Overcoming Crafting Challenges: How?

Dear users and authors,
which technique did you find most difficult, and how did you overcome those challenges?
Tell me about it. 

As the saying goes:
Practice makes perfect!
And that’s exactly it—keep trying again and again, and maybe watch several videos on the topic, since everyone explains things differently; you might not understand one at all but get the next one right away.
I’ve often received help here in the forum myself, and I’ve also been able to help others.

And you should stay calm. If you start to get impatient, set the project aside and do something completely different for a while.

Thanks, Nadeleule.
Any other opinions?

I’m too clumsy and too slow to handle a set of double-pointed needles. Sure, I could have practiced. But then I bought CraSy Trios, and now it’s a breeze!

Ugh, a set of double-pointed needles and I are never going to be friends either. I knit hats or wrist warmers using two short 50 cm circular needles.

Tunisian crochet isn’t for me. Working off stitches forever just so it looks like knitting? Then I’d rather just knit straight away - it’s faster.

I really had to practice knitting cables, and it only worked once I found the right cable needle. The other needles kept slipping out.

Anja, I had the same problem with cable needles at first, too. Now I only use really inexpensive plastic ones with that “U”-shaped loop
—they’re not as slippery, and thanks to the indentation, no stitch slips off anymore. I’m using them again right now, too.

I have trouble sewing pieces together, especially when I need to match up stripes! I also struggle with knitting edges or cuffs: too few or too many stitches, holes (in round necklines). Sometimes it just takes a few tries before it works out. 

Wollbaerli, Christina

Why not try the following for necklines (knitting)?
Crochet a round of slip stitches (you’ll see right away how it looks), then pick up those stitches onto your knitting needles and knit the neckline directly—it looks great and leaves no holes.

I read about it once and gave it a try; it’s really easy.

@Nadeleule: I had the U-shaped things first. These are even better for me: 

@Anja
I hadn’t heard of that one yet; thanks for the tip :)

@Wollefaden: Thanks for the tip, I’ll be happy to try it out. With scarves and the like that are currently in progress, luckily that problem doesn’t come up at all; at most it’s about stitches being too loose at the edge. How do you actually knit the knot edge: knit the last st, slip the first st knitwise, or do you knit all edge stitches (either knit or purl each time)?

For a knotted selvedge, I always knit all edge stitches.
It sews up beautifully, and the seam isn’t as bulky.

I do it in different ways.
Sometimes I just slip the first edge stitch and knit the last one, or I knit both edge stitches.

For a knotted edge, I always knit the first and last stitches, either normally or through the back loop.

For a chain edge, I knit the last stitch (through the back loop) and slip the first stitch purlwise.

Thank you so much for your tips! With the scarf I just finished, it annoys me that the knit stitch after the edge stitch turned out too loose, even though I pulled it nice and tight. Next time I’ll ignore the pattern and knit both stitches again (with the Swiss edge, purl; it should be even firmer).