Which techniques do you find really difficult or complicated?

Dear users and authors,
what are you struggling with right now? Which techniques do you find difficult or complicated?
Let me know. Maybe someone will be able to give you a few tips.

I don’t really find anything that difficult. Basically, with all needlework techniques, the main thing is simply to do them. Some techniques require more concentration than others.
What I personally don’t really like to knit are bobbles. I find they’re easiest to do with a crochet hook, but they’re still the fiddliest stitch I know.

I always have trouble when I have to unravel something while knitting a lace pattern. My stitches often fall off, and I can’t find the yarn overs anymore. It takes forever to fix something like that. I’d almost rather just leave the mistakes in. Once, I had to rip out the entire front of a sweater because I couldn’t get the pattern right anymore. 

@ ruthk

When I make mistakes in a lace pattern, I always tink back all the stitches. It may be slower, but I don’t drop any stitches.

Yeah, you’re right! I always think that unraveling is faster than unpicking, but in the end, it takes just as long—or even longer—until you’ve picked up all the stitches again!

Actually, I can do ALMOST anything—my grandma taught me needlework, and that was over 60 years ago. Now I want to make a crocheted animal for the first time—not an amigurumi, but one from a beautiful book. It’s supposed to be big; I have the pattern and the materials (and have had them for almost two years), and yet it feels like something that doesn’t belong in my hands. Does anyone else feel this way? As for stitches, I try to avoid crocheting crab stitches as much as possible—somehow my hands just aren’t cut out for them; I always have trouble getting the knot out of my fingers. If I can, I turn the piece over and work single crochet stitches on the other side, find a border that fits, or leave it out altogether. Even YouTube and Google haven’t been able to help me with that, but you don’t have to be able to do everything.

Sewing!
Generally speaking, I just can’t do it—
neither with a machine (I have one) nor by hand.
My mom always wanted to teach me, and my husband would be happy if I could mend my own torn pants, but it’s just not my thing. All that fiddly work with the thin thread and those nasty, prickly needles....

@renate-plaumann: You’ve got me curious: What kind of crocheted animal is it if it isn’t an amigurumi? How should I picture it? :)

As for what I’m not good at, I totally agree with you... crab stitches. Yuck. I’m always glad when the row is over. 

Nadeleule, I totally get it. I’m really clumsy with a needle, too. Sewing on a button and doing minor sewing jobs is fine, but making whole garments like my mom can… that’s just not happening! I’d rather stick to my yarn.

For me, knitting cables is a nightmare ... I can do it, but I knit super tightly. That makes moving the stitches onto an extra needle and then knitting them from there really awful. Especially with squeaky acrylic yarn or mohair ... uuuuaaaaaah ...

Sewing is something I also avoid as much as possible.
There’s still the problem with thread tension on the machine.

I just can’t get the hang of crab stitches either.
When I run into that, I turn the project around too.

I can only embroider on canvas.

Lace-making looks great.
However, my fingers would get tangled up instead of the bobbins.

It seems I’m in good company here: I’m not great at crab stitches either—they turn out so uneven and feel unnatural to work! I also don’t like knitting three stitches together—I often end up missing one of the three! I’m (still) having a bit of trouble sewing with the serger—I’d like to learn more in a class.

Sewing with a machine is a nightmare for me. If I manage to thread it and it’s just supposed to go straight, it works a little bit (though “my straight line” takes a few curves...).

Hand sewing goes pretty well. I’ve even sewn curtains for an entire apartment by hand. I can also sew zippers by hand, but I can’t do it at all with a machine.

I’d love to be able to sew something for myself sometime, but when I think about cutting out the fabric and all that, I come out in spots.

Bobbin lace is so wonderful. But I’m just as unlikely to try my hand at that as I am at tapestry.

I’ve done a lot of embroidery, but it’s not really my thing either. And if they’re counted patterns, they’ll never get finished (like my sailboat picture) because I just can’t get the hang of it.

Well, I can’t sew either, that’s true. I almost forgot :-)