do?
It's very easy, depending on what you are wanting to do.  If you are just finishing off for the end of the pattern, follow this link:
Fastening off
If you are joining a new color or if you ran out of yarn and need to add another ball, follow this link:
Joining a new color or a new ball of yarn 

Of course, there are now those silly little strings left from where you snipped everything, and you need to work those into the piece.  This is called Weaving in the Ends.  There are a couple different ways to do it, if you are joining pieces together, you can either use the ends to join (if you left them long enough) or you can hide the ends under your seams, or you can just use a yarn needle to hide those ends into the piece.  Here are a couple of links on how to use a yarn needle to hide your ends.

Weaving in Ends 1
Weaving in Ends 2

Now lets say that you are working on a larger piece, where you have multiple pieces to fasten together.  You're going to want to figure out what style is best for you to get the appearance that you would like.  Each method produces a varying look that will depend on your color of yarn, and how the pieces are joined together.  There are some ways of joining that create a nice pattern between the motifs, and others that are meant to be hidden.  It's all just a matter of personal preference and how you would like the pieces to join together.  I've included links to all of the varying methods that I know of, and they all include pictures of how the stitches will look when worked together.

Joining Pieces:
I'm sure that if you play around, you can find one that you like!  Do you remember those gauges that you made (or that I hope you made) a couple tutorials ago?  This would be a good thing to practice with these squares.  Take each one and join them with a different type of joining and see which ones you like and which ones you don't!  It also makes a great reference if you label each seam with which style that you did, and then in the future, you can reference it to see which one you like for the project you are currently working on!


Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
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