10 Common Crochet Mistakes (and Exactly How to Fix Each One)

Every crocheter has made every mistake on this list. The difference between a beginner and an experienced crocheter is not that the experienced one avoids mistakes; it is that they recognize what went wrong within a row or two and know the fix. Here are the ten you will meet first, in the order you will probably meet them.

1. Your Work Gets Narrower Every Row

What is happening: You are losing a stitch at one end of each row. In single crochet it is usually the first stitch after turning, which sits tucked under the turning chain. In double crochet it is the last stitch, which should go into the top of the turning chain from the row below.

Fix: Count every row. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch after turning and in the top of the turning chain. Once you can see them, you stop missing them.

2. Your Work Gets Wider Every Row

What is happening: You are adding a stitch. Either you are working into the turning chain when it does not count, or you are working two stitches into one at the end of the row because the last stitch looks like two.

Fix: Same as above: count and mark. If the count is right but the edge still flares, your turning chain is too loose.

3. The Fabric Curls

What is happening: Tension is tight, the foundation chain is tighter than the rows above it, or you are working a stitch that naturally curls (single crochet does; so does anything worked in the back loop only).

Fix: Loosen your foundation chain by making it with a hook one size larger. Relax your grip. For a finished piece, wet block it: soak, squeeze, pin flat, let dry. Blocking solves curl in almost every case.

4. Stitches Are Uneven

What is happening: Your hands have not learned the movement yet. Some loops are pulled tight, others are loose.

Fix: Time. Do not fight it by pulling every stitch tight, which just makes the fabric stiff. Keep the working loop on the hook the same size every stitch, not too snug to slide, and let the rhythm develop. Two weeks of daily practice evens most people out.

5. You Cannot Find the First Stitch After Turning

What is happening: The turning chain pulls the first stitch sideways so it hides.

Fix: After you chain and turn, look at the base of the turning chain. The first stitch is directly beneath the hook, so close it looks like part of the chain. Mark it for the first few projects.

6. Holes at the Edges

What is happening: Double crochet rows with a counting chain 3 always leave a small gap next to the chain. It is a feature of the stitch, not a mistake.

Fix: Use a non-counting chain 2 and work the first dc into the first stitch, or use a stacked single crochet as your first stitch. Or accept the gap and add a border, which hides it entirely.

7. The Foundation Chain Is Too Tight to Work Into

What is happening: Chains are naturally tighter than stitches, and beginners pull them tighter still.

Fix: Chain with a hook one size larger, then switch to the pattern's hook for row 1. Or learn the chainless foundation single crochet (FSC), which makes the chain and first row together and stretches like the rest of the fabric.

8. Your Hands and Wrists Hurt

What is happening: You are gripping hard, crocheting for too long without a break, or using a thin metal hook that concentrates pressure.

Fix: Open your hand every few rows and shake it out. Stop every 20 to 30 minutes for a couple of minutes. Switch to an ergonomic hook with a soft handle; the difference is not subtle. If pain persists beyond a few days, rest for a week; it is not worth an injury.

9. The Piece Is Skewing Into a Parallelogram

What is happening: Every crochet stitch leans slightly to one side, and in tall stitches the lean is more visible. Worked in rows and turned, the lean alternates and mostly cancels out. Worked in the round without turning, the lean accumulates and the piece spirals.

Fix: For flat pieces, block it square. For pieces in the round where the spiral bothers you, turn at the end of each round (join, chain, turn) so the lean alternates.

10. You Ran Out of Yarn Before the End

What is happening: Yardage estimates are optimistic, or your tension is looser than the designer's, which uses more yarn.

Fix: Buy one extra ball with the same dye lot before you start. For projects where you cannot buy more, weigh your work on a kitchen scale after a few rows and calculate: if 10 rows used 30 g, 60 rows will use 180 g.

When to Frog and When to Live With It

Frog (unravel) if: the stitch count is wrong, there is a hole in the fabric, or the mistake is in a garment where it will affect fit.

Live with it if: one stitch is slightly loose, a row is a fraction taller than the others, or the mistake is on the wrong side of a blanket. Nobody will see it, and your next project will be better than this one anyway.

The Habits That Prevent Most of This

1. Count every row until counting is boring.
2. Use stitch markers freely. They cost nothing.
3. Make a small swatch before anything with a size that matters.
4. Loosen your grip. Most problems on this list have "tight" as a cause.
5. Stop when you are tired. Tired crochet is where the dropped stitches live.