How to Fix the 10 Most Common Crochet Mistakes

The 10 mistakes

1. My piece keeps getting wider

Cause: working a stitch into the turning chain, or two stitches into the first stitch. Fix: know whether your turning chain counts as a stitch (in sc, it doesn't), and place a stitch marker in the first and last stitch of every row.

2. My piece keeps getting narrower

Cause: missing the last stitch, which hides under the turning chain. Fix: markers again — and count stitches every row until it's automatic.

3. My foundation chain is tight and curls

Cause: chains are tighter than stitches. Fix: make the chain with a hook one or two sizes bigger, then switch back. Or use foundation single crochet, which makes chain and first row at once.

4. My flat circle turns into a bowl (or ruffles)

Cause: too few increases (bowl) or too many (ruffle). Fix: use the standard numbers: sc circles add 6 stitches per round, hdc add 8, dc add 12. See crocheting in the round.

5. My circle looks like a hexagon

Cause: stacking increases in the same place every round. Fix: stagger them — on alternate rounds, split the plain stitches before the first increase: e.g. (sc, inc, sc) instead of (2 sc, inc).

6. Stuffing shows through my amigurumi

Cause: fabric too loose. Fix: go down one or two hook sizes, use the yarn-under method for sc, and use invisible decreases (through front loops only). Our amigurumi guide covers all three.

7. My granny square twists

Cause: always working in the same direction pulls the stitches around. Fix: turn your work at the end of every round, or block the finished squares flat. See granny squares for beginners.

8. My stitches are too tight to get the hook into

Cause: pulling loops tight on the hook's throat. Fix: keep loops on the wider shaft, loosen your grip on the yarn, or go up a hook size.

9. I lost count in a spiral round

Cause: no marker. Fix: put a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round and move it up each round. Count back from the marker to find your place.

10. My project came out the wrong size

Cause: gauge. Fix: make and measure a swatch before garments — see our gauge guide.

How to frog without losing your place

• Pull the hook out and gently pull the yarn to unravel back to the mistake.
• Stop one stitch before it, insert the hook into the live loop, and carry on.
• For long projects, thread a "lifeline" — a strand of contrast yarn through a finished row — so you can never unravel past it.

Common questions

Is it OK to leave a mistake?

On decorations and amigurumi, small mistakes rarely show. On garments and blankets, a mistake that changes the stitch count is worth fixing, because it compounds.

How do I count crochet stitches?

Count the "V"s along the top of the row. In tall stitches you can also count the posts. Don't count the turning chain unless your pattern says it counts as a stitch.

Why does my crochet look different from the photo?

Different yarn, hook or tension. Match the yarn weight and fibre, check gauge, and remember photos are usually of blocked pieces.

Which mistake did you make most as a beginner? (Ours: #2, every single row.) 🙈