TIPS
This is my first graphgan. It has crossed off one thing from my huge bucket list whilst simultaneously making what, I hope, will make my friend happy (and warm) during these cold months in PA.
This is my first attempt at doing a graphgan. I created the pattern myself with some online tools, but it took a long time to get one I liked. If you like what I did, I offer the chart here.
If you feel like thanking me, I appreciate it.
Onto the pattern….
It was less daunting than I thought it would be, but it still offered many challenges that I did not encounter in my other crochet adventures. Below you can find a few tips that I learned and will employ if I ever again try this crochet technique.
- Keep yarn in bags. I have read many ideas on taming the spools, but I found since this pattern was just two colors and there were large swaths of each color, it was better to have larger balls of yarn. Keeping them in ziploc bags kept them in line!
- Watch the tension. This is always an issue with my crochet, but with this project, I found that keeping the second (unseen) color firmly seated in the row where it is carried really helps a lot.
- If possible, crochet at a table. I occasionally did this sitting watching tv, but honestly having a table makes it so much easier to keep the bagged spools in line.
- Count! I hate having to count every row, but with this project, I had a few boo-boos that lead to my taking apart many, many rows. Typically it is just a little lost work, but with this kind of crochet taking apart a row is a nightmare since it means balling up several colors and back-tracking on the pattern. Let’s just say it is beyond annoying to take this style of crochet apart!
- Blow up the pattern. There are so many free graphics programs out there that will allow you to blow up sections of the grid. I have about 10 pages of enlarged sections to help me keep track of what I am doing.
- Edge your bets! Edging is so wonderful. It gives the piece stability and can cover over oopsies.
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