Tutorial: On the edge, part 1

In part 1, Claire Montgomerie looks at everything you need to know to use crocheted edgings to give a professional finish to many of your craft projects.

Crocheted edgings can be used for many things, from creating a professional finish to any border to adding a final decorative flourish to many craft projects. A crocheted edge can be worked from any selvedge once you know how.

Moreover, you needn’t stick to working from a crochet base. Even the wonkiest of garment edges can be neatened with a trim worked along it, hiding small and glaring mistakes alike. When starting to work a crocheted edge, you must first create a foundation row of stitches to build upon. These should be neat and evenly spaced, so when you are asked work a row of dc evenly around the perimeter, ensure that each stitch is an equal distance apart.

When turning corners, ensure that you work more stitches into the corner stitch or stitches to create a flat turn. It is always preferable to work these extra stitches in even numbers, so that you end up with an odd number in the corner space. This means that you can work the corner stitches into the central stitch of the group on subsequent rows.