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Monday, March 09, 2015

Ask Mary: Can I make this?

Something I get asked a lot is if a certain item can be crocheted, knitted or loom knitted.  Usually there is an accompanying picture, but not always.  Most of the time it is either a crocheter wanting to make something that was knitted or a knitter wanting make something that was crocheted.  Another scenario where I am asked this question is someone wondering if they can make an item they have never seen a pattern for.

First of all if you can imagine it or think of it, then yes you can make it.  That doesn't mean it will be easy to figure out or that someone else already has a pattern written that you can follow.  But, if you can think of something then you can make it if you take the time to put in the effort of figuring out how to make it.  One other small point along these same lines:  If you are a beginner at your craft and see a pattern for something marked expert or advanced don't be afraid of it.  You can still make it.  Take your time, read all the directions first and look up the things you don't know and make notes.  Then when you actually start to work on the item take it one step at a time, you will be surprised at what you are capable of doing!

Now onto "Can I crochet this knit item?" and "Can I knit this crochet item?"  The simple answer is:  You can make something very close, but not something identical.  There are a few stitches in crochet that are mock knit stitches and a few stitches in knit that are mock crochet stitches.  But, in general if you want something that looks identical to the picture then use the craft and methods that the item in the picture was made with.  If you want an item that in general is close to the item in the picture then sure you can make it with a different craft but the exact stitches won't be the same.

There are a few books that I have seen over the years that will help you translate crochet into knitting and knitting into crochet.  There is also a club (Annie's Hook and Needle Kit Club) ran by Annie's Attic that will send you a project each month that has the yarn and instructions for making an item that has the pattern written for knitting and crochet.

Another question I am asked frequently is if needle knit patterns and stitches can be converted to loom knitting, and if so how.   Next week I will be answering the question of how to convert needle knit patterns to loom knitting.

If you have a question you would like for me to answer in my weekly Ask Mary series please send your question to:  insidemarysworld@gmail.com  Put ASK MARY in the subject line to make sure that I don't over look your question.

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