How Do People Crochet So Fast?

I have to admit, I love it when people’s eyes bulge a bit at the speed of my hook. But I also make more mistakes when I’m showing off! (Don’t we all!) The fast pace of my average, non-showing-boating crocheting is still pretty fast, and there are several things that I think come together to allow me to work quickly.

It’s a combination of experience, technique, the right hooks and yarn, familiar stitches and patterns and even how I’m feeling on the day. Let’s break them down and take a look at how you can replicate these factors to speed up your crocheting project.

Experienced Crocheters Hook Faster

Practice makes perfect. Or at least more speed! Once you can relax into your hooking, your project flows more and each stitch falls into place faster than when you were second guessing your technique and biting your lip in concentration.

How You Hold Your Handle Helps

There are a few standard hook grips to choose from. Pencil grip and knife grip are the most common ways to hold onto it, and I genuinely think that for some people one is much faster than the other.

If you’re used to one grip, try another method and see if you find it easier to manipulate. You might be surprised by the added speed.

How Hooky The Hook Is

You might find that you can crochet quicker when you have a slightly sharper hook. Now I don’t mean piercingly pointed, but when you have a clear tip to your hook it’s easier to pick up and manoeuvre the yarn. Which makes for a speedier make!

The Right Tools Will Help You Crochet Quicker

For me personally the type of crochet hook makes a big difference. I prefer those that have a soft grip, or that are a fairly chunky piece of smooth metal. It’s easier to move the hook around if your fingers aren’t getting sore or rubbing on burs.

Size Matters When It Comes To Speed

This is a slightly unreasonable point, but it is worth mentioning. Your hook size choice will depend on your yarn, and what you are making. But I think there is a sweet spot for your hands when it comes to using your hook quickly.

For me anything between 4.5 to 6 is always the quickest to stitch with. If I have to use a smaller hook for a project I find it more fiddly and my pace slows. When I have to use a bigger hook, don’t get me wrong, the novelty is fun, but again I am not as fast because it’s more cumbersome to move.

I bet your perfect hook size for speed is different to mine, but I also bet you have one too!

Some Yarns Are Quicker To Crochet With

Your choice of yarn has the potential to impact the speed at which you can crochet. Here are the yarn types that I find slower to crochet, due to the way they feel or move:

Sequinned yarns
Glittery yarns
Yarns with pom poms
Some acrylic yarns

If you want to make a project that has these yarns then that’s no bad thing, but you might sacrifice a bit of time in working with them.

Tensioning Techniques

Tensioning is such a big part of getting to grips with crochet. Personally I find it the hardest to teach too. The experience and feel of getting that yarn tight enough to work but not so tight it’s immovable.

When you find the perfect point in your tensioning though, you won’t lose it. I had two years off due to family and work commitments, and the day I picked my yarn back up, my tension found itself immediately.

Try different holds and strengths with your fingers, the perfect tension is achievable and when you find it your work will speed up.

People Who Crochet Fast Know All The Stitches

Being really familiar with how to make every stitch in your pattern will hugely speed up the process. Not needing to double check your double crochet, means you can keep up a steady rhythm.

Some Patterns Are Quicker To Make Than Others

Patterns that repeat in a simple way, that don’t need stitch counters and that use a lot of double and triple stitches tend to be faster projects. My favorite project for speed crocheting is always the classic granny square blanket.

Confidence is Key in Crochet

Everything I have said so far I believe to be true. But I also know that I have never been as fast at crocheting as I am when I am working on a piece I have confidence in, with a pattern I made myself, and when other things in my life are going well.

That’s right. It seems unfair but I am confident that my confidence is key when it comes to keeping pace with my work. It’s like a sport, funnily enough. You get the best times when you are mentally in the perfect place.

This one is a little frustrating as sometimes life isn’t going your way. You’ve had a hard day and you sit down with a project to relax, but the hook just isn’t doing its job as smoothly as normal. When this happens I try to do slow calm breathing, and put something funny or familiar on the tv.

Remember that whilst it’s fun to crochet quickly, it’s not a race. Crochet is meant to be fun, fabulous and above all relaxing. Let the stitches come when they are ready, and your project will be all the better for it.

How Do People Crochet So Fast?

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