Resources & Tips for Converting Knitting to Crochet

What’s a crochet artist to do with a knitting pattern? Perhaps you’ve found a beautiful item that you’d love to make with crochet, but aren’t sure how to translate the pattern, but fear not! We’ve gathered a few helpful resources and some general tips for ìconvertingî knitting patterns to crochet.

Of course,a knitting pattern can’t be seamlessly transferred into crochet – there isn’t an exact formula, and complex designs can be especially difficult to recreate. But, there are some general guidelines and tips for how to make a similar design with crochet.

First, let’s start with the resources that offer detailed, clear instructions for converting patterns:

• How to Convert Knit Stitches to Crochet Stitches from Creative BugThis website offers some general rules of thumb for trying to mimic knitting stitches with crochet stitches. The first step is experimenting with crochet hooks and yarn to see which ones will give you the same number of stitches per inch as the knitting pattern. From there, you can read following steps about copying the pattern so it works for crochet.

  Click here to visit the website.

• From Needles to Hookby Donna ScottIf you’d like an actual guide that you can hold on your hand, then try this helpful book filled with stitch and yarn conversions ñ as well as patterns. Though it will take a little bit of math to figure out the new pattern, it provides some clear instruction on the basics. This book could be a good jumping off point for adventurous crochet artists who want to learn the fundamentals, and then experiment with their own knitting patterns.

  Click here to see the book.

• Converting Patterns Between Knit and Crochet from Planet ShoupThis is another helpful online resource, with both general instructions and tips for those looking to replicate knitting patterns in crochet. This site also makes a special point to emphasize that the finished product isn’t an exact match, but something similar.

  Click here to visit the website.

A few important things to remember are:

• You’ll need more yarn. Planet Shoup explains that crocheting generally takes more yarn than knitting, so you might want 1/3 or more extrayarn ofthe amount suggested by the knitting pattern. After a project or two, you’ll probably get a feel for how much extra you generally need and the experimental scrap yarn will likely get put to good use, too!
• It won’t work for every pattern. As many of these resources will repeat, not every knitting pattern will yield an identical crochet pattern – these are more like guidelines toward making something similar. As the knitting pattern gets complicated, the crochet conversions will likely get more complex, too.
• Take notes. If you find a knitting pattern that you really love, you’ll be determined to try and make it work for crochet. It’s important to take notes for two reasons: First, you’ll want to write down your calculations so you don’t forget. Or, in case you try something and it doesn’t work – whatever the case, taking notes along the way will help you keep track of the process. Secondly, taking notes will yield you a nice crochet pattern that you can share with other people, saving them the time of calculating everything all over again.
• Practice makes perfect. Converting patterns will involve some trial and error, but practice will teach you what works and doesn’t work for transferring designs from knitting to crochet. And because some guesswork is definitely involved in mimicking patterns, practice helps you make better estimates.

If you’re an avid crochet artist and knitter, you can also convert crochet patterns to knitting patterns. Again, the calculations won’t be exact, but you can click here to watch a Howcast video on YouTube that explains everything.