Sometimes it can feel like crochet projects can take forever. While speed in crochet is not the name of the game, it does help to try new techniques to crochet faster so you can get through your project pile quickly and try out new things. Whether you’re working on a tight deadline, aiming to complete more projects in less time, or just want to improve your efficiency, learning how to crochet faster is a game-changer. The good news is, crocheting at top speed doesn’t mean sacrificing the quality of your work.
In this post, you’ll get various tips and techniques for crocheters at every level—whether you’re just starting out or have been crocheting for years. From simple adjustments in hand positioning to mastering advanced techniques, these strategies will help you speed up your projects without compromising on the final result.
Essential crochet speed tips for beginners
When you’re starting out in crochet, it can feel like things like mastering your tension or learning new stitches take a really long time. The thought of finishing a project can be daunting, and unfortunately many new crocheters abandon their work early on because of the time its taking them to finish. But there are some simple techniques to gain speed incrementally which add up in the end to faster work.
Proper hand and hook positioning
I stand by the fact that there is no “right” way to crochet. If you’re comfortable, and it’s working for you, it works for me. However, playing around with different ways to hold your hook could result in you finding out that you actually get more comfort and speed with new or different techniques than you’re used to.
The different types of hand positioning
There are so many ways to hold a crochet hook, however most crocheters fall into one of two hand positioning techniques: The knife hold and the pencil hold.
- The knife hold: My personal preferred method, the knife hold is where you hold your crochet hook like you would hold a large kitchen knife. To try the knife hold, lay the handle of your hook in your hand and wrap the last three fingers on your hand lightly around the handle. You can then use your pointer finger and thumb to maintain control of your hook when you crochet.
- The pencil hold: Just like we learned in school, you can use your crochet hook in the same way you would use a pencil or pen. Many crocheters prefer this method because of the muscle memory associated with writing. It allows for a similar feeling of control and movement, which can result in faster crochet experiences.
Choose the right hook style
There are so many options for crochet hooks out there, each tailored for a specific experience for crocheters. Some prefer a standard, non-padded hook, while others feel more comfortable using a hook that’s designed for ergonomics. Those hook selections can absolutely effect your crochet speed.
My advice is to try different styles of hooks. If you don’t want to invest a lot of money into hooks you may not prefer, try to find a craft reuse center in your area to find secondhand hooks in the style you are looking to experiment with.
Use consistent tension
Tension is the number one key to getting crochet to work for you. Sure, the hook matters, and learning new stitches is great. But if you don’t have your tension figured out, all of it will either take you much longer, or not work out in the way you want it to leading to more frustration and the likely scenario of abandoning ship.
Practice your tension with small swatches using different yarns and different hooks. Once you start to see your stitches even and consistent, you can move on to more projects.
Advanced techniques for speeding up in crochet
To yarn over or yarn under… that is the question
Depending on the look you’re going for and your comfort level, you can choose to “yarn over” (YO) or “yarn under” (YU) when you’re working your crochet patterns. Yarn over is the standard, resulting in a bit more of a defined, albeit larger, V-shaped stitch. Yarn under, is wrapping your yarn the opposite direction under your hook, resulting in a tighter X-shaped stitch.
When trying to crochet faster, you may have a natural inclination of yarning over or under. If you don’t care what your stitch necessarily looks like and either one meets the gauge you’re trying to achieve, picking the fastest for you will absolutely result in a faster outcome.
Learn to read patterns intuitively
Patterns can be extremely polarizing. Some people (myself included) love to work from a written pattern. Others prefer to use a video pattern. And some prefer to work from no pattern at all and just wing it!
If you’re working off of a written pattern, there are ways to learn to read your crochet patterns intuitively so you can speed up your work. One of the best ways to do this is to read the entire pattern all the way through before you start working. The reason for this is to catch any nuance the designer has included, but to also get an idea of where you’re going. Think of it like looking at the directions to your destination ahead of time. Generally speaking, if you know the overall route, you can get most of the way there without your navigation on. Then, you can use your Siri (or whoever your robot bestie is) to get you the rest of the way there with detailed directions.
After you’ve read the pattern, identify areas of mindlessness that you can cruise through. For example, in a lot of my patterns, there is blank space. Sometimes it’s 7 rows of the background color just worked back and forth with single crochet. Knowing that ahead of time, you don’t have to reference the pattern each row, and instead just know that once you get to row 7, you need to look again to find the instructions for the colorwork.
Try bulk crocheting
Have you ever worked a granny square project and gone square by square until you have enough? Try to think about each time you had to change color in that single square. How long did it take you? 10 seconds? Now add up each of those 10 seconds per square and multiply it by the amount of squares you had to make. Those small moments of shifting add up!
Bulk crocheting is the idea that you work the same type of stitch or color all at once, then switch. So in the granny square example, you’d make all of the centers in the amount of squares you need. Then, you’d add the second row in the next color to each square. Then the third… and so on. This allows you to work more in bulk, resulting in an incrementally faster outcome.
In amigurumi, some crocheters work on all of the body portions first, then make the appendages and accessories, and finally assemble them. Even if the pattern calls for you to do it in stages, with experience, you can often identify areas that are optional rather than concrete.
Optimize your tools and workspace
Use ergonomic crochet hooks
Remember, whatever type of crochet hook you choose can aid in you crocheting faster. It’s important to note that crocheting non-stop for an extended period of time is shockingly dangerous. It can result in carpel tunnel, muscle strain, and joint pain. Often, ergonomic hooks are designed to slow those risks, meaning you can crochet a little longer each session, while also reducing the possibility of getting injured.
Get your yarn ready
I am a firm center-pull girlie. I think it reduces the risk of tangling, but also saves you time since your yarn isn’t flopping around every time you pull it. The best ways to ensure you are ready for prime time with your yarn is to pre-wind it, or to get the inevitable yarn barf tangle from the center pull taken care of early.
Additionally, you can put your yarn ball (if not wound into a cake) into a yarn bowl or yarn holder to keep it in one place so it doesn’t roll around on you or get tangled.
Organize your workspace
Let’s just say, I need to take my own advice here…
Your workspace or crochet bag can aid in your crochet speed for the simple reason that everything is where it is supposed to be, reducing the amount of time you need to spend looking for something. Raise your hand or comment below if you have derailed your entire motivation because you misplaced something critical like your hook or your yarn snips.
Having a clean and organized workspace is also great for your mind clutter. It can help keep you focused, motivated, and energized to continue working on your project, meaning you’ll get it done faster!
Lighting matters
As lovely as a soft dim light can be in the evenings, for crocheters, it can cause quite a problem. In order to work quickly, safely, and efficiently, good lighting is crucial. You want to avoid eye strain as much as possible, and also be able to see clearly where you are working to reduce errors that will eventually slow you down.
Especially if you’re working with black yarn… Might as well bust out the operating room spotlights for those projects! (IYKYK)
Do you feel the need for speed?
At the end of the day, speed shouldn’t be the end goal to your crochet projects. Sure, you may be trying to meet a market deadline or have a project you just are itching to finish. In those instances, try out some of these techniques to see if they help you shave off a few minutes.
But crochet, and all fiber arts for that matter, are mindful activities. There can be joy in the slow. I encourage you to take a look at what’s important and try to identify areas you can speed up without sacrificing quality or enjoyment.
Leave a Reply