Crochet Mistakes: Beginner Mistakes in Crochet // Common Crochet Mistakes

Dear users, dear authors,
What are some common mistakes people make when crocheting, and how can they be avoided?

I’d say the first mistake could be as early as the foundation chain. Because if you crochet it too tightly, you won’t get a good result right from the start. Also, the next row won’t be loose and easy to crochet if you have to insert the hook into stitches that are too small.

There are many crochet pros here who can surely point out a few other mistakes. I’m curious to hear what they have to say.

Speaking of foundation chains... When you need to crochet a long foundation chain that will be closed into a ring, it’s easy for the chain to twist.
To prevent this, simply crochet a few chain stitches, then remove the hook and insert it into the first chain stitch. Leave the hook in the foundation chain and continue crocheting along the foundation chain, which will now stay straight.
There’s also a helpful video on YouTube by Claudetta Crochet.

Great, Ruth, that’s a good tip. Thanks for that!
One question about that: What do you mean by “... then the hook comes out ...”?

Thanks, Ruth—I didn’t know that either!

A beginner’s mistake that isn’t directly related to crocheting, but can still be very frustrating:
Not giving enough thought to the materials, etc.
  Often, for example, you think: “Oh, a gauge swatch—what’s that? I don’t need it!”
You just start crocheting according to the pattern, using whatever yarn and hook you have on hand… And end up with a circus tent instead of a doll’s dress.

A similar mistake is skimping on materials.
As a beginner, I only used the cheapest yarn I could find and thought it wouldn’t make any difference anyway.
Once I finally got my hands on some decent yarn, I realized it does make a difference—and you shouldn’t skimp in the wrong places.
Good materials are easier to work with and result in a better-looking finished piece.
So you benefit both while you’re working on it and in the end, when it’s finished :) 

Oh, and that reminds me of another beginner’s mistake: biting off more than you can chew.

Maybe your first project shouldn’t necessarily be a wedding dress made with the fillet crochet technique—it’s better to start small.
Small successes are motivating, while seemingly impossible patterns tend to be frustrating at the beginning.

It’s better to pick out small, relatively simple projects. They bring a sense of accomplishment and make you proud :) 

Using the wrong yarn.
There are some types of yarn—such as fuzzy yarns—that work well for knitting but cause problems when crocheting because the stitches are barely visible or not visible at all.

Crocheting rectangles: it sounds simple, but it can end up trapezoidal even though all the stitches were worked each time.
To prevent this, insert the hook for the last stitch of each row just a little bit lower.

Monika, I tried it. It works great.

Thanks for the photos, Wollefaden. I was just about to post some myself to illustrate the point.

Thanks, Ruth, for the tip.

I’ve read about it before but have never tried it.

Aaahhhh, now I get it! Thanks, Marion, for the photos, and thanks to you, Ruth, for the tip. That’s really helpful.

I just always need pictures to understand things. That’s why I ended up here in the first place. ;-)

We’re already a great team here.

It’s nice when we can help each other out.

Yes, Marion, I agree. :)

I think the most common beginner’s mistake is forgetting the turning chains when crocheting in rows and not counting the stitches in every row. This often results in uneven and crooked edges. It’s also important to crochet the stitches evenly and tightly, but that takes patience and practice. First, you need to figure out whether you crochet more tightly or loosely and then adjust the hook size if necessary. That means if your stitches are too tight, it’s better to use a larger hook size than specified, and if they’re too loose, you should try a smaller hook size.

Nadeleule, you’ve hit the nail on the head! I see this with my students—they easily end up with a trapezoid or something similar instead of a rectangle! Often it’s due to a lack of concentration, and sometimes it’s because the stitches are crocheted too tightly, causing them to be skipped in the next row.
Thanks for the tip on preventing twisted chain stitches—that was completely new to me, and thanks to the video, I got the hang of it!

The tip about making sure the foundation chain doesn’t twist when joining it into a ring is great—I didn’t know that one either.

I just crochet the first row back in single crochet and then join everything into a ring.

I think (hahaha, I remember!) that it’s sometimes hard to clearly identify the first and last stitches to be crocheted. Take double crochet, for example: you make the 3 turning/chain stitches and immediately crochet another double crochet onto the one from the previous row, because you want to make sure to crochet into every double crochet in the next row. Conversely, you then don’t crochet one into the 3rd turning chain at the end of the row, because that’s not a double crochet ;-) and it just kind of hangs there. Then, even though the count might be right, it still ends up crooked...