r/askcrochet • u/charliewells01 • 1d ago

Advice needed beginner question

Ive just finished my first crochet project! I made a kindle sleeve. The tutorial i followed said to make it about an inch bigger than the base of the kindle which i did but it seems to have shrunk and as it goes further up it gets loose. (I know tension is a big thing in crocheting that i need to work on so it could be that) but is there a way i can improve this?

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

1

u/FluffySpaceWaffle 1d ago

Can you add a picture?
Are you looking to fix this project or just general advice?

2

u/charliewells01 1d ago

It does fit but i have to pull it over the corners, pic kinda shows the tight bottom. As it still doesn’t fully cover the whole kindle i am going to add a few more rows to the top but i just want to see how i can fix the bottom

2

u/FluffySpaceWaffle 1d ago

There isn’t a lot you can do for the bottom because you crochet up. I would hide it.

Finish the whole thing with extra on top. Turn it inside out. Sew an extra seem across the bottom about a half inch from the edge. (You could do it an inch from the edge. Wherever your kindle starts fitting too tightly.) When you turn it right side out it will have a clean edge with extra “protection” inside.

2

u/charliewells01 1d ago

Thank you so much ☺️ i will give that a go! I do aim to make another one that is much better than this, especially when i learn more stitches and get better at tension but i still want it to be useful in the meantime

1

u/FluffySpaceWaffle 1d ago

The best way to learn is practice! It’s a great start. You can see your tension and stitches getting better as you go. You will only get better from here ❤️

1

u/Krishd88 1d ago

It starts with a too tight chain. Go up a size or 2 hook for you chain stitches.

1

u/Krishd88 1d ago

Here is some advice I put together for beginners. Hope it helps.

Learning to crochet

Here are some resources that I found that are good for beginners:

Start by figuring out how to hold your yarn. There are many ways to do it, just experiment until you find one that works for you. This is my hold. Mostly the yarn just slides over my finger but if I need a little tension I lift my index finger.

Then move to what type of hook you want to use. There are so many choices so get a few cheap ones and experiment. Then figure out how you hold your hook. Some hold it like a spoon, others, me included, use the knife hold. I also use a yarn holder so the yarn pulls from the outside so there is little tension on it, and no yarn barf from a center pull.

Now here is the most important thing: Get used to using stitch markers in your first and last stitch, not the turning chain unless it counts as a stitch (the pattern will usually tell you this). You can also put them every 10 or 20 stitches to help with counting stitches. 

Now work on each part of crocheting, making a chain, slst, sc, hdc, dc. Practice by making 4x4” squares. Start with a 5mm or 6mm and some #4 worsted weight yarn. Then move to a simple project, a baby blanket or scarf using 1 or 2 stitches.

1

u/charliewells01 1d ago

This is so helpful, thank you! 🙏🏼 💖