Hopefully some of you have tried your hand at crochet over the last few days, picking yarn, choosing a hook, and learning some stitches. If so, you’re almost ready to finish up your project. There are a few things to know as you finish it up and make it look all pretty and perfect. Because if you are like me, my first several projects came out all wonky and needed a little help to make them pretty and perfect. There’s a few things you can do to kind of fake it… fake it til’ you make it!

1. Hiding the tail: When you start and finish your project, you have little 3-4 inch yarn “tails” sticking out. I always wondered what crocheters did to hide those pesky little tails. It’s almost like hiding tails in a basic sewing project, making pillows, you thread it back through your piece and it will magically disappear!

Watch this video as she shows how to hide a tail. It’s a beginner’s video and she demonstrates how to hide your tail at the end of the video. You can use a large plastic crochet needle to weave it through as I did above, which is the easiest way, or simply use your crochet hook to weave it through. Note: If you have a needle, it threads through the yarn much faster.

http://youtu.be/VXVTSphiYVM2. Adding a border: The best way to make your project look complete, especially if it might come out a little lopsided, is to add a border to it. They are really fun to crochet and finish off your project. There are lots of different styles out there to use. On my photo above, I used a shell stitch border to complete my project, giving it that pretty finish. Here is the video I watched to learn this fun border stitch.

http://youtu.be/1GZTuJSJsk83. Blocking: This is something I didn’t know needed to happen to my projects until I dug around a little bit online to find out what blocking was. It’s where you “set” your yarn as you finish a project. It helps keep the stitches in place, as yarn can stretch and sag. It can vary between yarns, so make sure you check the label on your yarn for care instructions, as one method deals with a damp towel. Here are a couple of ways to block your crochet project:

• When your project is done, tails hidden, you can simply stretch your yarn in all directions to lock your stitches in place. It’s a quick fix, but be aware that it’s not ideal.
• Steam or Wet blocking: see this article from Knit Simple Mag or this one from Michael’s Crafts for how to wet or steam block your project.
• Read this article from Doris Crochet – Blocking: Just do it! She has pictures that show the difference over time of blocking and not blocking. Here’s her method of blocking as well.

4. Now what? So you’ve made your project and it’s all finished up. Now what? What are you going to do with all those washcloths and scarves? Because you’re addicted, right? I knew you would be!

Plan to give some to your friends and share the love. They’ll love to get something handmade from you. Or you can perfect your stitches as you do small projects and make 16×16 inch blankets, donating them to Teeny Tears, I’m sure they would LOVE your donations!

Have you been crocheting? What projects are you making? Share your links to your projects if you have them!