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You might think its just down to not gauge swatching… but its so much more than that! Here are some other reasons why your crochet project might not live up to your expectations.

#1 – You didn’t use the same yarn as the designer

But why could this be important?

In a word of Z-twisting, S-twisting, and turns per inch, you might have reached for your favourite yarn to make your own version of that amazing crochet pattern you’ve seen online, to realise it’s not coming out quite the same.

If Z-twists and S-twists mean nothing to you- they relate to the composition of the yarn and whether the individual strands are twisted anti-clockwise (Z) or clockwise (S) when spun. Coarser yarns need less amount of twist to hold the fibres together in the yarn and conversely, finer yarn needs more twists.

Have you ever seen your crochet stitches look loose even though you’ve used the right hook the patterns called for, even maybe gone down a size or two? The number of twists or “degree of twist” affects how well the yarn keeps the stitch in place (how well it performs)- if the yarn has less twist then “slippage” may occur and your crochet stitches can look long and stretched out after a little while.

This can obviously happen with the designer’s choice of yarn, but if you want your project to look like theirs- sometimes it pays to use a yarn with similar properties. You can check out what to substitute the recommended pattern yarn with using yarn from your stash, using this website: www.yarnsub.com

#2 – You’re using cotton yarn

You’re probably reading this thinking, “Oh, Aly! Cotton yarn is my go-to for summer garments. Why would cotton ever pose a problem?”

And it doesn’t. Until you’ve worn it a few times and realised that suddenly it’s growing…

Cotton is HEAVY – especially when you get it wet. It also doesn’t spring back like any kind of wool-based yarns. Once it’s mis-shapen, it’s really hard to get back to its original form.

Take a look at the Good Vibrations dress I finished here. I made it *shorter* than the pattern recommended, and yet after a day of sightseeing in Venice, my knee-length dress had grown into a midi-dress without any added effort on my part.

If you’re new to the world of yarn: this is the reason why swimsuits and bikinis are generally never made using cotton- because even with all the added lining in the world- this baby has a *lot* of stretch.

#3 – You didn’t gauge swatch

Oh come on, you really didn’t think this one wouldn’t appear did you?

Gauge swatching is one of the most hated pre-requisites to any project commencement. It’s the process of creating (usually) a 10cm x 10cm (4″ x 4″) square [swatch] in the stitch pattern that the pattern dictates and comparing it against the designer’s swatch.

If you’ve made as required and counted your stitches to find:

You have too many stitches in your 10cm across OR you have too many rows in your 10cm across > your project will come out smaller

You have too few stitches in your 10cm across OR you have too few rows in your 10cm across > your project will come out bigger

Also- remember to wash and block your swatch if you intend on making a garment. It will show you how your project will live up to being maintained for its (hopefully) long life. Need tips on blocking? Check out this post.

Short of blocking supplies? Check out this post where I list my favourites and let me know yours too!