How to Stop Your Treble Crochet Stitches from Being Too Loose

Let's talk about trebles. I used to hate them. It's true! But after over a decade of practice, I've become rather fond of them!

Here are a few of my best tips for regulating your tension while working treble crochets:

1. Be mindful of the yarn you choose. The heavier weight the yarn is, and the looser the original ply of the yarn is, the more exaggerated any looseness in your stitches will be. Experiment with lighter weight yarns.

Also consider the twist of your yarn. If you have a loosely plied s-twist yarn and you are a right-handed crocheter, you will slightly untwist those plies even more as you work your stitches. Experiment with single ply yarn or look for z-twist yarn.

2. Keep tighter control of your yarn over loops. This is your permission slip to choke up on your crochet hook! Use your finger to keep the yarn over loops pushed up close to the tip of the hook as you work.

You can also try slightly rolling the fabric forward towards you to make the yarn over loops even tighter.

3. Keep tighter control at the bottom of your stitch by holding onto the fabric and/or the bottom of the stitch as you work it. Move your fingers up with each step as you go.

4. Yes, you can also try a smaller hook size! I don't talk about this in the video, but it's absolutely an option and even something I sometimes recommend in some of my patterns. If you have a section worked in all treble crochet stitches, try switching to a smaller hook size just for that section of the fabric. It will help tighten up your trebles and may make your fabric drape more consistently. Conversely, you can also try using a larger hook for working smaller, denser stitches like single crochets.

The key is simply to practice! Experiment with some of the different methods I've shared with you and try your own as well. Make it work for you!

Read more and see some examples of my patterns featuring treble crochets over on the blog at https://www.crochetcetera.com/post/ho...

Oh and that scarf I was working on? That's Slice of Life, available now in the Sweet Shop Issue of Moorit Magazine! You can read more and order your copy at https://mooritmag.com/en-us/pages/sli...

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