Most everyone who crochets appreciates all of the variation in the yarns and fibers available on the market today. Even in a large store like Wal-Mart, you can discover many different kinds of yarns to work with. As you move to craft stores and yarn shops your yarn selection options go through the roof. At these specialty shops you can find yarns made of some of the most exotic fibers such as alpaca and cashmere. For someone who crochets, browsing through all the options in a store which carries yarn can take hours and is a very enjoyable pastime in itself. Yarn selection for... 

One of the fastest growing trends today is teenagers learning to crochet. While the word “crochet” used to make you think of grandma sitting in her rocker knitting a baby blanket or baby clothing for some distant relative, this is just simply not the case anymore. Today, millions of teens and young adults everywhere are learning to crochet. And, they are creating some amazing garments and decorative items as well! Today, there are many crochet books published which are targeted specifically at teens and young adults. These books are flying off the shelves in record... 

Similarly to knitting, crochet has been seeing a nice resurgence in popularity in the recent years. Crochet is generally thought of as being quicker and easier than knitting. While the two are similar they require entirely different skills to master. But, the good news is that both are fairly easy to do once you learn the basics. Items made from knitting and crochet are all the rage today. And, for those who do not have the skills or time to create them themselves, they are willing to pay you to make handcrafted items for them! There are three ways you can make a business... 

Aran Knitting Is Simple But Sure Doesn’t Look Like It Aran knitting is a form of knitting where you use one solid color of yarn and essentially make patterns and cables by using various basic stitches and needle techniques. The Aran knitting technique is also sometimes called sweater knitting, cable knitting, or fisherman knitting, because Aran knitting techniques were used in the past primarily to knit cable sweaters. Today, Aran knitting techniques are used on a wide variety of hand knit items from the more traditional sweaters to blankets, scarves and bags. While Aran... 

A Knit Baby Blanket is One of the Best Baby Gifts Finding the perfect gift for new parents can often be a challenge. Many times new parents have either already shopped for their babies, or they have other children and have many of the things they will need already in their homes. One perfect gift option in this case is the gift of a handmade knit baby blanket. By presenting the new parents with a handmade blanket you can show that you took the time to make something special with their baby in mind. The blanket will be appreciated and likely treasured for years to come. With... 

There are many ways in which you can add pizzazz to your knitting projects. Through the use of colors, textures, and structures you can modify even the simplest knitting project and make it really stand out against the crowd. And, while advanced knitting techniques can take a bit of time to grasp, they really are not hard once you have learned and practiced them. Advanced knitting techniques come in four different categories. They are: color-work, cables/Aran knitting, lace, and structural techniques. Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail: Color-Work There... 

As you foray into the art of crochet, there will be times where you want to add some stiffness to your finished work. This is the case when you are crocheting items such as handbags, doilies, and certain kinds of lace. Stiffening your yarns or fibers can easily be accomplished by starching your projects with a variety of different stiffening mediums. Starching has been around for a very long time and with the different options available today for starching; you can find just the right one for your project. Classic Starching The oldest form of starching is simply to dissolve... 

With the popularity of beading and jewelry making today, there are literally millions of different beads which you can purchase and add on to your crochet projects. Beads are very readily available and inexpensive to purchase. They can be found made of many materials and of all shapes and sizes. Whether you want to add a single focus bead to your crochet projects, or add many of them, it is simple to do and will produce great results every single time. No instruction about beading crochet would be complete without a warning about babies. If you are crocheting baby items, they... 

Remember the American Indians getting ready for war in the old western movies? Tribal face painting existed long before the cutes and expressive face paintings offered in today’s society. It’s still possible to see the respected face painting of American Indians at related festivals held around the United States today. Tribal face painting is not just and never was just a prelude to war. It is included in several types of different celebrations in other countries. Tribes have painted faces for weddings, religious reasons, celebrations of new birth, victory over successful... 

Finding the perfect gift for new parents can often be a challenge. Many times new parents have either already shopped for their babies, or they have other children and have many of the things they will need already in their homes. One perfect gift option in this case is the gift of a handmade crochet baby blanket. With the recent popularity resurgence in knitting and crocheting, there are limitless options available for yarns and fibers which you can quickly and easily crochet into an heirloom baby blanket. And, the best thing is that many of today’s yarns and fibers...