Skill Levels

Posted by: Jane R (IP Logged)
Date: April 02, 2009 10:07PM

Hi A, Try the site yarnstandards.com the beginner explanation is very clear and there are stitch examples and other links for crocheting. Hope this helps...All the best, Jane
P. S. I just realized that this site is from the Yarn Council it has helped me in the past. Try About.com Crochet and go the the beginners tab and see if this helps.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2009 10:44PM by Jane R.

Posted by: KT (IP Logged)
Date: April 03, 2009 07:39AM

Are you asking about information on skill levels such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced? Or are you asking for instructions on how to begin to crochet?

If the former, different designers and groups may have different requirements. I do not find such designations very helpful -- I prefer to review the pattern to see if I know how to do the stitches called for, as well as decreasing/increasing. Even if there are one or two things that would be new to me, I consider it a learning experience.

If you are asking about the latter, if looking at the second site that Jane R. suggested doesn't help you, try googling for crochet instructions. You could also try searching on YouTube for videos people may have put up. When beginning a craft, it sometimes takes reading/watching a couple of different approaches to get the idea.

Posted by: abrown (IP Logged)
Date: April 05, 2009 04:10PM

Sorry for the confusion but this is what I meant:
The beginner skill level states, Projects for first-time crocheters using basic stitches. Minimal shaping.

What are the basic stitches and what stitches are minimal shaping? I need this explained for each skill level.

Easy: What is repetive stitch patterns, simple color changes, and simple shaping and finishing?

Intermediate:What are techniques, and mid-level shaping and finishing?

Experienced: What are intricate stitch patterns, techniques and dimension, non-repeating patterns, multi-color techniques, detailed shaping and refined finishing?
I got this information from yarnstandards.com and other crochet books.

Thanks

Posted by: Jane R (IP Logged)
Date: April 05, 2009 09:01PM

Hi A, Try this site:[www.crochetnmore.com]
It has Crochet Basics...a complete description if each stitch and you will see that some stitches are simple and some are very complex. I copied this list and refer to it often, it is very helpful and I hope it will help you...All the best, Jane

Posted by: Alex (IP Logged)
Date: April 06, 2009 07:21AM

I guess it would be easier to answer your question if I knew why you want to know. Are you a beginner yourself or someone who wants to decide whether or not to take up the craft? If so, have you seen some pattern or other and want to know if you would be up to starting it?

Or are you doing some research for some other reason? A paper on needlecrafts or something like that?

Since, in crochet (as in knitting) there are only a few basic stitches: chain, slip, single, double, treble, and various multiples of treble, any pattern which repeats any of these without shaping (in other words, making a simple rectangle) would be a beginner's project.

After that, since there are hundreds of stitch patterns made by combining those stitches, and hundreds of colors and types of yarn and thread to work with, and hundreds of ways of shaping a fabric, the determination of what constitutes an intermediate or difficult project depends more on the individual than on an editorial standard.

This response is very much like KT's because your question doesn't seem to be answered by the websites which have been suggested and the notions of "minimal" "repeating" "finishing" and other terms are pretty much self-expanatory to people who have worked on even a "beginner" level project.

Posted by: KT (IP Logged)
Date: April 06, 2009 10:10AM

To add to what Alex has already stated, crochet consists of chain, slip, and then stitches made by wrapping the yarn around the hook a certain number of time and then pulling the yarn through loops on the hook -- this is how the sc, dc, tc, hdc, htc stitches, etc. are created.

You have increases which are usually done by working more than one stitch into a previous stitch so other than wrapping your mind around the concept, the technique itself is not complicated.

Then you have decreases -- a decrease takes two stitches and reduces them down to one. A double decrease takes three stitches and reduces them down to one -- you get the picture?

For me a simple crochet project would have you make a chain of a certain length and then either go back and forth or round and round using sc. But to do this correctly with properly formed, even stitches can be very difficult for a novice -- it's usually easier to make a decent stew than to grill a good steak.

I can better describe what I consider to be advanced crocheting -- forming three dimensional/textured designs, creating clusters or a "second" row of stitches without a foundation row below, and forming multi-directional textured stitch patterns. I find working with lots of color changes finicky but not technically difficult but others may class multiple color changes as advanced.

You might get a more helpful answer if, as Alex asked, you explain why do you want to know this?

Posted by: Alex (IP Logged)
Date: April 07, 2009 05:23PM

I think our answer is evident in the "photos" post. I wouldn't think of contributing to someone else's book or website unless I were working very closely with that person and had editorial options.

You should also know that anything that is posted on this website is the property of this website. To use anything without the permission of CYCA constitutes copyright violation.