Why do my crochet pieces turn out too short?

Question

I have been crocheting for about a year now, & I still can not figure out why all my pieces turn out shorter than they are supposed to be. My mother-in-law said I was crocheting too tightly, so I loosened things up & she says that I am doing good now, but I am still having trouble with the height of my pieces. She can not figure out what I am doing wrong either. For instance, I am now working on a bed spread for my daughter's single bed. The pattern is supposed to fit a queen size bed with enough left over to cover the pillows. The finished pattern has 6 diamonds (in a verticle row), mine will need like, 8 or 10 to be long enough to cover her bed from end to end & go over the pillows like it is supposed to. I am using the correct hook & yarn for the pattern. Any ideas? Thanks.

Answer 1

How wonderful you're learning how to crochet! :)

I suggest you have someone watch you crochet and make some notes on your technique:
1. If you are a "yanker"
A "yanker" is someone who pulls/yanks on the tension after a given stitch is created. When this happens, the stitch becomes "short changed/squat."

2. If you are a "rider" or a "lifter"
A "rider" is a someone who creates their stitches close to their work ... like having the hook ride (touch constantly) the top of, or the side of the previous rows' stitches. This will create "squat/short" stitches.
A "lifter" is someone who will lift that anchoring loop up high (the video clips on anniesattic.com are a great reference) -- this creates tall stitches. The higher you pull the anchoring loop up, the longer the stitch will be. (the "anchoring" loop is the loop you pull up after inserting the hook into a given stitch)

3. If you're properly yarning over from the back of the hook to the front. If you are yarning over from front to back, then you're not giving the stitch it's "full due" of fiber. This will create slightly smaller stitches.

and finally,
4. Check to see where on the hook you're making your stitches. Are you creating them on the throat of the hook, or pushing the loops onto the body? If the stitches are created around the throat -- you guessed it! You're short changing your stitches. Be sure all your yarn overs/loops are around the body of the hook; if you're allowing many loops on the hook at one time, invest in a hook that has a longer body for a more even stitch.


The next step, after determining the above, is to examine your swatch. It is more important to meet the stitch gauge rather than the row gauge (because you can always add on more rows as needed). If you cannot meet the gauge with the recommended hook, bump up your hook by a size or two and swatch again. Those swatches are great learning tools! :)

I hope this helps,
~Dee Stanziano
Certified Crochet Teacher

Answer 2

I have always had that problem and I have crocheted for over 35 years!! You'll need to do as others have suggested and make a swatch first- but that's only if the finished size is really important to you. For what you're doing, you could either add pieces, or use a larger hook. Over time, you will figure out what your way of crocheting is like most of the time and adjust what you do to get the desired end result. My first yarn crochet project was an afghan and my first thread crochet project was a tablecloth. I can do just about anything (except tunisian and graphed sc afghans). Keep at it- you'll love your new craft!!! Patsy

Answer 3

Don't use "the correct hook and yarn for the pattern".

Start with that, but don't start right into making the item first.

Instead, make a guage swatch first, measure it properly, then use a bigger or smaller hook and adjust your tension as you go along.

Save time and frustration and be sure to check guage.

See here for crochet help:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Crochet-3235/index_1.htm

The hook size given in the pattern is meant to be a guide as to what was used to make the prototype or test pattern the designer designed, not a "this hook must be used by every person who makes this pattern" command.

Gauge swatches are boring to do and take up precious time, and when you want to get started on a project your enthusiasm often gets the better of you.

We've all skipped doing the guage swatch and all been sorely disappointed or run out of yarn, when we didn't follow the "always make a guage swatch" rule.

Answer 4

First, it's not proper to write out the whole pattern here. Secondly, if you want to know how to crochet, say so. We will help with a specific direction you may have trouble with, but to teach you how to crochet is asking too much. You don't even say what the problem is.. where you have a problem! I suggest you enroll for a beginner crochet class. Any local yarn store (lys) will have classes. Take one...you will learn all the basics you need to know, and you won't have to ask basic questions such as this. Sorry we can't help any further. You are almost asking someone here to make it for you, simply because you can't be bothered to learn it yourself. The directions are right there... how much simpler can anyone make them??

Answer 5

Before you start any crocheted project you should make a swatch in the yarn and hook you will be using. This will help to determine your gauge. If your gauge is smaller than what is called for then you need to use a larger hook. The amount of yarn you use for a swatch will more than make up for the yards of yarn you'll have to pull out if you find a mistake later on.

Answer 6

Your gauge is probably off. Somewhere it should tell you how many stitches per inch in the pattern. (I never follow gauges so my stuff is always off too.) You could add several rows of borders to finish it to the right size. Or like you said, just keep adding diamonds. Nobody has to know it's not the exact pattern.

Congrats on tackling a queen size blanket! I've been crocheting for 25+ years and I don't have the patience to tackle a blanket!

Answer 7

I am just learning to crochet and I am an extremely tight worker. My daughter, who taught herself to crochet with a broken dowel rod when she was 10, told me I should use a bigger needle. (When I try to loosen my stitch, it looks sloppy.) I wind up using a hook 3 sizes bigger than the pattern calls for and I am just barely big enough. I have disc problems in my neck and I don't feel in my fingertips like most people. I learned to just crochet for fun because I just don't have the touch. I can't knit at all. Allow for your tight stitches by using bigger needles. Make a test piece with some remnant yarn before you start your projects and you will do okay. Hang in there!

Answer 8

These are all great answers. One more thing you may consider is the country of origin where your pattern originated. If it is from a different country than you are in, that may be the problem. The same stitch is called by different names in different countries. For example a single-crochet stitch in the U.S is called a double-crochet in Australia. Check your pattern and the stitch descriptions to be sure you are working everything correctly.

Answer 9

You can change your hook to a larger size. Also since you are having this problem be sure to do a gauge piece to determine the right size for the bedspread. It does seems like you are a tight crocheter too.

Answer 10

Gauge is a very individual thing. All the other users have told you very good data, I hope you take note of the good advice they gave you. I have crocheted over 35 years now, and my gauge rarely matches exactly dead on.

I got one of those quilting square ruler things (Wal mart), it is a heavier plastic square with a square open center (looks like a square picture frame with gridlines all over it). I lay it on it piece (it is heavy enough to gently flatten it out nicely) and carefully measure my stitches per inch and rows per inch, and adjust my hook size up or down, whatever it takes, to match that gauge. I do the same thing with my knitting. I prefer garments, so fit is critical. Luckily, I only have to make it fit myself (I rarely consent to make garments other than scarves/hats/shawls for others)

Since I learned how to knit 7 years ago, I rarely crochet these days to tell you the truth, so I cannot recall if my stitches tend to be taller/shorter, or wider/thinner (I can't recall what "direction" my errors tend to go, up and down or side to side.)

Sounds like you need to go up a hook size since your stitches are not tall enough, loosening up helps, but a larger hook and looser tension together may be the "ticket" for you and work out better.