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BEYOND THE BASICS
Beginner’s Guide to CrochetCROCHET WITH WIRE
Crocheting with wire isn’t as strange an idea as it might sound.
It’s now possible to buy coloured wires in a variety of
thicknesses that have been manufactured with crafting in
mind. They can be crocheted in much the same way as regular
yarn, so you won’t need any special hooks or notions, but as
wire doesn’t have any ‘give’ you’ll need to adapt your technique
slightly. Although metallic yarn can be crocheted into clothing,
wire is better suited to accessories – just be sure to tuck in the
sharp ends carefully!FREEFORM
CROCHET
When you see examples of freeform crochet,
you’ll notice a relaxed, free-flowing quality.
This is because the technique doesn’t use
regular or repeating motifs. In fact, pieces are
created as you go along and rarely involve
following a pattern! The appeal of freeform
crochet is that there are no rules – you can
add stitches wherever you like, build up
blocks and fasten off and start again just as
you please. The best thing for beginners is
that you can’t make a mistake because
anything goes!HAIRPIN CROCHET
Hairpin crochet, also called hairpin lace, is an amazingly
quick way of creating beautiful, lacy strips of yarn that can
be joined together in different ways. It involves using a
hairpin loom (also known as a hairpin fork or hairpin tool),
available in either looped or rectangular forms. Starting with
a slip knot or chain stitch, the yarn is looped around the
prongs of the loom and then caught up by a crochet hook
and pulled through the loops to create a delicate ladder with
a central crocheted zigzag structure. Once you’ve got used
to using the loom, hairpin crochet can be worked incredibly
quickly and joined together to form anything from garments
to homewares.