Practice

One of our tae kwon do instructors said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." That's fine for tae kwon do, but it sets the bar too high for crocheting. Yarn is a forgiving medium. A mistake, or 'it just doesn't look right' is easily fixed. Just unravel it. Sometimes, you can increase or decrease in the next row or round to fix the mistake and get back to the correct number of stitches for the pattern. I've done that when it's just too frustrating to unravel several rows or rounds.

             Close up of pineapple afghan

              Pineapple pattern afghan
I find I usually unravel mistakes, because after spending HOURS making an afghan or baby blanket or doily, I want it to be perfect. Even if no one else would ever find the mistake, I can.

 I've been told I hold my hook incorrectly. I was 5 when I learned. I hadn't been to school to learn how to hold a pencil, so I clutched that hook in the only way my developing small muscle skills would let me. After over 50 years of crocheting this way, I get too frustrated holding the hook the "correct" way.

Too slow! My finished projects look the same no matter how I hold my hook. Yarn is a forgiving medium.

About yarn: When you go to the craft section of Wal-Mart or K-Mart or the yarn/thread section of Hobby Lobby or Michael's, you'll see lots of choices. Fuzzy or bumpy yarn looks so fun and interesting. I think they are a major pain to work.

At the top, it says "worsted". Your pattern will say what weight to use. Below and to the right of the heart, it says "No Dye Lot. That means that if you don't buy enough yarn to finish your project, you can buy more and it will match. Different dye lots can (and sometimes DO) look like different colors.