Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Crochet basics: How to crochet a straight edge/side

I tend to struggle with crochet basics at times. Things like making a straight edge/side or making a magic loop, crochet a flat circle or a nice slip stitch... I promised you a tutorial on this when I showed you my stripy pillow a while ago and here it is.

I am using UK crochet terms and this pillow was made from treble stitches in the back loop (double crochet stitches US terms). There are different ways of making a straight edge when working with a treble crochet stitch pattern. This is how I do it and I carefully count my stitches every other row or so to make sure I am not making mistakes.



How to crochet a straight edge/side tutorial
Picture 1-3:
When you have made your last treble in the last stitch you finish off your row with a treble in the top stitch (3rd chain) of the first treble you made in your previous row.

Picture 4-5:
Chain 3 and turn your work.

Picture 6:
Skip the first stitch and make your next treble in the 2nd stitch. You can see I have marked the right stitch to start in with my tapestry needle.

Picture 7:
Make a treble. For this pattern I am working only in the back loop of the stitch as you can tell, it looks a little bit different from a normal stitch. Now you just continue to make your trebles in every stitch until you reach the end of the row and then you start all over from Picture 1.

Picture 8:
This way you won't get gaps at the edge/side. It is even and neat, although my large picture shows a bit of a wobbly edge... Hmmm... I blame it on the stone table and that I didn't smooth out my crochet piece before taking the picture (or maybe I failed with some stitches there - no one will ever know - Twink!!). :D

Good luck, and if you do miss a stitch in one row it is not the end of the world, right? You can always correct it in your next row unless you are WAAAY far out with your stitches. :D Keep counting. I hope this was helpful.

 Kärlek
Annette


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17 comments :

  1. alexandrea at two-forty-sixJune 11, 2013 at 4:50 PM

    I used to struggle with straight edges too...I think it's one of the hardest things to master when you're first learning. I feel like most new crocheters start with a scarf (or maybe that's just me) and the first 3 scarfs I made were pretty wavy when it came to the size/sides.

    Great tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MeredithJune 11, 2013 at 8:35 PM

    Well done Annette, I struggle when joining a round, seems so simple but to get it to look good it is pretty hard.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vintage Sheet AddictJune 11, 2013 at 8:39 PM

    I have been thinking this very thing about an hour ago, despairing I would NEVER be able to get a straight edge! Thank you a sweetheart, I have a chance now! :) x

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  4. HannapatJune 11, 2013 at 9:19 PM

    Does this do a better job than the standing stitch? Will have to try. Thanks for sharing xo

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  5. UnknownJune 11, 2013 at 9:31 PM

    BAH Straight edges are my nemesis lol.. It is all about catching that last little stitch. I tend to add one ha ha ha ha lol my edges go in and out like zig zag.. Thank you for sharing xx

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  6. forgetmenotsblueJune 11, 2013 at 11:37 PM

    Brilliant tutorial thank you for sharing. I do love the colours you've used in your cushion x

    ReplyDelete
  7. homemade@myplaceJune 12, 2013 at 2:39 AM

    Thank you Annette! this is such a sweet thought from you to all the crocheters in Blogland!!!! :oD
    xxxx Ale

    ReplyDelete
  8. EileenJune 12, 2013 at 12:32 PM

    Thank you for sharing this. I struggled with this forever!

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  9. Co.June 12, 2013 at 9:24 PM

    Wow, that so great.
    Liebe Grüße, Corina

    ReplyDelete
  10. Law1sfabJune 12, 2013 at 10:18 PM

    This is divine, I really wish i had the your skills I would be making things all the time. Love the blanket in the background, amazing x

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  11. trishJune 16, 2013 at 10:05 PM

    This is fabulous!
    Thanks! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  12. ESJuly 13, 2013 at 6:44 AM

    Such a fab post! great stuff. Thanks for doing it with photos as well! I will be reading much more on this blog I just know it!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousOctober 6, 2013 at 3:47 PM

    Thank you. A helpful post.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sarah JonesOctober 12, 2013 at 11:40 AM

    I made two two stripy blankets and just could not achieve straight sides. In the end I made a wavy border to hide them. Since then I have tried to find info on creating a straight border.
    Found you via cherry hearts blog. A big THANK YOU from me.

    ReplyDelete
  15. JulieApril 19, 2016 at 11:09 AM

    Hey Annette, I have just found this wonderful post as I was looking at some older ones. This is just what I was struggling with, a wavy edge will print out and have a look.
    Hugs Julie

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousNovember 15, 2016 at 1:45 AM

    Lady thanks so much for the best tips on the net!!!! Sending love from USA - Deb

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousOctober 17, 2017 at 11:47 PM

    I only learned in Feb 2017, but this whole time I've been struggling with keeping the edges straight. Thanks to you and your step-by-step photos, I now know what is meant by the TOP of the chain from the previous row. On the one hand I feel so silly that I didn't "get it" until now (was connecting in the wrong spot), but sweet, sweet relief that now I know and it works!

    So thank you, and thanks on behalf of everyone I make stuff for :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for visiting my world. I love reading your comments and I do my utterly best to respond to questions and sweet messages. Thank you again for popping by.

Kärlek
Annette

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