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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Standing Double Crochet join , Changing Color, Adding New Yarn to Crochet

 I've started to use a new join technique.  I've known about this one for years, I don't know why I didn't embrace it before. I think with this project I finally embraced it because it is critical to the solid stitching that the motifs be as seamless looking as possible.  Above, is how I typically have joined new yarn,  with no slip knot, I just pull the yarn through the st and begin chaining. In this case chaining 3 (sometimes 2) to begin a double crochet.
 Then if I were to continue with dc, it would look like this (above). The beginning ch-3 just kinda hangs out.
 But, If I do a standing double crochet join (you can do this with all the stitches though, not just the double), you start with a slip knot, yarn over and carefully holding the yo on the hook, insert the hook into the st and finish the double crochet.  The tail end of the yarn is now at the top (instead of the bottom) of the stitch. 
 When I continue in dc, it looks so much more like it belongs with the others. Immediately, I tucked the cut tail down and stitched over it.  Just don't pull on it too tightly because then your first standing double crochet would be all hunched over and not standing tall.
At the end of the round, if you do the invisible join with the yarn needle (do you want this lesson too?) it is much less obvious where the round began and ended.  To further close up gaps, when weaving in ends, I generally put the ends under the lowest part of the stitch under it's "legs" where it goes into the stitch, but here, I wove it more horizontally through the middle of the stitches to literally "fill up" any space that remained between the first and second stitch.  I will likely never join a new yarn the old way again. 

7 comments:

Haley said...

Yes, yes! Invisible Join lesson please :o)
This is awesome and so helpful!
Thanks so much & have a great day :o)
Haley

AECDesigns said...

I LOVE standing stitches/joins! I hardly ever do anything else. They look so seamless.
I also like Russian joins for certain yarns (some are too bulky). :)

crazymotheringchick said...

I love standing stitches and do them when I can remember to. LOL I've been crocheting for so long, it's hard to let go of the Chain 3 or whatever, even though standing is so much prettier. Thanks for reminding me.

I have not heard of the invisible join and would love that lesson, please and thank you.

JSNorris said...

*Sigh*...I just can't get the hang of the standing stitch. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I think I'm following your directions exactly as written...but, I can't do it. I don't know if the fact that I'm left-handed has anything to do with it. Could that be the problem?
Thanks.
Judy

JSNorris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I think we would all love a lesson on the invisible join with a yarn needle!

Also, I just learned about the standing stitch, but in the context of joining in the round, not adding new yarn. There's a video on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIkhEkZWmfY) which covers how that crocheter does it. Thank you for sharing Ms. Gormley!

Lady in red said...

Thanks so much for this new technique. I love it!