Hi knitters!
Have you had a good look at how the edges of a sample look in single crochet? If you look closely you will see that one of the sides stays much straighter than the other. This doesn´t mean that it is wrong, if you crochet correctly, normally one of the sides does not stay straight…but this can be improved.
There is a trick to get both sides of a sample in single crochet to stay much straighter. You won’t only obtain straighter sides, but it will also be easier to sew two pieces together with this method.
Here is how the majority have taught us to do it, which results in one straight side, and one side not so much:
When we arrive at the end of a row of single crochet, we will make a chain and turn.
Next, we will work the following row introducing the crochet hook into the second stitch, right after the chain we made.
If we repeat this in every row, we will have a sample in single crochet, with one side straight and the other visibly bent and more irregular (the right side in the photo).
So that both sides stay straighter, do it in the following manner. You will need two markers to place in the stitches as is indicated:
Start making the number of chains necessary for your garment plus one extra chain. Place a marker in the second chain from the crochet hook.
Step 1) Now, insert the crochet hook in the third chain, just after the marker, and complete the single crochet. Although you have made a single crochet, it counts as two, since the extra chain we made counts as one stitch.
Complete the round in normal single crochet. At the end, make an extra chain.
The number of stitches you will have worked will be one stitch less than the number of the chains that you have made, including the extra chain from the beginning of the row.
Step 2) In the next round, place another marker in the first stitch from the crochet hook. Insert the crochet hook in the second stitch of the row, meaning, just after the marker that you just placed. Complete the row in single crochet normally.
The last stitch in the row you will work in the extra chain from the previous row, right at the stitch where you placed the marker.
To continue with this method, you only have to repeat step 1 in every row. The result you will get with this method looks like this:
It may look like there isn’t too much of a difference, but if we compare both of our samples, you will see it clearly. On the left you have a sample made in the habitual form, and on the right the sample is crocheted with this method.
As you can see, the edge stays much more straight and defined with the second method. Are you motivated to try it? Don´t be shy and show us your results on Intagram unsing the Hashtag #weareknitters
For this post we have used 15mm crochet hook and 100% Peruvian wool in turquoise.
